Existing Standards News

The maritime industry accounts for more than 90% of global trade and employs over 3 million people in the United States, and like other modes of transportation, our industry encounters unique risks. Waterfront workers are exposed to various hazards such as heavy machinery, hazardous substances, extreme weather and long hours. If not properly managed, these hazards can result in serious injuries, illnesses and even fatalities. That is why ensuring the safety of waterfront workers is a top priority for all of us who work in the maritime industry.

Hornblower Energy LLC, in partnership with the Port of San Franciso, the U.S. Department of Energy and six corporate partners, including Air Liquide and Glosten, is leading a project to demonstrate the feasibility and viability of using hydrogen (H2) as a maritime fuel.The project is located at Pier 68 in San Francisco. DOE selected the project for funding in 2020. It’s supposed to be completed in 2025 but there are important decision dates before then. So far, project activities have concentrated on planning and modeling.

The maritime classification society DNV has, with its partners, launched a joint industry program to establish a monitoring and reporting framework for assessing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the offshore wind installation sector. The partners of the JIP called EMRED, comprise energy companies, ScottishPower Renewables, RWE, Vattenfall, and Orsted, and installation and operation companies, Jan De Nul Group, DEME, Ziton, Cadeler, Van Oord, Fred. Olsen Windcarrier, and DNV."The expansion of renewable energy generation is a key part of the global energy transition.

London and Brussels agreed on Sunday to “go the extra mile” in coming days to try to reach an elusive trade agreement despite missing their latest deadline to avert a turbulent exit for Britain from the European Union’s orbit at the end of the month.British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the president of the EU’s executive Commission, Ursula von der Leyen had given negotiators a Sunday deadline to find a way to resolve an impasse on arrangements that would guarantee Britain zero-tariff and zero-quota access to the EU’s single market.On Sunday they mandated negotiators to continue…

Chinese wind turbine manufacturer Goldwind is the world’s first OEM to receive DNV GL’s Component Certification for its LiDAR Assisted Control system.The certificate is issued according to DNV GL’s own Type and Component Certification Service Specification in conjunction with the Recommended Practice for new Technology Qualification.LiDAR, which stands for “Light Detection And Ranging”, is a technique where a laser source is used to sense the incoming wind field in front of a wind turbine rotor. Its application to wind turbine control systems facilitates the reduction of loads on certain components such as the tower and blades, improves…

The Offshore Sector's Support of National Interests in Times of Crisis.Desperate Times Call for Diverse ResourcesIn 2017, North America was assaulted by significant weather events resulting in cascading humanitarian crises. Despite the substantial response from the U.S. maritime industry, a misconception arose that insufficient U.S. assets were available to support critical response activities in affected regions; in particular, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Public…

Classification society ClassNK has released the ClassNK Cyber Security Approach which outlines its basic approach to ensuring onboard cyber security for ships. It was released alongside its Guidelines for Designing Cyber Security Onboard Ships for newbuilding designs as the first part of the ClassNK Cyber Security Series which incorporates requirements for taking onboard cyber security measures.Response to cyber threats is an urgent matter for the entire maritime industry. The…

Singapore authorities are looking to apply stricter control measures across the marine fuels sector supply chain, a spokeswoman for the government agency Enterprise Singapore said on Thursday, to boost transparency and accountability in a notoriously opaque industry.The Technical Committee for Bunkering has submitted a proposal to the national standards body, Enterprise Singapore, for a new standard on quantity, measurement and sampling requirements for transfer of bunker fuel from oil terminals to bunker tankers using mass flow metering, the spokeswoman said."This proposed standard complement

DNV GL - Maritime has released its second Maritime Forecast to 2050, part of a suite of Energy Transition Outlook (ETO) reports launched today in London. The Forecast provides an independent forecast of the maritime energy future and examines how the energy transition will affect the shipping industry.“The energy transition is undeniable,” says Remi Eriksen, Group President and CEO of DNV GL. “Last year, more gigawatts of renewable energy were added than those from fossil fuels and this is reflected in where lenders are putting their money.”Following on from the 2017 report, the new Maritime Forecast to 2050 focusses on the challenges of decarbonizing the shipping industry.

Lloyd’s Register (LR), Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) and Hyundai Mipo Dockyard (HMD) have signed a joint development project (JDP) to produce a ship-to-ship LNG bunkering compatibility study. This will comprehensively review the design requirements between 6.6K LNG bunkering ships and 14K TEU LNG-fuelled container ships with the goal of verifying safe ship-to-ship LNG bunkering. The study aims to help all stakeholders with interest in LNG as fuel to envisage a clear picture of possible options for LNG supply infrastructure.

In an unprecedented endeavour, the ship manager Reederei NSB is widening its Panamax-class container vessels. DNV GL, the class in charge, is on board, says a report in DNV GL, Maritime Impact. Too young for scrapping, too old to compete: Roughly 500 Panamax-class container ships are currently less than ten years old, barely half their useful life. But facing overcapacities, low charter rates and ierce competition, the Panamax class is under intense pressure. Compared with state-of-the-art and much more capacious newbuildings, its prospects are dim. This is mainly due to the way these vessels were designed. To pass the old locks of the Panama Canal, they were built with unusual dimensions – long and thin and with a large amount of ballast water to compensate the poor stability.

