Originally founded in Antwerp in 1828 to provide maritime insurance companies with precise and up-to-date information about the condition of the ships they cover, Bureau Veritas is now a global provider of testing, inspection and certification services for a wide range of industries. The group has more than 59,000 employees in over 1,330 offices in 140 countries around the world. It is represented in the Italian market by Bureau Veritas Italia SpA.