
The world fleet of ice-strengthened ships continues to grow at a phenomenal pace.

Euphoria has broken out in the ice class market, underpinned by the booming Russian oil industry, environmental concerns and red-hot tanker rates.

“Korean shipbuilders will continue to receive new orders, but selectively. Within the next ten years, Korean shipbuilders’ share of the world shipbuilding market is expected to reach 40 per cent.”

Major catastrophes in the US have changed the way pipelines are regulated across the country. The newly DNV-acquired company Cortest Columbus Technologies has been instrumental in developing new industry standards.

BP is the largest producer of oil and natural gas in the United States and an acknowledged leader and operator of some of the most prolific fields in the Gulf of Mexico. Now the company has constructed the Holstein truss spar, the largest ever built in the world.

As booming Asia is shifting the centre of the shipping industry from west to east, Frederick Tsao, chairman of Intercargo, contends that international shipping lacks leadership; "This is the time for renewed co-operation and communication in shipping."

Extreme weather might be an early warning of climate change. Solutions are in demand. So, is underground storage of CO2 a sustainable solution?

Morten Arntzen is a breath of fresh air in US and international shipping. He arrived in the USA as a three-year-old in 1958, since his father was going to establish the Norwegian law firm of Wikborg and Rein’s first US office. The family came by sea from Norway, just like real immigrants did half a century before.

Plans to relocate the US embassy in Oslo near a well-established residential area were met by noisy protests from neighbours.

DNV has, together with Loyd’s Register, the American Bureau of Shipping, NK and the Russian Register, announced a common initiative to improve the safety of the surveyors on assignment. The five societies’ ambitions are to provide a safer workplace at all times for all surveyors.

The international community’s focus on risk and zero tolerance of accidents have produced a great demand for safety and quality-assurance services.
To further its commitment to the German market, DNV has now established a German Technical Committee – the first meeting of which was recently held at DNV’s headquarters.

Thousands of small fishing boats were damaged by the tsunami on 26 December. The UN asked DNV for its assistance in Sri Lanka, to ensure the quality of repairs and newbuildings. This will help tens of thousands of afflicted fishermen in the country.
DNV has developed a framework for risk management based on the EFQM Excellence Model. This Framework was developed in partnership with the European Foundation for Quality Management as part of a strategic alliance to promote risk management.

New York-based Overseas Shipholding Group, one of the premier energy transportation companies in the world, together with its partner Qatar Gas Transport Company, has recently signed a contract for the largest LNG carriers on order to date.

The lottery industry is at a critical stage in its development. Deregulation and the power of the Internet make it more important than ever to control runaway gambling, and promote the role of state-licensed lotteries as generators of funds for good causes.

Offshore yard Keppel FELS in Singapore is brimming with projects, as the market for offshore drilling rigs and floating production units is booming. As the steel structures rise, so does the yard’s reputation. Millions of man-hours without lost time accidents and projects delivered on time speak volumes of their ability to perform.

After last year’s tsunami disaster, DNV’s Marte Ness joined the Red Cross rescue team in Banda Aceh as a water expert.

The former Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs, UN High Commissioner for Refugees and UN Chief negotiator on Balkan, now President of the Norwegian Red Cross Thorvald Stoltenberg thinks that cooperation with industry is an important contribution to their future humanitarian work. “Imagine what we can accomplish together!” he says.

Now that 40 years of civil war has come to an end, the Angolan government has decided to prioritise the environment, as one of many important issues.

Squeezing more oil and gas out of both green field developments as well as existing fields has been a priority for international oil majors such as Shell, BP, ChevronTexaco and ConocoPhillips for years.

DNV has for the first time in history given full marks, level 10, under the International Safety Rating System (ISRS) and International Environmental Rating System (IERS) to the Sizewell A nuclear power station in UK.

“On December 14, 2004, the Al-Samidoon, whilst transiting through the Suez Canal under the control of two pilots of the Suez Canal Authorities and loaded with 198,000 tons of crude oil, struck the bank of the canal in an effort to avoid collision with a moored dredger.