"I wish you all a happy, healthy and prosperous 2024!"
Director's Log
As we bid farewell to 2023 and set our sights on the new year’s horizon, it is with great pride and gratitude that I reflect on the collective achievements and resilience that have defined the maritime industry over the past 12 months.
The challenges posed by global events, environmental concerns, and technological advancements have been met with a spirit of collaboration and a commitment to safety, efficiency and environmental responsibility.
OCIMF continues to fulfil a pivotal role in fostering the spirit of collaboration. As we collectively face evolving regulatory frameworks and navigate the complexities of a changing world, OCIMF's role becomes increasingly vital.
Led by the adopted 2023 IMO GHG Strategy, the industry's commitment to reducing its environmental footprint is inspiring. As technology continues to evolve, digitalisation and smart shipping solutions are reshaping the maritime landscape and offering new opportunities for efficiency. OCIMF will ensure its place in the energy transition while maintaining focus on existing risks and ongoing work.
Let me extend my deepest gratitude to the men and women who work tirelessly at sea, to our SIRE, BIRE and OVID inspectors who support our programmes, to all our members who provide their expertise and participate in our valuable work, and to the Secretariat and staff committed to our success. Your dedication and resilience do not go unnoticed, and we stand united in our support for a maritime industry that is safe, sustainable, and forward-thinking.
I wish you all a happy, healthy and prosperous 2024!
Karen Davis
Director OCIMF
Shaping the Future of Shipping at climate summit
Saurabh Sachdeva, Dr Waddah Ghanem, Nick Potter, Karen Davis, Mr Arsenio Dominguez (IMO), James Sagar, Salah Ghamdi, Raj Shetty
OCIMF co-sponsored and attended the Shaping the Future of Shipping conference with the theme of energy transition, which took place on 9–10 December during the COP28 climate summit.
The conference, organised by the International Chamber of Shipping, was held at the Museum of the Future in Dubai, supported by the UAE Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure. Key themes included the global challenges of future fuels, supply and availability, technology and innovation, the need for universally applied market-based measures and the need to prepare seafarers for the skills of the future. Panellists from across industry and government included ministers and officials from the UAE, Philippines, Brazil, UK, and the incoming Secretary General of the IMO, Mr Arsenio Dominguez. OCIMF’s Executive Committee Vice-chair Dr Waddah Ghanem was among the panellists, sharing his insights on the important role of human factors and how OCIMF is embedding this across its activities.
In closing, Arsenio Dominguez stressed that industry should prepare for the energy shift, and that the IMO’s role is to support the development of a robust regulatory framework and to ensure that the solutions on fuels and technology have safety at their core.
A fuller report on the conference will be provided in due course. For further information contact Martin Young, Environmental Adviser, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
OCIMF Director makes list of top women in maritime
Congratulations to OCIMF's Managing Director Karen Davis, who was chosen as one of Marine Log's Top Women in Maritime 2023. 
Industry magazine Marine Log chose 20 women from readers' nominations, who they felt had made a great contribution to the sector over the year. OCIMF is proud and delighted to be led by Karen – and to read of the successes of all the other women in the list.
Read more here.
Maritime security snippets
Industry/Nigeria Security Meeting
During the 33rd Session of the IMO Assembly, industry representatives took the opportunity to meet with the newly appointed Minister of Marine and Blue Economy of the Federal Republic of Nigeria H.E. Adegboyega Oyetola and Director General NIMASA, Dr Bashir Jamoh. The group discussed progress made to date with the Nigeria/Industry Joint Working Group, the SHADE-GOG framework and the implementation of the SOLARTA maritime communications tool. The Minister welcomed the in
teraction, highlighting he had recently signed a Performance Bond for 2023-2027 with NIMASA, which included several maritime security goals.
Maritime Security Committee
The Maritime Security Committee held its last meeting of year on 7 December to review progress on key 2023 objectives and take stock on maritime activity in the Black Sea, Gulf of Guinea and Middle East. Due to increased activity in the Red Sea, the committee met again on 13 and 20 December to receive operational updates and review industry guidance.
