Verifavia Shipping simplifies shipowners’ requirements for IMO DCS & EU MRV

ELNAVI spoke with Julien Dufour, Chief Executive Officer of Verifavia Shipping who explained the activities and aims of the company which supports ship owners and operators in navigating the requirements of DCS & MRV.

Can you describe the cornerstones of your company?   

Verifavia was established eight years ago and started within the aviation industry. The company is an accredited verifier of ships’ emissions and uses its in-depth knowledge, expertise, and understanding of EU MRV and IMO DCS regulations to offer ship owners and operators a streamlined and cost-effective verification process. 

We have developed an MRV DCS certified software to monitor DCS & MRV requirements. Our program is compatible with other IT systems as we cooperate with 30 individual ICT providers, including companies such as  SETEL, Danaos, Enerforce, and Dynamarine.

We provide verification services to over 1,800 ships and in Greece alone we have so far signed agreements with more than 40 companies. We are well placed in Greece and our market share is growing, especially to those ships that are flying a Liberia or Panama flag as we are authorised by these flag states to conduct IMO DCS and EU MRV verification services for their vessels.

Do you provide verification services in other major ports of the world?  

Greece is one of the greatest key shipping hubs of the world but we are also very active across the globe, especially in Singapore, Hong Kong, Hamburg, Marseille and we continue to expand across 40 countries worldwide.
 
Have you diversified your services in other sectors such as Ballast Water Treatment of ships? 

No, DCS and MRV verification is our core activity and we are fully focused on these regulations to deliver streamlined and efficient verification services at very competitive prices. In addition to unrivalled response times, we try to educate our customers through training, and publish a monthly newsletter to inform owners and clients of all the latest developments. The information that we share includes all information that shipping companies need for compliance with the MRV rules.

Describe your clients’ profile according to the type of vessel and nationality. What is your company's market share in Greek shipping? 

We provide verification services to tankers, bulkers, containerships and ferries and control a vast majority of the market of the non-class, independent verifiers. 

Verifavia Shipping anticipates further expansion of its activities as 15.000 ships and another 60.000 are to be certified according to MRV and DCS rules respectively. Independent accredited verifiers, such as Verifavia Shipping, will perform the related assessment and verification tasks and are therefore well placed to support shipowners and Flag States in meeting requirements. With accreditation from the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) and France’s national accreditation body, Cofrac, Verifavia Shipping can assess or verify any ship in the world, regardless of country of ownership, flag State, or class.

Can you refer to your company’s future plans and objectives in order to further enhance the quality and reliability of your services?  

CSI is the latest service of our company. Launched towards the end of 2017, Verifavia Shipping provides verification services to shipowners anywhere in the world who wish to have their company and vessels verified according to the Clean Shipping Index (CSI) requirements. CSI is an independent and holistic labelling system of vessels’ environmental performance, a practical tool for differentiating port and fairway fees or choosing more sustainable shipping alternatives.

In addition, we are developing capabilities to prepare Inventory of Hazardous Materials (IHM) surveys according to the EU Ship Recycling Regulation and IMO Hong Kong convention.