DNV is to develop guidelines for aft bridge design in co-operation with Statoil, Hydro and five Norwegian operators of Offshore Service Vessels. The partners will jointly fund the project, which was initiated by the offshore industry after a number of supply vessel incidents. The new DNV led research and development project, called Bridge Design Offshore Service Vessels (NAUT-OSV), comes as a response to the offshore industry's safety concerns. The aft bridge of a supply vessel is where an operator controls the ship when close to quays or platforms, in addition to winches and other loading tools.

The SOLAS (International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea) does not regulate in detail the layout of a supply ship bridge and the aft bridge is not regulated at all. This has caused the designs to vary to a large degree, often causing an imperfect working environment. The aim of the project is to introduce the DNV NAUT-OSV guidelines as part of the standard charter requirements.