Trusted data for decarbonization: Growing a maritime data ecosystem with Veracity

The maritime industry is at a real inflection point. With regulations like the EU ETS and FuelEU Maritime now in force, pressure is mounting on shipowners and managers to deliver accurate, timely emissions data. Manual reporting and fragmented data silos have long been a challenge, but now compliance is tied directly to business performance – with carbon pricing now built into freight rates and contracts. This is where DNV and Veracity saw both an opportunity and a responsibility, not just to help the industry manage the transition, but to build a connected ecosystem where everyone can access and trust the same verified emissions data. Rather than trying to build everything ourselves, we chose a partnership model with data and solution partners, so that our shared customers – shipowners and managers – can automate the vessel-to-verification process and connect the data seamlessly into a multitude of use cases . We at Veracity provide the trusted data infrastructure – data lineage, transparency, security, governance, and business-to-business connectivity – while DNV performs the independent verification of the data. If I were to take a figurative approach, you could say Veracity builds the highway and intersections for trusted data to flow securely, while DNV stands at the checkpoint ensuring every piece of information is verified before it moves forward. It’s this combination that gives customers both confidence in their data and assurance in their results.

Certainly. By nurturing this digital ecosystem, we reduce compliance overhead while unlocking commercial agility. For shipowners and managers, this means automation, fewer reconciliation errors, and the ability to detect and correct systematic data quality issues across fleets. The value doesn’t stop there. Charterers, cargo owners, financial institutions, and insurers increasingly rely on transparent ship emissions data to make informed decisions and manage risks. By becoming Veracity Integrated Partners, these companies enable their customers to securely share verified emissions data in real time, directly from the source into their industry solutions. Some examples from our existing partners include INTERTANKO, which uses Veracity to facilitate emissions data collection for benchmarking within the tanker sector; Berenberg Bank, which uses verified data for EU Allowances trading; and BetterSea, which leverages DNV-verified voyage data to power a FuelEU pooling marketplace. Today, more than 80 maritime data and solution providers are part of our Partner Program. We now host verified operational data for over 11,000 vessels and can connect with 60,000 vessels worldwide through our partner community. At this scale, the industry isn’t just managing emissions data more efficiently – it’s turning it into a strategic asset. As the partner ecosystem expands, so do the opportunities for customers to do more with their data.

Quality is the foundation of trust, and without trust, emissions data cannot serve as a reliable basis for compliance or commercial settlement. That’s why DNV and Veracity have made data standardization and validation central to our approach. Our Operational Vessel Data (OVD) standard – approved by IMO and widely adopted across the industry – has already shown how standards can accelerate digitalization and collaboration. Building on this, we developed the data quality feedback loop within the Veracity data portal, included in every Emissions Connect subscription and available to both data partners and customers. Once enabled, the data quality feedback loop runs continuously in the background. Each time vessels send operational data, it’s automatically validated against the OVD standard and checked for quality. Any issues are flagged instantly to the customer and their data provider. This shifts data management from reactive problem-solving to proactive improvement, enabling earlier detection, faster resolution, reduced crew effort, and quicker turnaround for verified emissions statements. Equally importantly, customers retain full ownership and control of their data, while DNV provides independent verification. This clear separation of duties ensures both trust and transparency, creating an end-to-end plug and play solution that strengthens collaboration and confidence.

Our vision is to grow and nurture a secure, trusted, and intelligent data ecosystem – one that applies industry context as the foundation for safe AI, compliance, and confident decision-making. This empowers companies to innovate faster while staying transparent and auditable. In this new age of intelligent automation, trusted data is no longer optional – it’s the fuel that powers AI and the future of our industry. By continuing to combine DNV’s assurance expertise with Veracity, we’re exploring how AI can validate vessel emissions, reduce CO₂ liabilities, automate compliance, and forecast risks across supply chains. Essentially embedding AI and assurance into our trusted data ecosystem to help drive cleaner operations, greater efficiency, and faster, more confident decisions.