Viking Line is the first shipping company to have its Covid-19 management verified by DNV GL

Viking Line became the first shipping company in the world to be verified by the accredited classification society Det Norske Veritas Germanischer Lloyd (DNV GL) in accordance with its My Care methodology. This verification, which covers all seven Viking Line vessels and operations in six terminals, affirms the company’s capability to manage and prevent infection risks, including Covid-19.

Viking Line has long carried out preventive work on contagion risks and infectious diseases. With DNV GL’s My Care verification, Viking Line’s infection risk prevention work during the pandemic is quality-assured and inspected by a third party.  Viking Line is the first shipping company in the world to have this verification. The verification is for all of Viking Line’s vessels – Viking Grace, Amorella, Rosella, Viking Cinderella, Gabriella, Mariella and Viking XPRS – as well as its terminals in Stockholm, Kapellskär, Mariehamn, Turku, Tallinn and Helsinki. Passengers can read more about My Care – Infection Prevention Ready - online or by scanning a QR code to obtain further information about DNV GL’s assessment.

“The safety of our passengers and employees is always Viking Line’s top priority, and that is also the case during this pandemic. Everyone must be able to travel safely with us. We have long carried out infection risk preventive work and have now chosen to be assessed by a third party to quality-assure our work in conjunction with Covid-19. Our employees’ considerable efforts are impressive. We have achieved this thanks to their skills and engagement,” says Jan Hanses, president and CEO of Viking Line.   

Viking Line’s ability to carry out service on the Baltic Sea is determined by decisions made by the authorities in Sweden, Finland and Estonia. A key component of the company’s safety work is health directives and infectious disease control manuals that are continuously used and updated in its operations. Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, this work has now been intensified and expanded. These measures begin in the terminals before boarding and end with passengers disembarking. Land-based employees and the vessels’ crews are kept informed on a continuous basis about guidelines in effect and what working methods and protective equipment are to be used for a given period.  

“We would like to congratulate Viking Line on its My Care verification. The application of My Care creates trust since the focus is to prevent infectious diseases. It also demonstrates Viking Line’s strong engagement in further developing its HSE (Health, Security & Environment) processes. A third-party assessment provides assurance that the right measures have been taken to protect people, work transparently and increase the trust of passengers and other stakeholders,” says Luca Crisciotti, CEO, DNV GL- Business Assurance.

My Care verification

DNV GL is a leading global assessment and certification society that operates in more than 100 countries. Through certification, verification, training and digital assurance solutions, DNV GL helps companies manage risks and ensure that operations are sustainable. Managing risks requires new strategies in a post-Covid world.  Understanding how to respond to new challenges from customers and stakeholders is crucial. Customers and the company’s own employees must be able to be certain that these measures are in place to ensure people’s safety. DNV GL’s My Care solutions provide assessment services to ensure that infection risk management is integral to the company. DNV GL’s My Care methodology, developed in-house, assesses companies’ risk management systems and applies hospital quality standards and systems.