NBAS-member DNV establishes regional Centre of Excellence in Singapore for South East Asia to drive decarbonization and autonomy in shipping.
Supported by the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB), the centre will focus on digitalization, decarbonization and smart port capabilities, contributing to the city’s ambition of developing a smart and sustainable maritime ecosystem in South East Asia.
DNV experts will help establish new maritime processes, standards and frameworks; and will explore novel fuel technologies to accelerate the decarbonization of the maritime industry to meet the targets of the International Maritime Organization.
A more proactive role
“The maritime industry in Asia has experienced unprecedented transformation in the past year, turbocharged by the pandemic, and it will continue to advance rapidly. In this decade, it is facing an additional challenge of steering on the path towards decarbonization,” says Cristina Saenz de Santa Maria, Regional Manager for South East Asia, Pacific & India at DNV – Maritime.
“By setting up a regional Centre of Excellence in Singapore, we are able to take on a more proactive role as a trusted advisor to the industry, leveraging the possibilities created by digitalization to offer new services to meet current and future regulatory requirements”, states Saenz de Santa Maria.
Listen: Cristina Saenz de Santa Maria sharing a positive outlook on Decarbonization with Erik Strømsø from Pareto Securities Asia.
Longstanding cooperation with Singapore

‘“DNV’s Maritime Decarbonization & Autonomy Centre of Excellence in Singapore is a timely addition to the maritime ecosystem”, said Dawn Lim, Vice President and Head, Commercial and Professional Services, Singapore Economic Development Board.
“The industry efforts that the Centre of Excellence will undertake in the areas of alternative fuels and autonomous shipping will reduce the environmental impact of shipping and related activities. This is aligned with Singapore’s climate change goals as we work towards transitioning to a low carbon economy. We look forward to working with like-minded companies to develop standards and solutions that will increase the sophistication of Singapore’s maritime industry”, says Lim.
Decarbonization roadmaps
DNV has been working together with the Maritime & Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) since 2014 to spearhead maritime innovation and renewed its partnership in 2019 to further promote decarbonization and digital transformation. In the same year, a dedicated team from DNV was formed to work on numerous joint projects with industry stakeholders, affirming the need for a regional hub to drive initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and support Singapore’s maritime industry’s transition to a low carbon future.
“We are dedicated to establish decarbonization roadmaps to help the industry on this journey and we see a huge potential in harnessing data from digitalization. By strengthening our presence in Singapore and Asia, it allows us to work even closer with our customers to accelerate the application of technology under development and the deployment of solutions. At the same time, it enables us to be more responsive to change and have a quicker turn-around time,” says Dr Shahrin Osman, Regional Head of Maritime Advisory and Director of the MDA Centre of Excellence.
Watch: Dr Shahrin Osman discusses Decarbonization with, Kenneth Lim, CTO at Singapore Maritime and Port Authority, Henrik Dannstrøm, Country Manager, Kongsberg Maritime, Erik Strømsø, CEO Pareto Securities and Caroline Yang, Chief Executive of Hong Lam Marine and President of the Singapore Shipping Association.