IACS chairman Oh Kong-Gyun conceded that membership of the classification organisation could be changed by the ongoing EU anti-trust investigation.

Speaking at the Connecticut Maritime Association conference on Monday, Oh assured in his prepared remarks that the EU Directorate General for Competition probe launched in January 2008 “would not jeopardise the [IACS] services provided to the maritime industry”.

Oh was speaking on a panel moderated by Stewart Wade, vp of external affairs for class society ABS. In the Q&A, Wade asked Oh whether IACS could survive the investigation in its present form.

Through an interpreter, Oh responded that the investigation “recently has been very tough”, but maintained that “IACS must exist to ensure the safety of the maritime industry”.

“We are currently facing many difficulties with the regulators,” Oh confirmed through his interpreter, adding: “I am sure that we will see a light at the end of the tunnel.”

Wade then pressed on with his questioning and asked Oh whether IACS membership could “change as a consequence” of the investigation.

Oh admitted that it could, but when asked by Wade “in what way”, Oh said he could not provide further details for “legal reasons”.