DNV GL unveils electronic certificates for entire fleet

DNV GL announced it has commenced the roll out of IMO-compliant electronic class and statutory certificates, introducing a historic first for its entire fleet. The use of electronic certificates could result in significant efficiency gains, cutting down administrative burdens, processing time and document handling costs.

For the past few years, DNV GL has been working on pilot projects with several owners and flag administrations, to test and gain acceptance for the use of electronic certificates. More than 45 flag state administrations already have granted DNV GL the authority to issue electronic statutory certificates on their behalf.

Certificates are published on DNV GL’s customer portal immediately after an onboard survey is completed, so that all relevant parties can access the latest certificates from anywhere in the world. The electronic certificates are secured with a digital signature and a unique tracking number (UTN) which can be checked online, assuring their validity and authenticity.

Operators can choose to share access to their certificates with stakeholders (charterers, ports, flag administrations, insurers) by using temporary access codes.

Inside DNV GL’s production system, operators will also be able to take advantage of the new Smart Survey Booking tool (SSB) that uses smart algorithms and machine learning to help them when booking a survey.