Did you know that Bureau Veritas, now a global leader in testing, inspection, and certification, was originally founded in Antwerp?
In June 1828, Antwerp-based insurance broker Auguste Morel, together with Alexandre Delehaye and Louis van den Broeck, established the Bureau de Renseignements pour les Assurances Maritimes. Their goal? To provide insurers with up-to-date information on ships and maritime risks.
The initiative quickly gained momentum and became a trusted name in the maritime industry. In 1829, it was renamed Bureau Veritas, and the first register—listing 10,000 ships—was published.
Fun fact: Bureau Veritas was even mentioned in three novels by Jules Verne: Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (1869), The Mysterious Island (1874), and The Survivors of the Chancellor (1875).
