Leading classification society Indian Register of Shipping (IRS) hosted a stakeholder meet on research and development activities at its Mumbai head office, as part of efforts to strengthen initiatives in this field.

The meet was well attended by representatives from ship owners, shipyards, designers, managers and other maritime stakeholders. Several presentations related to R&D activities were made. The topics covered included: Decarbonisation (Energy Saving Devices for EEXI and EEDI, Alternative Fuels, Wind Assisted Propulsion, Life Cycle Assessment), Advanced Analyses (Underwater radiated noise, Magnetic Signature, Predictive Analysis using Machine Learning), Disaster Management Plan, Software Development and Oil Spill Contingency Plan.

The stakeholders meet was well appreciated by participants and valuable inputs related to Research and Development activities were received from the industry. The event saw an engaging and interactive Q&A session towards the end of the presentations.

Mr. N. Girish, Divisional Head of Rule Development, Associated Research & External affairs Division, said: “With rapidly changing regulatory environment, IRS is actively building its capabilities to help our customers meet the new requirements and be compliant with the new regulations.”

Dr. Asokendu Samanta, Divisional Head of Research and Development Division, said: “Our stakeholders and customers were updated on the various research areas underway at IRS.  This meet helped us understand the needs and expectations from the industry. We look forward to collaborating with industry partners to work on various emerging subjects, particularly on decarbonisation.”