DNV has officially launched the COMPASS research project in Trondheim, bringing together leading industrial and academic partners to explore new dimensions of trust in autonomous shipping.
As the maritime industry steadily advances toward automation and smart vessel operations, COMPASS aims to address one of the most crucial challenges in this transformation — how to establish and maintain trust in autonomous technologies and the organizations behind them.
The project will serve as a collaborative platform to enhance understanding of trustworthiness, reliability, and responsibility within increasingly automated maritime systems. By focusing on how trust is built, verified, and sustained, DNV and its partners seek to ensure that future maritime innovation continues to align with high safety, transparency, and regulatory standards.
According to DNV, the initiative will explore how different forms of verification and assurance can support the adoption of autonomous operations. It will also examine how institutions, technology developers, and regulators can work together to ensure trust remains at the heart of digital transformation in shipping.
COMPASS reflects DNV’s long-standing commitment to advancing safe and sustainable maritime technology. By fostering collaboration across research, industry, and regulatory sectors, the project is expected to shape future frameworks for autonomous and smart shipping — ensuring the balance between innovation, safety, and human oversight remains strong.
For shipowners, seafarers, and policymakers, COMPASS represents a forward-looking step toward a maritime future where trust is not just assumed but actively engineered through rigorous research and transparent systems.
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Source: DNV
