Building trust
Mutual marine insurance clubs on Norway's south coast created Det norske Veritas in 1864 because they needed an independent body which could assess the technical risk associated with ships and thereby build trust between members of the various clubs. The ability to build such trust was an important objective for DNV when it was founded 150 years ago, and that remains the case today. For more than a decade, its first value statement has read: "We build trust and confidence."
The society's rules and standards have always represented the essence of DNV's expertise and experience, and have constituted a key element in the trust accorded to it by business and society. Another key condition for this trust is the impartiality and independence of its surveyors, technical experts, leaders and other stafi
Introducing new rules and standards can have serious business conse-quences. DNV's ship rules have undergone a number of significant changes over the years, mainly to facilitate the introduction of stricter safety require-ments. An equally important goal has been to permit and facilitate the introduction of new technologies. Progress makes old solutions obsalete, and new rules have been introduced on numerous occasions in spite of resistance from some corners of the industry. However, DNV's motives for introducing new rules have never been questioned.
The society's first surveyors were carefully selected. They needed to have the technical skills and experience required, but personal integrity and diplomatic skills were equally important. That applied not least to surveyors dispatched to faraway places around the world, who represented the independence and integrity of the whole institution.
The maritime industry has placed its trust in DNV as a classification society for 150 years. Against that background, it is interesting to see how many of the new roles taken on since the 1970s aim to build trust between different parties and are based on the trust the various stakeholders have in DNV.