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Classification society DNV GL has been given the go-ahead from German accreditation body DAkkS to verify compliance with the EU Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (EU MRV) regulation.

The regulation, part of the EU's commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, requires operators to monitor and report on CO2 emissions based on ship fuel consumption. It applies to all merchant ships of 5,000 GT or above calling at EU (and EFTA) ports.

"DNV GL has followed the development of the MRV regime since its infancy, and we have tried to support regulators to make the scheme both pragmatic and effective," said Oliver Darley, Vice President, Head of Ship Systems, Materials and Components. "As such, receiving the first EU MRV accreditation from DAkkS is an important sign of the work we have put into developing our competence and processes for the new regime. At the same time, we have invested heavily in putting in place a set of digital solutions that will make compliance as simple and transparent as possible for our customers, for example our free MRV monitoring plan app."

The first step for a ship owner or operator to comply with the EU MRV regulation is to prepare and submit a monitoring plan for each of their ships that falls under the scope of the regulation by 31st August 2017. These monitoring plans (as well as the emission reports) are subject to verification by an independent verifier, such as DNV GL. The first monitoring period under the new regulation begins in 2018.

To achieve compliance with the first phase of the regulation, DNV GL has launched a MRV monitoring plan app. This is available through the My DNV GL portal, and is free of charge. The app guides users through each step of generating a monitoring plan and ensures that the plan has a format in compliance with submission to an independent verifier, significantly reducing the time and cost of preparing a plan. The app can also automatically add the required vessel data.

"The choice of DAkkS as our accreditation body represents a conscious decision to go with a truly European accreditation body, which understands the needs of the market and the regulatory context," said Nils Wegener, MRV Manager at DNV GL. "With DakkS we also provide our customers with a long-term, sustainable solution for their verification requirements that is deeply connected to the European regime."

DNV GL will act as a DAkkS accredited EU Maritime MRV Verifier in accordance with the ISO 14065:2013 certification scheme. Verification activities cover the review and approval of monitoring plans (2017), verification of emission reports and issuing of Documents of Compliance (required from 2019).