Dynamic positioning is a vessel capability provided by integration of a variety of individual systems and functions to automatically maintain a vessel’s position and heading by use of the vessel’s propellers and thrusters, and has been in use, particularly in the offshore oil and gas exploration business since the 1960s. To date, use of dynamic positioning has relied on industry best practices, classification society rules, and guidance from the International Maritime Organization (IMO). If the US Coast Guard has its way, that may change soon.

The completion of a joint industry project (JIP) to improve existing standards and regulations around subsea lifting operations has resulted in a new recommended practice (RP). The recommended practice developed by DNV GL provides guidance on the proper design and correct operation, as well as regular inspection and maintenance, of subsea cranes and lifting appliances. The aim is to reduce the overall risk and safeguard personnel during lifting operations and to improve the integrity and efficiency of equipment throughout its lifetime.

In the operation and development of a sour gas field, a key challenge is ensuring the process safety and integrity of the asset and, most importantly, the safety of the personnel working with high concentrations of hydrogen sulphide (H2S). To help the industry manage the risks throughout the project’s lifecycle, DNV GL has now initiated a Joint Industry Project (JIP). Operators are invited to join this JIP to obtain synergies through the development of guidelines on design, construction, operations and training.

As the Maritime Labor Convention 2006 (MLC) comes into the force the ITF (International Transport Workers’ Federation) has promised to dedicate all its resources to helping it make real changes to the lives of all seafarers. The ITF has worked alongside shipping organizations, the ILO and governments for over a decade to jointly create and shape the MLC, and is committed to monitoring and assisting its implementation and persuading many more countries to ratify it. ITF president Paddy Crumlin stated…

DNV said it has completely rewritten the standard for Offshore Service Modules certification, commonly referred to as DNV 2.7-2, which was first published in 1995. The new document is now available and an event to explain the guidance will be held at the Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Center (AECC) on June 11, 2013. According to DNV, there are currently various industry sources of guidance and standards, some of which contain conflicting advice, making it difficult for users to gain assurance that their equipment is compliant and that as Duty Holders, they are effectively managing the hazards that may be introduced to the offshore installation. DNV believe that the new DNV 2.7-2 offers a solution to this issue.

DNV has completely rewritten the standard for Offshore Service Modules certification, commonly referred to as DNV 2.7-2, which was first published in 1995. On June 11, 2013, DNV will roll this out to an industry seminar taking place at the Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Center (AECC). This event will look at the issues surrounding the management and use of temporary equipment on offshore installations and how the new Standard for Certification may provide some clear guidance.

With implementation of the US Coast Guard Subchapter M regulations just around the corner, owners of uninspected towing vessels are scrambling to understand and prepare for what’s to come, even while the rules are still evolving. Among the proposed changes for towing vessels are standards for propulsion and steering controls that closely resemble the existing standards for fully inspected offshore vessels. One component of the rules would require certain vessels to be equipped…

Carrying an estimated 90% of world trade and billions of passengers every year, international shipping represents the life blood of the global economy. Safety, always a major concern for seafarers, has made huge advances in the last century. However, the massive increase in traffic in recent decades requires, among other things, new or better global communication and navigation solutions resting on internationally-agreed standards to maintain and improve safety levels. Shipping was among the very first industries to adopt widely implemented international safety standards.

ERP systems are beasts. To be happy, they have to be well fed. Computer Aided Design/Drafting (CAD) systems are a source of the food for Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems since they contain significant information regarding the plans and materials needed to construct a ship. ERP systems are data hungry. They can only be effective at planning purchasing and production as long as the beast is consuming the information that the CAD system provides. In fact, there is a direct link between the success of an ERP system and how well it is fed the information it requires to do its job.

DNV’s summer students presented the results of seven weeks of intense and targeted work with a concept for year-round drilling and exploration offshore north-east Greenland. More than anything their work unfolded a massive need for new technologies, improved standards and increased arctic research. But that’s not all; the students predict that drilling in the Arctic could be up to four times as expensive as drilling in the North Sea. DNV’s summer project is an annual program organised during the summer months for students in their final year of a master’s degree program.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) today released the findings of its investigation into a fire that occurred Sept. 2, 2010, on Mariner Energy Inc.’s, Vermilion 380 A oil and natural gas production platform located approximately 102 miles off the coast of Louisiana. A BOEMRE Accident Investigation Panel concluded that the fire was caused by the collapse of a fire tube located inside of the platform’s Heater-Treater.

The Barents 2020 cooperation project on safeguarding petroleum activities in the Barents Sea was concluded on Dec. 18 at a conference in Moscow. More than 100 Russian and Norwegian experts have worked together for close to three years on identifying common rules and standards for health, safety and the environment in the Barents Sea. Today they presented their recommendations in front of more than 200 representatives from industry, research institutions and authorities. The Barents Sea has been subject to industrial activities for years. The extreme climate, however, poses constant hazards to people and operations. And with industrial activities expected to increase in the years to come…