Tectonic shifts in shipping make safety more vital than ever (FOTO)

Oslo (ots) -

At its Nor-Shipping press conference in Oslo, DNV GL - Maritime
CEO Knut Ørbeck-Nilssen emphasized the classification society's
dedication to maritime safety. Although shipping losses have declined
over the last decade, challenging markets, demanding environmental
regulations, and new technologies threatened to pull the industry's
focus away from marine safety, he said.

"In a time when shipping is rapidly transforming, I believe it is
crucial to put our primary focus on safety, making sure it is at the
core of all changes - whether it is ways of working, technology, or
regulations," said Ørbeck-Nilssen. He noted there were tectonic
shifts within the maritime industry on three fronts: shifts in the
market, which are increasingly unpredictable; shifts in regulations,
headed by the upcoming 2020 global sulphur limits; and shifts in
technology, driven by the constant evolution in digitalization.

The tectonic shifts were creating their own safety challenges, he
said: from growing ship sizes, fire risks due to new cargo types such
as cars with Li-ion batteries, to environmental regulations with
unintended consequences, as well as the increased risk of
cyber-attack due to vessel automation and ship-to-shore
connectedness.

The industry needed to be both aware of these challenges, but also
embrace the opportunities they created, said Ørbeck-Nilssen. However,
a safety net was needed to unlock these opportunities, which was
where class and DNV GL could be instrumental, he explained: "I have
five proposals that I believe could benefit our industry and improve
safety at sea. Firstly, to develop holistic regulations with safety
at the core - this is a challenge to the IMO and the classification
societies when they are developing rules. Secondly, to improve the
safety culture within shipping companies. Thirdly, to apply barrier
management lessons from other industries. The fourth proposal is to
increase transparency on incident findings. And finally, to unlock
data silos for deeper insights into incidents and near-misses."

There were already many concrete examples of how DNV GL had been
working on projects that built on these proposals, he said. "We have
been working with Carnival on a holistic safety management system,
which integrates the human, organizational and technical dimensions
of safety to help develop a more efficient incident investigation
process. Also in the cruise industry, we have developed barrier
models for critical areas, such as fire in machinery or escape and
evacuate. And we have carried out more than 200 surveys where we have
put class and statutory findings into context by presenting the
results in a barrier dashboard on the industry data platform
Veracity."

As a classification society, DNV GL was also providing
safety-related research and technical know-how that was leading to
informed debates and better decisions, he added. "In a recent joint
development project, we tested the properties of the new
Environmentally Acceptable Lubricants (EALs) after a series of stern
tube bearing failures were reported. Based on the results, we updated
our design rules, to add a viscosity influence parameter as a safety
margin."

Furthermore, DNV GL has been sharing its expertise on critical
issues like cargo liquefaction, he noted. "In 2015, we published our
first guideline for the design and operation of vessels with bulk
cargo that may liquefy. This was created to raise the awareness of
the risks of liquefaction and to offer mitigating actions for crews,
owners and operators. We have been working on this over the past
years and have published an updated version at Nor-Shipping."

The classification society was also involved in areas that would
be important for the future of the industry, he said. "Our role as a
neutral third party has never been more relevant than in time of
rapid technological transformation as we see it today. For example,
autonomous and remotely operated ships are beginning to emerge, which
prompted the launch of our class guideline last year. Alongside our
own rules we continue to support the industry to develop a holistic
regulatory framework."

DNV GL will be welcoming visitors to its booth (Hall D, stand
D02-14) throughout the Nor-Shipping trade fair.

About DNV GL

Driven by our purpose of safeguarding life, property and the
environment, DNV GL enables organizations to advance the safety and
sustainability of their business. We provide classification,
technical assurance, software and independent expert advisory
services to the maritime, oil & gas and energy industries. We also
provide certification services to customers across a wide range of
industries. Operating in more than 100 countries, our professionals
are dedicated to helping our customers make the world safer, smarter
and greener.

About DNV GL - Maritime

DNV GL is the world's leading classification society and a
recognized advisor for the maritime industry. We enhance safety,
quality, energy efficiency and environmental performance of the
global shipping industry - across all vessel types and offshore
structures. We invest heavily in research and development to find
solutions, together with the industry, that address strategic,
operational or regulatory challenges. For more information, please
visit www.dnvgl.com/maritime

Media contact DNV GL:
Nikos Späth, Head of Media and Public Relations
DNV GL Maritime Communications
Phone: +49 40 36149-4856
Email: nikos.spaeth@dnvgl.com

Original-Content von: DNV GL, übermittelt durch news aktuell