Today, German shipowners control one of the industry's largest and most modern fleets and, in the past year, they have placed a larger volume of newbuildings than any other maritime nation. Against this backdrop of investment and growth, DNV is enjoying a growing share of the German-operated fleet
"DNV's strategic thinking behind its services in Germany is to be close to this market in order to give our clients the best possible service and convince the German shipping industry that competition between class societies is beneficial," says the head of DNV Maritime, Joerg Beiler.
The key to diversified expansion
He says DNV is aiming to achieve more diversified business in different markets and Germany is a market for future expansion. It is one of the world's largest shipping nations, with a fleet consisting of about 2,800 ships of 42 million grt. Record charter rates have been reported, and some German shipyards have a substantial order book volume until 2008.
DNV has been involved in German shipping since 1881 and today has a solid base of 40 shipowning/ managing clients. To strengthen this relationship, DNV has recently established its DNV National Committee. This comprises 19 owners and chief executives of German shipping companies and yards.
A strong partner
"As the third largest shipping market after Greece and Japan, Germany is very significant for us. Over the years, DNV has developed strong alliances with German shipowners and has a good track record in Germany," says Beiler.
As a former senior surveyor for DNV in Korea, Beiler has strong views on the responsibility of class as regards safety, and on the challenges facing DNV in this market. "I would consider our maritime operations a success," he says. "We have won, in grt terms, 12 percent of the existing German fleet and 20 percent of all newbuildings in Germany, making us the second largest class society in the country and providing the organisation with a very important market."
The challenges ahead
Joerg Langkabel, head of DNV's Maritime Service Centre, is pleased with DNV's results, but believes the company can do better. "Our challenge is that we are operating in the home market of our competitor here in Germany in the shape of Germanischer Lloyd. At the same time, our current success is thanks to our efforts to provide best possible service and continual investment in technology."
Beiler is quick to note that attitudes are changing - shipping companies are migrating from a compliance culture to a safety culture. He also believes that class could play a vital role in encouraging this process. "We want customers to choose us because we are service-minded, provide access to highly-skilled personnel and apply uniform processes to meet our customers' needs," says Langkabel and concludes, "We consistently seek innovative ways to manage what's happening in the market and to add value to our classification and technical-consulting services."