We want to be close to our customers, not just physically but also in our daily business operations.

Our office is located right in the middle of the German shipping cluster and near to the authorities. It is also close to Hamburg University and various colleges, which have a huge competence base when it comes to all aspects of shipping. We are available in the sense that there is always a customer service manager on duty. We have also recruited several new employees (see story on Sönke Pohl) as DNV is an attractive employer and this is a major step in improving our customer relations,” says Jörg Langkabel, DNV Country Manager for Germany.

“Finding solutions – that’s the most important part of what we do. There are many issues facing our customers, and we are very aware of our role as a ship classification society for both newbuildings and ships in operation. We work hard to find solutions, as even minor issues can turn into major problems that are both time-consuming and expensive for our customers.
“The advantage we have over our competitors is that we have a huge volume of in-house competence to draw on, either here in Hamburg or by contacting our headquarters in Oslo. The connection between Hamburg and Oslo has improved over the past few years – after all Oslo is only a good hour’s flight away from Hamburg. That’s about the same distance as from here to Munich. So we can fly in whatever resources we need on very short notice, or travel to Oslo for discussions.
“After making a small adjustment to the DNV Maritime organisation, we will be organisationally closer to headquarters and I see that as a huge benefit to both us and our customers,” says Langkabel. “I am a strong believer in face-to-face meetings with our experts, and the proximity to all our customers and relations make that easy.

“We are the first alternative to GL here in the German market, and we have been very successful with this as our business concept. For instance, we have now secured no less than 70 per cent of all newbuilding contracts with German ship owners in the important bulk carrier market segment. We are of course delighted that our customers place such confidence in us and we will do our utmost to meet their expectations.
“Bulk carriers, and especially the VLOCs of which there are now many in our order book, are complex vessels. I am especially referring to their hull hydrodynamics, integrity and strength. We have also seen significant growth in the tanker and container ship segments. So we are the number one classification society for bulk carriers in Germany, and number two in other segments.
“Germany is our home market,” continues Langkabel. “We literally run a transparent office here,” he says, referring to the office building which is covered by glass on three sides. “This reflects our openness. We are fully authorised by the German flag authority and can do and perform exactly the same work as, for instance, GL. Our objective is to drive innovation to create sustainable business for our customers and ourselves,” concludes Country Manager Jörg Langkabel.