Expanding global ambitions
On what makes Det Norske Veritas ‘different from other Classification Societies’, Tom Virik suggests that its history ‘is that of a technological pioneer.’ With DNV since 1969, the newly appointed Chief Operating Officer for Maritime Industry has witnessed many changes in that time.
UTILISING KNOWLEDGE is key to a company’s success
Knowledge must flow between people and organisations – it cannot simply be gathered and stored. Information alone is not knowledge, nor can it grant wisdom or be put to use until it is properly applied.
MANDATORY SANCTIONS: The EU´s weapon against failing flag states
Few appointees could be more appropriate as the European Commission’s Director of Maritime Transport than Georgette Lalis. Coming from a Greek shipowning family, Ms Lalis trained as a lawyer specialising in international law; in 1981 she was one of the first Greek nationals to join the Commission, subsequently rising through the Department of Industrial Affairs and other key posts to achieve her present appointment in June 1998. Holder of one of the most influential posts in international shipping, the Director put her views to DNV Forum in Brussels in mid-April.
A key to success: ALLIANCING CONTRACTORS
Conoco’s extensive use of contractors in the U.K. Southern North Sea has resulted in significant financial benefits. Thanks to the synergies of integrating consultant experts into daily operations, the company has maximised production rates.
The culture that is Greek shipping
The Greek-owned fleet is the biggest in the world, with 16 % of global tonnage. DNV’s office in Piraeus is involved in surveys and audits of some 370 ships belonging to 150 different shipowners, and a maritime service centre is to be opened there this autumn. In this 6-page feature written by Christine Calvert, we look into the special culture that characterises Greek shipping.
U.S. Coast Guard cultivates QUALITY SHIPPING
The United States Coast Guard is taking the lead in rewarding the quality ship operator and targeting sub-standard tonnage. In this interview with DNV FORUM, Rear Admiral Robert North, Assistant Commandant for Marine Safety and Environmental Protection, sets out the service’s goal of promoting quality shipping and the initiatives being developed to support its Qualship 2000 programme.
Barber on the information highway
Information and computer technology is helping shipowners and operators to construct, operate and maintain their ships more efficiently, and facilitate better communication with classification societies. DNV’s wide-ranging Nauticus software system allows for total integration of all aspects of a ship over its lifetime. Access to this information from an operator’s side is about to be put into practice on the 310,000 dwt ore and oil carrier Tijuca, managed by Barber Ship Management.
VENUS GLORY pioneers Nauticus class
Gulf Marine Management’s tanker Venus Glory, newly delivered from Daewoo shipyard in Korea, is the first vessel to carry the DNV class notation Nauticus (Newbuilding, Operation). This means that the ship has been entered into the Nauticus information database, and a 3-dimensional graphic model has been created. The information database will follow the ship throughout its life, and be available for the shipowner or operator at any time, anywhere, through the Internet.
DNV coordinates research into COMPOSITES
Shipbuilders’ and owners’ involvement in research projects, and thus a focus on the shipbuilding industry’s real needs, places emphasis on the most practical technology. Solutions are found faster than if research was done in isolation from industry, and are more likely to be cost-effective and realistic in a shipyard environment.
The World-Wide Web FAD OR FUTURE?
In an exclusive interview with DNV Forum, Andreas Sohmen-Pao, vice president of World-Wide Shipping, gives us his thoughts about the impact of e-commerce in shipping.
TRITON - Fighting ship of the future
The world’s first large, powered trimaran, Triton, was launched on 6 May, provoking much interest from the leading naval powers. The 1200 grt research vessel has been commissioned by the United Kingdom’s Defence Research and Evaluation Agency (DERA) as a two-thirds scale frigate prototype to investigate the feasibility of its basis as a future combat vessel design. The £13 million project offers great promise for future naval trimarans.
‘Customer satisfaction’ is a priority in NEW ISO 9001 STANDARD
The new ISO 9001 standard now coming into force is revolutionary in character, in that its main focus has been switched from product to customer satisfaction. DNV Forum reports on the status of the first company in Sweden audited against the new standard.
ADAPTABILITY - The key to good management
Management concerns, and the future of aluminium: CEO of Hydro Aluminium Eivind Reiten shares his thoughts on the accelerating pace of development, and the internal and external demands on a market-oriented company.
Alien organisms threaten marine ecosystem
Vessels in ocean trade carry a diverse assembly of organisms in their ballast water. The undesirable spreading of such organisms is a major pollution concern for the shipping industry, and a new risk-based system to prevent it is now planned.
Risk-based Inspection makes safe SWEDEN's NUCLEAR POWER
The risk of core damage at a nuclear power plant can be reduced if inspectors systematically concentrate on the parts of the facility where the probability and consequences of damage forecast the worst risk scenario.The weakest points in the plant can then be focused on. Costs can be reduced, as can the radiation exposure to plant personnel.
Protecting the nuclear image
DNV’s International Safety Rating System, the ISRS, is about much more than safety. It is also about industrial leadership. England’s Sizewell A nuclear power plant has recently achieved an ISRS level 9 rating - placing it among the top three per cent of the 6,000 industrial units worldwide that have been audited in accordance with the ISRS.
Azerbaijan the West’s new oil supplier
The countries surrounding the Caspian Sea are the object of growing international attention. This area has rich deposits of oil and gas, and to the world’s oil industry the independent republic of Azerbaijan is more and more likely to return to its once key role of supplying the West with a huge proportion of its oil demand.
STANDARD BULKERS make for speedy shipbuilding
Senior vice president of Interocean Ugland Management’s newbuilding department, Birger Jacobsen, is stationed at the Tsuneishi shipyard in Fukuyama, Japan. Nine panamax bulk ships are being built there – all to DNV class.
Ensuring safety for FAIRGROUND THRILLS
The American company Six Flags has a recipe of thrills for its 35 amusement parks in the U.S.A. and Europe. But above all the rides must be safe. ‘Just one serious accident would ruin the season – not just for us, but for all other amusement parks,’ says Daniel P. Aylward, executive vice president and managing director of Six Flags’ European division.
E-commerce in shipping
Internet transactions are giving business evolution a radical twist, and their security merits close attention. Probably the best known organisation using digital security in the shipping industry is Bolero. Graham Harris, Partner at Richards Butler, the international law firm, here considers the Bolero system.