Classifier goes green

NIPPON Kaiji Kyokai, a non-governmental classification society, is actively involved in efforts to preserve the natural environment, says its chairman Mr Mamoru Uchida.

He said major world events, such as the ending of the Cold War and the disintegration of the Soviet Union, had rendered international economic, political and financial directions uncertain.

''However, without the barrier between east and west, we will see humanity's energies directed toward the promotion of harmony rather than confrontation, and toward the preservation of the environment rather than its destruction,'' Mr Uchida said.

The society, which classed the double-hull oil tanker Olympic Serenity, forecasts a long-term favourable outlook.