Americas News
DNV GL Unveils New US VGP Compliance Verification System
DNV GL says it has developed a new US Vessel General Permit (VGP) verification system that will help ships sailing in US waters reduce the risk of incurring potentially costly violations of new rules.
The new service consists of company-wide VGP procedure reviews based on VGP or environmental best practises documentation, as well as on-board visits to confirm consistency of documentation and operational compliance.
Per Holmvang, program director for environmental protection technologies at DNV GL – Maritime, says the system "can be tailored exactly to the customer's needs, from a desktop review or workshop outlining VGP changes, to a full on-board and shore review and plan for corrective action, even help and advice on developing a VGP plan from scratch."
Wilh. Wilhelmsen was retained to test pilot the VGP verification system, a process that included examining VGP recommended practices and DNV GL experts boarding the RoRo vessel Tarago to review record-keeping.
DNV GL said the pilot confirmed Wilh. Wilhelmsen's high standards and thorough preparation, and Filip Svensson, vice president marine operations at Wilh. Wilhelmsen ASA remarked that "Through the cooperation with DNV GL, we confirmed that our efforts towards high standards pay off, but we also acknowledge that there is always room for improvement."
Sarah Lasselle, project manager for the verification work, says "It's not enough simply to achieve compliance, you have to be confident that the ship will continue to operate under compliance during the entire journey."
DNV GL also points out that the verification service provides an easy way for vessel operators to demonstrate they have taken all aspects of the VGP into consideration, in the event of controls by US authorities.
The new VGP system comes just days after DNV GL announced the launch of a new service centre in Singapore, which is expected to become the single point of contact for all customers' operational issues.
