COVID-19 has slowed down the shipping industry. With more than 700 reported cases in the Diamond Princess and crew members suing their employers for basic safety mismanagement, shipping companies are facing scrutiny in their infection risk prevention policies.

We previously wrote about DNV GL’s new My Care assessment and how it is being adopted by Chinese hotels. Yesterday Viking Line became the first My Care verified maritime business in the world.

MS Amorella – one of Viking Line’s cruiseferries

In a press release, the shipping company confirmed that the verification covers all of their seven Viking Line vessels and operations in six terminals.

“Everyone must be able to travel safely with us. We have long carried out infection risk preventive work and have now chosen to be assessed by a third party to quality-assure our work in conjunction with COVID-19. Our employees’ considerable efforts are impressive. We have achieved this thanks to their skills and engagement” – Jan Hanses, president and CEO of Viking Line.

What are the implications?

Viking Line is a publicly traded company that operates a fleet of ferries and cruiseferries in Finland, Sweden, Estonia and the Åland Islands.

As a shipping firm, their safety guidelines need to consider passengers, crew members and land-based employees from boarding to disembarking. Health guidelines and infectious disease control manuals need to be consistently reviewed and updated, especially in the current COVID-19 crisis. My Care reaffirms the company’s capability to manage and prevent infection risks.

By going online or scanning a QR code, passengers can validate their My Care – Infection Prevention Ready – certification and obtain further information about DNV GL’s assessment. This helps Viking Line regain consumer trust, reassures authorities that their vessels are safe and ready to operate, and potentially empowers Viking Line to negotiate more favourable terms with their insurance providers.

With increased health concerns, 3rd party certified infection risk assessments could become widely adopted and become a new requirement for businesses to operate.

Viking Line’s My Care -Infection Prevention Ready – Certification

“We would like to congratulate Viking Line on its My Care verification. The application of My Care creates trust since the focus is to prevent infectious diseases. It also demonstrates Viking Line’s strong engagement in further developing its HSE (Health, Security & Environment) processes. A third-party assessment provides assurance that the right measures have been taken to protect people, work transparently and increase the trust of passengers and other stakeholders” – Luca Crisciotti, CEO of DNV GL- Business Assurance.

Viking Line’s customers will view the following message after scanning the QR code:

How will this be expanded?

DNV GL is making My Care a focal point of their 2020 business strategy by pushing infection management certification into sectors that rely on a flow of customers from different regions. Possible examples include hospitality, transportation, logistics, tourism, and other similar industries. We’ve already seen multiple hotels in China being certified, proving that businesses and consumers value this third-party verification service. With COVID-19 showing no sign of abating, this doesn’t appear to be a short-term thing either. The ‘new normal’ should see an increase in customer and government sensitivity to infection management, offering a potential long-term market for My Care to occupy. The blockchain could be used to update regular inspection results, safety audits, certifications, and other actions that businesses have an interest in sharing with the public. 

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With governments phasing out lockdown restrictions and with the new normal in mind, DNV GL has launched My Care – an infection risk management assessment that combines DNV GL’s risk and HSE (Health, Safety & Environment) management expertise with the ISRS (International Safety Rating System) maturity approach.

The proprietary methodology is designed to help companies assess, improve and validate their capabilities in preventing and mitigating infection risks in the workplace. Depending on the requirements, two My Care solutions are available; readiness and/or maturity. Both, however, analyse risk management policies based on 6 main criteria: governance, strategy, communication, actions, data analysis and continuous improvement.

My Care inspections are carried by DNV GL experts who, after the assessment, provide clients with insight reports and recommendations based on governmental compliance and industry best practices. When companies meet a benchmark-level, a dedicated digital My Care trust mark linked to a verification statement stored on the blockchain is also granted. Displaying the My Care certificate, enables companies to reassure customers and stakeholders that the right standards and risk-based preventive systems are in place. This certification process, complete with data and analysis from third-party inspections, is a great use of a verified public blockchain. 

In many countries, carrying fire and HSE risk assessments is already compulsory. This is particularly true for public facing businesses which, depending on the sector, might require additional licenses. Food serving companies, for example, usually need to obtain and display food hygiene rating certificates. In a post COVID-19 world, reducing infection risks of emerging pathogens will become vital and accreditations such as My Care could become part of the new norm.

“We have in the past combined our experience and expertise from HSE management systems and maturity models to develop healthcare standards. With My Care, we are building on this proven expertise, tailoring it for application in different industries, to help companies keep people safe.” Luca Crisciotti, CEO of DNV GL – Business Assurance

My Care in Action

It hasn’t taken DNV GL long to land customers. In China, where life has gradually gone back to normal, My Care has picked up a few big clients in the Suzhou Qingshan Hotel Convention Center and Hotel Nikko Suzhou. These clients are willing to go through extensive inspections from DNV GL to prove to their customer base that safety is their utmost priority during the current pandemic recovery. This was announced on June 5th from DNV GL’s Business Assurance team in China.  

The Hotel Nikko Suzhou was particularly gracious in their comment [translated] to DNV GL for their role in the verification process.

“With the help of DNV GL, Suzhou Nikko Hotel has discovered some blind spots and deficiencies during operations and the provision of services to guests, and have now perfected the hotel’s various emergency and standardized management systems. I believe that after this review, the hotel will achieve better performance and development in future management.” – Hotel Nikkon Suzhou

A representative of the Hotel Nikko Suzhou stands with DNV GL’s George Kang (member of the VeChain Steering Committee)

Moving forward, it’s clear that blockchain and third-party verification have a major role in returning businesses to normal. Customers will begin to take health measures more seriously at the commercial areas they frequent, demanding solutions like My Care. Potential government mandates could make My Care certification even more valuable, but it remains to be seen how widely adopted this solution will be. If this extends beyond the private sector to include public spaces like airports, train stations or subway networks, the amount of data could be quite large. All told, it’s good to see how fast DNV GL was able to respond to a crisis, bringing in blockchain technology to give customers a sense of safety as they transition to the ‘new normal’. 

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