Bureau Veritas pursues external growth strategy with the acquisition of TMC Marine

Neuilly-sur-Seine, France, May 04, 2016 – Bureau Veritas has reinforced its position in value-added marine services with the acquisition of leading international consultancy TMC Marine Ltd.

TMC has been providing pre and post casualty advice and support to the marine industry since 1979. The business focuses on marine claims and accident investigations, salvage and wreck removal consultancy and marine expert witness services for a client base that spans P&I clubs, law firms, marine insurers, salvage companies and ship owners.

Headquartered in London, TMC has a network of offices in the US, China, Singapore and Australia. It employs over 50 people and generated revenues of EUR 8.5 million in 2015.

“Our Marine & Offshore business, the historical activity of Bureau Veritas, is one of our eight key growth initiatives to 2020. As such, it is evolving rapidly. We are diversifying our service portfolio and developing our technological leadership in order to meet all our clients’ expectations in risk management. TMC is a recognized brand that enables the Group to enhance its offering to the marine insurance consultancy market, thereby expanding the services that we already provide in offshore to the maritime market,” commented Didier Michaud-Daniel, CEO of Bureau Veritas.

 “We are very happy to be joining the expanding Marine & Offshore division of Bureau Veritas, a leading service provider to the international marine industry. This is a strategic alliance that will provide TMC with technical synergies and greatly enhance the services we can offer to new and existing clients while at the same time continuing our plan of further geographic expansion,” added Tony Bowman, Chairman of TMC.

 http://tmcmarine.com/

About Bureau Veritas

Bureau Veritas is a world leader in laboratory testing, inspection and certification services. Created in 1828, the Group has 66,000 employees in 1,400 offices and laboratories around the globe. Bureau Veritas helps its clients improve their performance by offering services and innovative solutions in order to ensure that their assets, products, infrastructure and processes meet standards and regulations in terms of quality, health and safety, environmental protection and social responsibility.

Bureau Veritas is listed on Euronext Paris and belongs to the Next 20 index.

Compartment A, ISIN code FR 0006174348, stock symbol: BVI.
For more information, visit www.bureauveritas.com

Contacts
Analysts/Investors: Mark Reinhard: +33 (0)1 55 24 77 80 finance.investors@bureauveritas.com	Press: Cathy Pianon: +33 (0)7 71 43 12 96 cathy.pianon@bureauveritas.com Véronique Gielec: +33 (0)1 55 24 76 01 veronique.gielec@bureauveritas.com

AKD recruits two first-tier shipping specialists

ROTTERDAM-based law firm AKD has further strengthened its pre-eminent position in the shipping and offshore sectors with the arrival of two senior executives.

Pieter den Haan, a specialist in handling maritime casualties, with particular expertise in major collision cases as well as in salvage and wreck removal and insurance disputes, joins from Van Traa as a partner in AKD’s Transport & Energy team with effect from 1 July, 2015. Pieter also advises shipyards, shipowners and private clients in connection with shipbuilding and repair contracts, as well as dealing with the enforcement of claims against ships and ship arrests. He says, “I am very pleased to be joining AKD’s robust transport & energy team as it provides the support which is needed to deal with marine matters at the highest level.”

Vivian van der Kuil, meanwhile, will join AKD’s Transport and Energy team from Van Traa as a senior associate. Vivian specialises in transport law, with a particular focus on maritime law, and has extensive experience of dealing with maritime casualties, as well as limitation of liability, assistance and wreck removal cases. Her expertise also extends to ship arrests and other procedures related to maritime law. Vivian has worked as a judge at the Rotterdam Court, dealing with transport law cases, among others. She has also undergone officer training at the Netherlands Royal Institute for the Navy and worked as an officer of the Maritime Service with the Royal Navy on board several ships. Vivian says, “I am looking forward to the challenge of working with the highly experienced team at AKD.”

Haco van der Houven van Oordt, lead partner of AKD’s shipping and offshore practice, says, “We are delighted to have recruited two people of the quality and experience of Pieter and Vivian. Both are first-class marine lawyers who are highly regarded in the industry. Maritime disputes are becoming increasingly more international and legally complex in their nature, and it is therefore imperative to strengthen the team to deal with the challenges that our clients face worldwide.

“The recruitment of Pieter and Vivian will enhance still further AKD’s proven ability to provide innovative solutions to often complex legal problems.”

AKD’s Transport & Energy team provides a full range of legal services. AKD is a full-service firm with over 250 lawyers. www.akd.nl

London P&I Club Chairman calls for international action on ports of refuge

JOHN M Lyras, Chairman of the London P&I Club, has called for concerted international action on the provision of places of refuge for ships involved in casualties.

Writing in the club’s 2014 Annual Report, Mr Lyras says, “Nearly twelve years after the Prestige disaster, it is particularly disappointing to receive reports of other shipping casualties where efforts to mitigate pollution or other risks have been hampered by a reluctance to provide the ships involved with a place of refuge.”

Referencing the widely publicised incidents involving the containership MSC Flaminia and the chemical tanker Maritime Maisie, Mr Lyras says, “There is no easy answer. It is understandable that communities in areas of coastline where refuge may be sought will be reluctant to be exposed to the risk of pollution. But, as the Prestige incident illustrated, and as the risk potentially posed by other ships highlights, there remains a compelling need for further concerted international action in this area.

“As part of that, the efforts of the International Group of P&I Clubs – including its outreach programme and ongoing work to engage with governments and authorities over issues involving both places of refuge and the removal of wrecks – are of great importance.”


www.londonpandi.com