Leading classification society DNV GL is set to fully digitalise statutory safety surveys and certifications both for flag and classification.

The initiative is intended to make special and intermediary survey booking more efficient. A new online service will replace the traditional paper-based certification process that has been in place since the 1870s.

It will be launched at DNV GL’s Hamburg base later this month.

Under the programme, each ship will be given its own webpage on its owner’s MyDNV GL microsite, where its scheduled surveys will be listed.

That in itself is nothing new. The due date for each of a ship’s 14 to 16 individual surveys is already published online by organisations such as port state control database Equasis.

But DNV GL’s system goes much further.

It will set up alerts for owners, indicating when surveys are due. The service will then package surveys in the most efficient way so that multiple inspections can be done at one port call or dry-docking.

Remote cameras

The system also selects the best place to carry out an inspection according to a ship’s trading pattern, price and surveyor availability.

DNV GL director of approval Rasmus Stute said: “The idea is to serve our customers better using digitalisation to be more efficient.”

The classification society is also trialing technology for remote inspection.

Using cameras on smart phones or headsets means survey images can be shared in real-time by ship superintendents and DNV GL experts ashore.

The result should be to reduce travel, speed responses to technical questions and increase flexibility.

DNV GL is also considering deploying drones in tanks and void spaces that are difficult to access, or pose a safety risk for surveyors.

Some observers say that this technology is readily available for any classification society to use.

But DNV GL says it is now looking at pushing the boundaries of what might be achieved, applying a surveyor’s images to a computerised digital twin of the ship to create a virtual reality image.

To date, DNV GL has created 500 digital twins of ships in its classed fleet.

Head of information management technologies Christian Cabos says that DNV GL is keen to explore what is possible within the current regulatory framework.

“We need to clarify the regulations and what is acceptable,” he said.

The final part of the the surveying process to be overhauled is certification.

Under the current system, paper certificates are awarded following the successful completion of a survey.

Copies are archived at the shipowner's head office and sent to the ship, where they are required for onboard ship inspections, such as port state control.

They also serve as physical confirmation of a ship's status for third parties, such as charterers and insurers.

DNV GL senior principal consultant Morten Ostby describes the traditional paper-based process as “troublesome".

The classification society has been guided by International Maritime Organization (IMO) guidelines on e-certification, which center mainly on security.

The IMO's concern is that digital certification is easier to tamper with than paper documentation.

Under the DNV GL system, each certificate is digitally signed and given a unique tracking number. If there is any attempt to change the details of a certificate, it will be labelled “not authentic".

Owners can create access codes for approved stakeholders to view the certification online.

The only stumbling block is flag state approval.

Final approval

Ostby says that around 70% of flag states have said they will recognise DNV GL's e-certification, including Panama, Liberia and the Marshall Islands which account for the majority of the world fleet.

Ostby says some national flags such as Denmark, Singapore and Norway have also been very encouraging.

However, other flag states have yet to give their final approval despite agreeing in principle. These include France, Sweden, Italy, Cyprus and Greece.

DNV GL will continue to produce paper certification for those flags that are not yet ready to accept the digital version.

Among DNV GL's competitors, Japan's ClassNK has also started an e-certification scheme that it launched last month.