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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