Bureau Veritas Approves Seatrium's 30MW Floating Data Center

Class Society Backs Offshore Data Centre Concept

Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore has granted Approval in Principle (AiP) to Seatrium’s 30 MW Floating Data Centre (FDC) concept, according to a report by MarineLink. The approval marks a step forward in the development of offshore digital infrastructure intended to meet rising demand for artificial intelligence and cloud computing capacity.

Design Details

The concept is built around a jetty-moored, non-propelled barge fitted with six independent 5 MW “Data-In-A-Box” modules. Each module combines IT equipment, cooling, power distribution and supporting infrastructure in a self-contained, modular unit. Seatrium said the design draws on modular construction, natural seawater cooling, embedded power generation and flexible offshore siting to deliver scalable, energy-efficient computing capacity.

The AiP follows a memorandum of understanding signed by Seatrium and Bureau Veritas at Singapore Maritime Week earlier this year, aimed at advancing offshore power and digital technologies jointly. Seatrium noted that beyond the 30 MW reference design, it is also developing 100 MW and larger concepts aimed at hyperscale deployments, intended to help ease land, power and cooling constraints faced by coastal digital infrastructure markets.

Independent Technical Review

Bureau Veritas said its assessment covered the concept’s technical feasibility against classification rules, international standards and regulatory requirements, examining general arrangement, cooling process flow, preliminary stability, marine systems and key safety considerations.

Drago Pinteric, Vice President for Marine & Offshore Southeast Asia at Bureau Veritas, said floating data centers show how maritime expertise can support demand for resilient, sustainable computing capacity, adding that independent technical assurance helps ensure innovation is backed by engineering, safety and regulatory confidence. He described the AiP as an early outcome of the companies’ strategic collaboration.

Aziz Merchant, Executive Vice President for Technology & New Product Development at Seatrium, said floating data centers extend the company’s decades of offshore and marine engineering experience, offering a scalable and resilient response to growing land, energy and cooling constraints. He said the Bureau Veritas approval validates the concept and supports continued development of the platform.

Context

The approval reflects a broader industry trend of maritime engineering and classification expertise being applied to offshore digital infrastructure, as data centre developers look to shipbuilding and marine technology sectors for solutions to onshore siting and cooling constraints.

Apeks view — An Approval in Principle is a useful milestone, but it’s a feasibility check against rules and standards on paper — not final certification, sea trials, or operational proof. For owners and operators eyeing floating data centres, the real evidence will come from detailed engineering, stability testing under real conditions, and long-term performance data. Class involvement adds rigor, but confidence should build on verified results, not concept validation alone.