Veritas rely on the Norwegian EXPRESS database

Huge amounts of data

The global maritime sector is increasingly moving towards a standardization of all computerized data, following the automotive and aerospace industries.

The ISO 10303-STEP standard allows CAD/CAM, CAE and a range of other technical data platforms to be exchanged between systems from different software suppliers. DNV has engineers working at yards around the world monitoring all phases of shipbuilding. The society¯s offices worldwide also track ship operation for continuous evaluation, and therefore process huge amounts of data.

- We cover two phases of vessels' life cycles, says Jochen Haenisch in the Division for Technology and Products at DNV. - Our imported data ranges from input for ship approval - such as hull shapes - to operational data for measuring machine performance.

"Glue" applications together

After many months of testing involving evaluations of a number of different Express-based development tools, DNV chose EPMT's EXPRESS Data Manager.

According to Mr. Haenisch the EPMT solution was found to provide the required functionality. - The database provided in this system was particularly relevant because we see archiving as very important in the future, he says. - It's also very useful during DNV's testing sessions.

More applications to come

In the near future DNV may extend its scope of operations to include the construction of floating production units for the offshore oil and gas industry. - We're integrating all our applications into one system called Nauticus, explains Mr. Haenisch. - This will be installed in our offices worldwide. EXPRESS will then enable us to communicate electronically with our clients - yards, owners and ship management companies - and to analyze their computer-based data relating to both new ships and operations.