The MoU was signed in Hamburg on 22nd November 2018.
The IMO recently implemented a carbon dioxide emissions regime. The international data collection system known as IMO DCS focuses on the monitoring and reporting of fuel consumption and CO2 emissions and will commence on 1st January, 2019.
KR has been offering verification and certification services to the maritime industry since 1960 and is a Recognised Organisation for IMO DCS and an accredited third-party verifier for EU MRV (measurement, reporting and verification).
As an authorised verifier under IMO DCS, KR assesses SEEMP Part II, verifies emission data based on MARPOL Annex ? regulation 22 & 22A, and issues the respective certificates.
Swiss Climate EcoCare is an independent EU MRV and IMO DCS verifier with more than 10 years of experience providing verification and certification solutions services to help the maritime industry effectively address environmental challenges.
Since 2017, EcoCare has offered fully digitalised and automated verification services to support shipowners for the collection and transfer of IMO DCS related data, using its web application Cockpit. The MRV Cockpit can be connected via an interface to the vessel performance monitoring system (VPMS) on board to receive the emission data automatically.
Philipp Ahrenkiel, Swiss Climate EcoCare managing director, explained: "Our extensive experience in the field of CO2 management, combined with our comprehensive digital approach, has shown Korean Register that our competencies and capabilities complement each other perfectly. Shipowners will benefit diversely from the pooling of verification and certification expertise in the maritime sector."
Under the MoU, by using the Cockpit app to verify IMO DCS related data received from ships, KR will be able to provide a neutral, highly efficient and effective, rapid service. The process will ensure that the verification, validation and certification of the data is conducted independently and impartially, the class society claimed.
KR Germany’s technical & commercial director, Michael Suhr, added: "Korean Register is delighted to work with industry leader Swiss Climate EcoCare GmbH. Our certification services are independent, completely neutral and we work as independent IMO experts, but the Cockpit app offers sophisticated, user-friendly software for data transmission, which will enable us to increase our technical services and expertise for customers across the European market."