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Close Sectors Services Insights About us Sign inSign in to Veracity Open menu Open search Global MAIN WEBSITES: China Germany Italy Netherlands Norway Spain United Kingdom USA LOCAL WEBSITES: Denmark France Brazil Sweden Finland Czech Republic Canada Hungary Japan Lithuania Poland Slovakia Australia and NZ Chile Belgium Estonia Singapore Latvia Korea Mexico Russia Africa (English) Middle East Croatia Africa (French) Taiwan Argentina Malaysia India Maritime Go to Maritime Services Insights Rules and standards Customer tools Contact Oil and gas Go to Oil and gas Services Insights Rules and standards Innovation Focus areas Gas Pipelines Subsea Hydrogen Contact us Power and renewables Go to Power and renewables Manufacturers Renewables developers Renewables financiers Utilities Corporate energy users Governments Automotive and aerospace Go to Automotive and aerospace Services Insights Customer tools Contact Food and beverage Go to Food and beverage Services Insights Customer tools Contact Healthcare Go to Healthcare Services Insights Customer tools Contact Other industries Go to Other industries You searched for Find our services {- item.title -} See all results {- all.amount -} Advisory View all Digital Due diligence and finance Energy management Engineering and design Environment and sustainability Marine operations Safety, risk and reliability Systems and markets Certification View all Competence Management systems Manufacturers and suppliers Materials and components Products and equipment Projects and processes Classification View all Flagstate and coastal services Offshore classification – fleet in service Offshore classification – newbuilding Ship classification - fleet in service Ship classification - newbuilding Data and analytics View all Analytics and data science Data management and quality Data products Inspection View all Factory inspection Site inspection Vendor inspection Software View all Asset integrity Asset monitoring & control Electric grid performance and reliability Offshore and maritime engineering Process safety, risk and reliability QHSE and enterprise risk management Renewables engineering Ship management, operations and ship design Simulation and optimization Testing View all Automation and control systems Battery and storage Communication protocols Maritime equipment and materials Oil and gas structures and components Power systems and components Wind turbines Training View all Business Assurance Energy academy Maritime academy Oil and Gas training Software and digital solutions Verification and assurance View all Functional safety Marine warranty and operations Products and services Sustainable practices Technology qualification Sector insights Maritime Power and renewables Oil and gas Energy Transition Safety and risk Digital trust Sustainable practices DNV Group About us Research and development Veracity data platform DNV Ventures Sustainability Annual reports History Business areas Maritime Energy Systems Business Assurance Digital Solutions Rules and standards Careers Overview Job opportunities Career development Why DNV? 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Media Newsroom Blogs Events Contact us Sectors Maritime Go to Maritime Services Insights Rules and standards Customer tools Contact Oil and gas Go to Oil and gas Services Insights Rules and standards Innovation Focus areas Gas Pipelines Subsea Hydrogen Contact us Power and renewables Go to Power and renewables Manufacturers Renewables developers Renewables financiers Utilities Corporate energy users Governments Automotive and aerospace Go to Automotive and aerospace Services Insights Customer tools Contact Food and beverage Go to Food and beverage Services Insights Customer tools Contact Healthcare Go to Healthcare Services Insights Customer tools Contact Other industries Go to Other industries View all services Insights Sector insights Maritime Power and renewables Oil and gas Energy Transition Safety and risk Digital trust Sustainable practices About us DNV Group About us Research and development Veracity data platform DNV Ventures Sustainability Annual reports DNV GL's journey since 1864 Business areas Maritime Energy Systems Business Assurance Digital Solutions Rules and standards Careers Overview Job opportunities Career development Why DNV? Meet our people Diversity Why do you get up in the morning? Media Newsroom Blogs Events Contact us in DNV GL Privacy Statement Terms of Use Copyright © DNV GL AS 2020 Cookie information Follow us on social media You searched for Search Limit search to: {- f.title -} {- option.title -} Top 5 results: {- item.details.type -} {- item.details.date -} {- item.details.sector -} {- item.title -} Show all MAYBE YOU ARE LOOKING FOR: Main services Contact us Rules and standards Videos Publications Careers About DNV Our History The common history of DNV GL goes back to 1864 LinkedIn Twitter Facebook DNV GL’s shared