Bureau Veritas at Nor-Shipping: navigating the unexpected

Nor-Shipping 2022 was a chance for shipping industry players to reconnect at one of the sector’s first in-person events since the pandemic. This year, Bureau Veritas took an innovative approach, hosting its Unexpected BV event. Focusing on societal changes and what they mean for shipping, the event brought together industry experts with two seminars on the energy transition and the digital transition.

Are we lost in transition?

The first Unexpected BV seminar tackled decarbonization, one of the biggest challenges facing the maritime sector. Ulrik Dan Frørup, Chief Commercial Director of Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore, was joined by Egil Hystad from Wärtsilä, Andreas Hagberg from FKAB and Elise Roc from Northern Lights. The panel agreed that deciding on and rolling out an alternative green fuel is a priority. Whether it’s ammonia, hydrogen or methanol, fuels need to be available and accessible for bunkering.

The experts observed that there is growing interest in building ships in Europe, for example Türkiye and the Netherlands. For European operators, more local shipyards are a sustainable, cost-efficient and time-saving solution. As well as newbuilds, older ships can be retrofitted for alternative fuels or hybrid battery power to reduce their carbon footprint.

Industry cooperation will prove essential to achieve a lower-carbon shipping sector. When asked what the sector needs to achieve decarbonization, Ulrik Dan Frørup said: “Timing, collaboration, trust and ambition.”

What is the future of Maritimus Digitalus?

The second seminar focused on the other key development in the shipping industry—digitalization. The panel brought together Bureau Veritas’ Marine Chief Executive Nordics, Gijsbert de Jong, Claes Möller from Tärntank Ship Management, Pia Melling from Massterly and Jan Øivind Svardal from Grieg Edge. The experts agreed the industry is struggling to navigate the digital transition, trying to do too much at once. The best approach would in fact be to define specific problems to then develop technologies to solve them. These issues include decarbonization, the safety of crews and recruiting crews with the talents the industry needs. As Gijsbert de Jong summarized: “Begin with the end in mind.”

The panel discussed autonomous vessels, with concerns regarding job loss. The general consensus, however, was that this digitalization would create jobs and allow crews to focus their attention on the most important tasks. Furthermore, the digitalization of onboard processes will enable crews to utilize their skillsets where they’re most needed.

Bureau Veritas: a driver of change

As the Unexpected BV event demonstrated, Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore is playing a central role in industry advancements. “The industry knows where we want to go, even if we don’t know exactly how to get there” said Nick Brown, Global Brand and Communications Director.

We understand that each of our partners is on a different journey toward a common goal. Bureau Veritas’ experts are on hand to help ship owners, ship builders and the entire maritime supply chain every step of the way.

We are channeling our efforts into research and development and creating new guidelines and rules, for example on ammonia and methanol. Our conviction is that through innovation and collaboration, we can work together to shape a better maritime world.