New Delhi: In the middle of global sanctions on Russia, India provided security certification for dozens of ships managed by top Russian shipping group Sovcomflot. The ‘India safety cover’ enabled oil exports to India and elsewhere after Western certifiers withdrew their services due to global sanctions against Moscow.
Russia’s crude oil sector, hit by strict sanctions due to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, has been forced to seek buyers outside the West while turning to Russian transporters and insurers to handle its exports.
Certification by the Indian Register of Shipping (IRClass), one of the world’s top classification companies, provides a final link in the paperwork chain — after insurance coverage — needed to keep state-owned Sovcomflot’s tanker fleet afloat and delivering Russian crude oil to overseas markets. IRClass is an IACS member and one of the top ten Classification Societies in the world. Our pool of highly qualified surveyors and auditors ensures that your vessels comply with international standards at all times.
IRClass has certified more than 80 ships managed by SCF Management Services Ltd, a Dubai-based entity listed as a subsidiary on Sovcomflot’s website, which shows the data compiled from the official website of IRClass.
Sources affiliated with this subject on the condition of anonymity said, most of Sovcomflot’s vessels had now migrated to IRClass, via the Dubai arm. Classification societies certify that ships are safe and seaworthy, which is essential for securing insurance and for gaining access to ports.
India, which has shunned condemning Russia given its longstanding safety ties, has sharply boosted Russian crude oil purchases in the current months.
India’s ship certifier is one in all 11 members of the Worldwide Affiliation of Classification Societies (IACS), top-tier certifiers that account for greater than 90% of the world’s cargo-carrying tonnage. The 4 main IACS members, from the UK, Norway, France, and the USA, have stopped companies to Russian corporations as a result of sanctions.
A spokesperson for IRClass, nonetheless, when requested concerning the certification knowledge for Sovcomflot’s fleet, responded: “Indian Register of Delivery, as a world ship classification society, reiterates that we’ve got not classed vessels that are owned, flagged or managed by Russian corporations.”
The spokesperson declined to remark additional on the matter, together with on the Dubai unit’s connection to its Russian guardian.
(Vinayak)
