The fastest growing Class Society for Bulk Carriers.
Bulk Carriers are ships designed for carriage of solid bulk cargoes. In gross tonnes, bulk carriers amount for almost one third of the world's sailing fleet.
DNV classification services focus on safety of the ship, cargo and crew, combined with efficient operations.
The modern bulk carrier originated in 1954 (M/S "Cassiopeia", designed by Ole Skaarup), and currently more than 7000 bulk carriers are sailing the seas, and they carry the vast majority of the world's dry bulk cargoes. Total seaborne dry bulk transports amounts more than 2500 million tonnes per year, including bulk cargoes as iron ore, coal, grain, bauxite/alumina, phosphate, steel products, cement, pet coke, forest products, fertilisers, sulphur and other dry bulk cargoes.
Often seen as "workhorses of the seas", bulk carriers are indeed designed to be sturdy cargo ships, but their demanding duties mean that they must be built, loaded and operated with keen attention. DNV has been in the forefront of risk management for bulk carriers, and currently the following selected topics are high on our agenda to maintain this lead:
DNV currently classifies close to 20 million gt of bulk carriers (504 vessels) , ranging from large ore carriers to small size bulk carriers. In 2009 contracts for 23 new bulk carriers and ore carriers were signed to DNV class - equal to more than 2,3 million gt.
As of end of year 2009, our orderbook comprised 336 Bulkers equivalent to 19 millions GT.