Bureau Veritas: Enhancing Our Presence and Market Share in the Region

As a leading global classification society, Bureau Veritas is making significant strides to align closely with the KSA Vision 2030, reflecting its commitment to growing its presence and market share in the region. In an interview with Robban Assafina, Eng. Jamil Al Ali, Middle East Regional Commercial & Business Development Director at Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore, discusses BV’s strategic focus on the Middle East market, and the company’s dedication to leverage its global network to support its clients with classification matters and beyond.

What are the strategies and future plans that the Bureau Veritas team intends to follow to enhance its presence in the Saudi market and align with Vision 2030?

Bureau Veritas in Saudi Arabia is committed to providing exceptional support and fostering trust within the maritime industry, encompassing shipping, offshore, and shipbuilding. With approximately 150 employees in the maritime and offshore sector across the Middle East and South Asia, the company reinforces its dedication to advancing Saudi Arabia's expanding maritime sector and aligning with Vision 2030.

What is the approach you use to develop your employees' skills and ensure that you meet your clients' needs in the Middle East?

As Bureau Veritas continues to make great strides in growing our presence in the Middle East region, we continue to recruit talented individuals while developing our existing staff to adequately equip them with the skill sets required to meet our clients’ expectations and thus building trust.

What can you tell us about BV’s recent projects/partnerships that have been undertaken in the Arabian Gulf?

2024 was a significant year for Bureau Veritas, with the company establishing strategic partnerships in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. Additionally, we are working on forming a similar strategic partnership with the Ports and Maritime Affairs of the Ministry of Transportation and Telecommunications in the Kingdom of Bahrain, which plays a crucial role in regulating, developing, and advancing the ports and maritime sector in the Kingdom.

The role of classification societies in the region has evolved into the trusted maritime partner in collaboration with various stakeholders, thus supporting and guiding the maritime industry towards sustainability and digital transformation. How is BV acting in this regard?

As a major classification society with an impressive maritime heritage approaching 200 years and having the largest number of vessels under any classification society, BV is in a great position to support its clients with classification related matters and beyond classification matters as the so called “go to” trusted partner to assist and support its clients and other important maritime stakeholders through our extensive global network.

The maritime industry is undergoing major changes with ever increasing challenges that require more and more collaboration and closer ties being cemented across the value chain. What are the main challenges in this perspective?

Unprecedented changes have arisen due to regulatory changes related to sustainability and climate change, along with the fast-evolving technological advances that are essential to meet these new challenges moving forward on the decarbonisation journey which need to be carefully handled in order to be able to overcome these difficult challenges being faced during these transient times that the shipping industry is facing.

Based on your wide experience, how do you see the future of the Maritime Industry of the Arabian gulf region?

The region has a strong maritime heritage stemming from the days of building of wooden dhows, which supported livelihood for generations in pearl diving and trading internationally, which nowadays has evolved into a region of strong maritime presence and an important maritime cluster / hub on a global scale, that will keep growing for the foreseeable future moving forward.

How is BV evaluating the feasibility of various alternative fuels, mainly in this region? 

We remain fuel agnostic regarding the selection of alternative fuels, however we are well positioned to support our clients to evaluate various options, taking into consideration all factors from vessels type, trade pattern, availability of supply infrastructure, safety aspects and maturity of various technologies, in order to play a vital role in supporting our clients to make the right decisions for their specific needs. 

What strategies or solutions do you think could effectively address the current lack of established bunkering infrastructure and distribution networks for delivering LNG to ships?

As more and more new building vessels are to be delivered with dual fuel capabilities, firm commitments are required from shipowners that can support the necessary capital investment required for establishing bunkering infrastructure.