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DNV GL, the world's leading ship classification society and one of the world's leading risk and sustainability service providers has opened its new Asia Pacific headquarters in Singapore [pictured].

The new headquarters were officially opened today (February 28) by Mr S Iswaran, Minister for the Prime Minister's Office, Second Minister for Home Affairs and Second Minister for Trade & Industry Singapore, and DNV GL President and CEO Dr Henrik O. Madsen.

The new, state-of-the-art office will house DNV GL operations for Singapore and the surrounding Asia Pacific region. This means that DNV GL's expertise and regional management team will be under one roof. The relocation to a new technologically advanced building is aimed at creating greater synergies across its four key business areas – Maritime, Oil & Gas, Energy and Business Assurance.

"Singapore is one of the main Asia Pacific locations for the head offices of large international companies and many of our customers are also located here. Besides, Singapore's vision is very much aligned with DNV GL’s, especially when it comes to research and development work to address the challenges faced in both the offshore oil & gas exploration and clean energy industries," said Dr Madsen.

"Designed to accommodate our growth over the next 20 years, the relocation of the Singapore office also comes at the perfect time. The merger of DNV and GL last September has created a need to integrate the operations of both companies and the new office enables us to do that seamlessly in Singapore," he added.

Collaborative agreements

Recognizing the importance of collaboration, DNV GL said it will also be signing memoranda of understanding (MOU) with the National University of Singapore and the Nanyang Technological University for joint R&D activities.

"We are delighted to work with such well-established research institutions. We firmly believe that our collaborative innovation model will contribute to Singapore’s fast moving industries," said Dr Madsen. "Also, as an independent foundation with a strong technology base and risk management as our core area of expertise, we will continue to fill a unique role in creating trust and confidence among industry stakeholders."

Located at 16 Science Park Drive, DNV GL's new office brings together 500 employees from the company's previous four offices around the island.

The new office in Singapore combines intelligent building structures and efficient energy consumption. Some of the green initiatives by DNV GL include:

• Central air conditioning set at 25oC for energy efficiency.
• The implementation of motion-based sensors for energy efficient lighting control.
• Waste management: individual waste paper bins have been replaced by central general and recycling waste collection areas.
• Reduction in paper use: badge and password-access printing to limit waste.