Member Article

Ship and offshore specialists DNV GL acquire Norwegian software testers

Ship and offshore classification firm DNV GL, which operates three sites in the North East, has acquired Norwegian computer control testing specialists, Marine Cybernetics.

DNV GL operate bases in Cramlington, Newcastle and Ferryhill and Marine Cybernetics will become an independent business unit within the DNV GL Group.

The move means Marine Cybernetics testing systems will be rolled out across its international network of centres.

Marine Cybernetics introduced the concept of Hardware-In-the Loop-Testing (HIL) to the maritime and offshore industries, significantly reducing the risk of accidents, off-hire costs and non-productive time due to software-related issues.

Remi Eriksen, DNV GL Group executive vice president and COO, said: “The decision to invest in Marine Cybernetics was driven by the increasing importance of software dependent systems in ensuring safe, reliable and efficient operations. We have now come to a point where we cannot only rely on testing and verifying hardware.

“We see that an increasing number of incidents, many of them severe, are caused by software- related issues. There’s a weak spot in the way the offshore and marine industries work to ensure total system quality. That weak spot is getting bigger every day, but we’re going to rectify this.

“Marine Cybernetics has unique technology and processes for the third-party testing and verification of computer-based control systems. This will be a game changing platform to enhance safety and increase operational efficiency in the offshore and maritime industries.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Tom Keighley .