roots stretch back to 1864, when Det Norske Veritas (DNV) was founded as a membership organisation in Oslo. Norway’s mutual marine insurance clubs banded together to establish a uniform set of rules and procedures, used in assessing the risk of underwriting individual vessels. The group aimed to provide “reliable and uniform classification and taxation of Norwegian ships”. At the time, the Norwegian shipping industry was experiencing rapid growth and breaking out of its traditional local boundaries. An emerging, nationwide market for marine insurance was needed. Three years later in Germany, a group of 600 ship owners, shipbuilders and insurers gathered in the great hall of the Hamburg Stock Exchange. It was the founding convention of Germanischer Lloyd (GL), a new non-profit association based in Hamburg. GL was formed out of a desire to achieve transparency. Merchants, ship owners and insurers often received little information about the state of a ship. As an independent classification society, GL was created to evaluate the quality of ships and deliver the results to stakeholders. GL’s first international ship classification register from 1868 reports 273 classed ships. By 1877, the number had grown tenfold. The surveyor network extended rapidly as a result. The DNV fleet also grew rapidly. First agents, then permanent surveyors were appointed in a number of countries to serve Norwegian vessels abroad. Steamships were introduced in the 1870s, dramatically changing the classification business and the work and competence required of surveyors. GL and DNV began collaborating from the very beginning. DNV Council records from September 1868 list plans to create a common class register for the two organisations. These discussions were ultimately unsuccessful, as were similar talks in 1891 over the mutual recognition of certificates and a common ship register. Social drivers Society became an increasingly demanding stakeholder in the predominantly private, liberal industry. Load lines developed by Samuel Plimsoll became compulsory on every British ship from 1891, saving the lives of seamen along the British coasts. Load lines became mandatory in Norway in 1907. The Titanic disaster in 1912 brought safety at sea to the forefront of public concern. International classification societies played an important part in discussions on ship safety. Nevertheless, GL’s managing director Carl Pagel and Johannes Bruun from DNV were the only official classification industry delegates at the adoption of the first International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS). The cost of war For GL, the First World War was a severe setback. International relationships were severed and foreign-flagged ships changed class. The inter-war period represented improvement and new growth until the Second World War took its toll. Germany’s economic recovery following WWII led to rapid improvement and growth for GL. After WWI, the transition from sailing ships to steamers brought a fundamental change in technology and skills needed for the classification industry. The outdated rules were no longer in harmony with the shipbuilding methods of the time. Between 1920 and 1940 DNV was technically independent, and established a new culture prioritizing engineering, construction and design. Then came the hardships of WWII, and DNV was almost split as an organization. Hamburg, Germany New vision When Georg Vedeler was appointed DNV’s managing director in 1951, he introduced a more scientific approach to ship construction. His vision was to build safer ships in a more efficient way, using scientific competencies and skills. New rules based on an analytical and theoretical scientific approach were introduced, and a significant step was taken towards establishing a dedicated research department. This provided opportunities for DNV in the more demanding segments of shipbuilding, which initially involved the new super tankers and later extended to gas and chemical tankers. The fleet was still predominantly Norwegian, but internationalization was taking off. GL also took a scientific approach in developing the organization after WWII. This led to the introduction of high-powered computer analysis, enabling the design and construction of larger and more modern ships. GL’s research investments resulted in new construction rules for container ships, and the company soon dominated this segment within international shipping. North Sea oil boom DNV was well prepared in terms of competence and impact when commercial oil was discovered in the North Sea. The firm came to play an important role in this new industry within Norway as an advisor for both authorities and oil companies. DNV used its experience and technological competence within the maritime industry to develop and introduce oil and gas verification, inspection and risk management services. The world’s first pipeline rules were published by DNV in 1976, setting a global standard. From