Page 58: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (April 2021)

The Final Word © Denys/AdobeStock

DNV Advises “Mind the (Safety)

Gap”

A new approach to safety is necessary along maritime’s rapid transition to a decarbonized, digitally smart future, says classi? cation society DNV GL in a new white paper released this week, and as discussed on Maritime Reporter

TV with Knut Ørbeck-Nilssen, CEO of DNV - Maritime and Fenna van de

Merwe, Principal Consultant at DNV, the report’s author.

By Greg Trauthwein he white paper entitled fragmented industry, maybe one of the and today nearly 27% of the ? eet on or- “Closing the Safety Gap in most fragmented transportation indus- der features an alternative fuel choice.

an Era of Transformation”, tries, and many ship owners have been “The challenge is building, keep- identi? es a looming “safety through a period with really low returns, ing safety, keeping competence level

Tgap” between shipping’s if any at all,” said Ørbeck-Nilssen. with the seafarers, managing the digital existing approach to safety risks and While decarbonization technology and transformation all at the same time,” its ambitions for greater digitalization alternative fuels lead the headlines, the said Ørbeck-Nilssen. “That is why we and the adoption of alternative fuels. world ? eet still runs, overwhelmingly, put a lot of emphasis in this paper on

According to DNV, the new technolo- on heavy fuel oil (see chart). Signi? - collaboration. Nobody is interested in gies and fuels required to meet the next cantly reducing emissions on existing competing on safety; it has to be a col- decades’ challenges are also creating a ships is rather limited, and led mostly lective (industry) effort to help all of new risk landscape and demanding a by slow-steaming. While slow steaming these smaller ship owners.” new approach to safety. is effective at cutting emissions, if ships While investing in safety is a cost, that

While the safety message is clear, ship slow down too much there will be a cost during the design and engineering owners today are stretched thin by an breaking point and “at one point in time, phase is miniscule compared to the cost industry transformation driven by de- it will make you unattractive as a vessel of a major accident, said van de Merwe. carbonization and digitalization, all the to be transporting goods,” said Ørbeck- “It shouldn’t be an ‘either or’ discus- while maintaining an eye on safety. Nilssen. New construction offers greater sion; it’s not investing in digitalization “The problem is that shipping is a latitude to incorporate energy saving, and decarbonization and safety, but it’s 58 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News • April 2021

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