DNV GL has become the world’s leading ship and offshore classification society, with a 24 per cent market share of the world’s classed ships and mobile offshore units measured in gross tonnage. The group combines two major innovation clusters and will continue to invest five per cent of its annual revenue in R&D, including long-term, strategic research.
“Both companies have long traditions of collaborating with the industry to find solutions to technological, regulatory and operational challenges,” says Remi Eriksen, DNV GL Executive Vice President & COO. “Now, with strong hubs of expertise in both Hamburg and Oslo, we will be a driving force for innovation in the industry. We aim to improve safety by developing new knowledge and insight into the technical and operational challenges faced by our customers. We will invest in research and development and innovate together with our customers, advancing technology to new levels and enabling our customers to become safer, smarter and greener.”
Mr Eriksen sees a need for an increased focus on technology to support reliability and efficiency improvements in the offshore industry as it moves into deeper, harsher environments with a growing number of subsea installations. Owners of offshore support vessels are already responding to the challenges, with improvements in their ships’ overall system reliability and in particular in the man-machine interface and position-keeping arrangements. Now, over 85 per cent of PSVs built to DNV GL class have electric drives. These vessels are moving from simple propulsion systems to complex, advanced technologies, including hybrid propulsion combinations, to achieve further fuel savings and safer operations.
“As a leading provider of marine warranty, technical assurance and risk management services to the oil and gas industry and of expert services relating to renewable power and power transmission, we look forward to further meeting the industry’s need for safer, smarter and greener technologies,” says Mr Eriksen.
In the cargo sector, DNV GL has extended its relationship with SDARI in the design of a second Green Dolphin bulk carrier. The 575 Handymax Green Dolphin builds on the success of the Handysize Green Dolphin 38, for which more than 80 orders and optional contracts have been placed at different Chinese yards.
The work undertaken on the new design includes resistance calculations and model testing of the influence waves will have on ship speed and fuel consumption. The calculations were performed using DNV GL’s in-house software tools and have enabled the hull to be designed to suit realistic sailing conditions.
“The design is energy efficient, reliable, flexible and able to meet both current and future environmental regulations,” says Mr Eriksen. “Importantly, it uses technologies that are available today and is ready to meet the challenging market conditions that ship owners are facing right now as well as those they will face in the coming years.
“With 16,000 employees across 300 sites in more than 100 countries, DNV GL’s commitment to listen to customers is stronger than ever,” says Mr Eriksen. “Together, we must meet the challenges of the day, but we must also work strategically to deliver transformative technology and solutions that will lead to a safer and more sustainable future. DNV GL’s expertise and commitment to these goals is second to none.”
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About DNV GL
Driven by its purpose of safeguarding life, property and the environment, DNV GL enables organisations to advance the safety and sustainability of their business. DNV GL provides classification and technical assurance along with software and independent expert advisory services to the maritime, oil & gas and energy industries. It also provides certification services to customers across a wide range of industries.
Combining leading technical and operational expertise, risk methodology and in-depth industry knowledge, DNV GL empowers its customers’ decisions and actions with trust and confidence. The company continuously invests in research and collaborative innovation to provide customers and society with operational and technological foresight.
Established in 1864, DNV GL operates globally in more than 100 countries with over 16,000 professionals dedicated to helping their customers make the world safer, smarter and greener.