the early 1970’s, DNV was offered most of the building supervision and inspection assignments on the Norwegian continental shelf. Offshore floating rigs and supply vessels also became a strong new segment for DNV in traditional ship classification. Offshore technology also became an important field of activity for GL at the start of the 1970s, on behalf of the German Federal Ministry of Research and Technology. Many other offshore technology projects followed, but unlike DNV, GL lacked the support of a strong home market in this segment. Emerging industries In 1977, wind energy was introduced as a new business segment. For both GL and DNV, this and other climate-friendly service areas represented new opportunities for organizational growth from a strong, research-driven technology base. New rules were developed, and certification of land-based and offshore windmills became an important growth area for DNV. Despite periods of setbacks and declines in shipping and oil, both DNV and GL were able to focus on growth and internationalization as the twentieth century came to a close. In the late 1980s and early 1990s the new industry of management system certification based on ISO-standards emerged, and both DNV and GL took global positions in the expanding TIC industry. Age of alliances Alliances, mergers, and acquisitions became a strong strategic driver for both GL and DNV. The acquisitions of Advantica (UK) in 2008 and Trident (Malaysia) in 2009 broadened GL’s service scope to consultancy services in the oil and gas sectors. The merger with Noble Denton in 2009 further expanded its activities in offshore technical services. This was supported by the acquisitions of PVI (Canada) in 2007, MCS (US) in 2008 and IRS (Singapore) in 2009, which advanced the inspection business. In 2009, GL acquired the world’s largest wind energy consultancy, UK based Garrad Hassan. GL had already acquired the Canadian wind energy consulting and engineering company Hélimax and the German company WINDTEST, which are experts on measurements for wind turbines and wind farms. This, coupled with the offshore wind expertise of Noble Denton, meant that GL was able to deliver a full service approach with a comprehensive service portfolio towards the wind energy sector. In 2005, DNV acquired CCT (US), a specialist in corrosion control and pipeline and plant integrity analysis. It followed up with the acquisitions of Global Energy Concepts (US) in 2008 and US-based Behnke, Erdman and Whitaker (BEW) in 2010. To support prevailing strategies within the new climate-friendly service fields, DNV established its Sustainability Centre in Beijing in 2009 and a Clean Technology Centre in Singapore in 2010. Safer, smarter, greener Strategically adapting to the challenges of climate change, and following the development of the Kyoto Protocol agreement, DNV was accredited by the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change for its clean development mechanism (CDM) in 2005. By 2006, DNV had approximately 50 per cent of the global market for emission reductions verification. In 2012, DNV and KEMA joined forces to create a world-leading consulting, testing and certification company for the global energy sector. KEMA was established by the Dutch electrical power industry in 1927, and had subsequently developed into a high profile international brand that provided services to the global energy sector. These included renewable energy, carbon reduction and energy efficiency, power generation, transmission and distribution. The company operated a number of state-of-the-art laboratories, including high-power and high voltage labs, one of which was extended in 2017 to become the world’s first facility capable of testing ultra-high voltage electrical grid components. The DNV GL Group became operational on September 12, 2013 after the merger of DNV and GL. It followed a long courtship which included numerous relationship-building advances and discussions about co-operation and mergers in 1986, 2000 and again in 2006. Changes in ownership and strategic alignment between the two companies and their leadership provided new opportunities and finally led to a successful merger. The DNV GL Group today operates in over 100 countries. Today DNV GL is a globally leading quality assurance and risk management company. With 100,000 customers across the maritime, oil and gas, energy, food and healthcare industries, as well as a range of other sectors, DNV GL helps companies to become safer, smarter and greener. Follow us on social media Facebook Twitter LinkedIn About Us About us News and events Careers Annual reports Contact: Contact DNV Office Locator Media contacts Veracity.com Privacy Statement Terms of Use Copyright © DNV GL AS 2020 Cookie information TO THE TOP The trademarks DNV GL®, DNV®, the Horizon Graphic and Det Norske Veritas® are the properties of companies in the Det Norske Veritas group. All rights reserved. SAFER, SMARTER, GREENER