Offshore staff
HOUSTON –DNV GL has acquired Marine Cybernetics, which provides third-party testing of computer control systems. The acquisition expands DNV GL’s scope of services in the offshore and maritime industries.
Marine Cybernetics was established in 2002 as a spin-off from theNorwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). Based in Trondheim, Norway, the company introduced the concept of hardware in the loop (HIL) testing to the maritime and offshore industries. HIL testing reduces the risk of accidents, off-hire costs, and nonproductive time due to software-related issues.
“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,” said Remi Eriksen, DNV GL Group executive vice president and COO. “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. 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.”
A requirement of software-system certification was introduced into the offshore classification rules by DNV GL some time ago. Currently, the market for the third- party testing and certification of control systems is small but has huge potential.
According to Eriksen, the short-term synergies will facilitate a global rollout of HIL testing services via DNV GL’s worldwide network, allowing Marine Cybernetics to reach even more customers across the globe.
05/07/2014