Members may have seen the announcement by the US on 19 December to establish a new naval operation, PROSPERITY GUARDIAN under the umbrella of the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) to focus on security in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. For operations in the Middle East, please note the industry guidance posted on the Joint Industry Website.
If members have any concerns do not hesitate to contact OCIMF’s Security Adviser, Russell Pegg This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
OCIMF at the International Marine Human Factors Symposium
OCIMF was invited to attend and give the keynote speech at the International Marine Human Factors Symposium held in Glasgow, UK on 30 November and 1 December.
Kevin Coelho, Nautical Adviser, represented OCIMF at the event, which was a face to face meeting of maritime and industry professionals involved with matters relating to human factors. Kevin presented an introduction to OCIMF and discussed relevant work being done by Expert Groups and the Human Factors Committee. He went on to explain OCIMF’s human factors approach and eight guiding principles.
The symposium, now in its second year, was jointly organised by the University of Strathclyde, the World Maritime University, The Nautical Institute, Chalmers University of Technology, Istanbul Technical University, The National Technical University of Athens, Confidential Human Factors Incident Reporting Programme (CHIRP) and the Institute of Marine Engineering Science and Technology.
Topics of interest discussed at the symposium include:
- Autonomy, automation and human factors.
- Human centric design on mooring decks.
- Decarbonisation, risk and human reliability.
- Human factors in design.
- Safety culture, wellbeing and mental health.
The organisers hope to conduct this symposium yearly.
For more information, please contact Kevin Coelho, OCIMF Nautical Adviser, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
OCIMF attends World Ports Conference 2023
OCIMF thanks International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH) for the invitation to the IAPH World Ports Conference 2023, hosted in Abu Dhabi by Abu Dhabi Ports Group from 31 October–2 November 2023. The annual event brings together global leading port stakeholders for learning, information sharing, networking and collaboration.
Nautical Adviser Kevin Coelho represented OCIMF at the event and spoke about the collaborative efforts between OCIMF, IAPH and the International Harbor Masters Association (IHMA ), while highlighting key matters related to the ship-shore interface. He introduced OCIMF’s Marine Terminal Information System (MTIS), a system for global ship-shore safety management.
Kevin sat in a panel session hosted by Ingrid Sastre from the Port of Hamburg, alongside Ben Van Scherpenzeel from the Port of Rotterdam and Gavin Yeo from the Maritime Port Authority of Singapore on ‘Port Call Optimization’. This looked at data standardisation, harmonisation and collaborative effort to drive positive change in the maritime industry. By fostering greater connectivity and collaboration, organisations can pave the way for more efficient and streamlined operations, leading to significant environmental benefits, cost and fuel savings.
For more information, please contact Kevin Coelho, OCIMF Nautical Adviser, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
LNG Shipping and Terminals Conference 2023
IMAGEHosted by Riviera, the conference took place on 14–15 November in London, UK. This year’s theme was ‘Opportunities for LNG in a transitioning global economy’. The conference aims to bridge gaps between the technical, operational and commercial aspects of the industry.
The conference provided updates on the following:
- Opportunities and challenges involved in Europe’s small-scale Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) expansion.
- LNG developments in Africa, the US and Asia.
- The transition of the transition fuel: what comes next for LNG?
- BioLNG and synthetic LNG availability and market developments.
- Lessons learned from Europe’s fast-tracked Floating Storage Regasification Unit (FSRU) projects.
OCIMF’s Programmes Director Aaron Cooper and Nautical Adviser Kevin Coelho were invited to present an update on SIRE 2.0 and the revision of the Ship to Ship Transfer Guide for Petroleum, Chemicals and Liquefied Gases. Both took part in a roundtable session to answer any further queries that came up.
For further information contact Aaron Cooper, Programmes Director, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or Kevin Coelho, Nautical Adviser, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Updated guidance on jetty maintenance out now
OCIMF has published the Jetty Maintenance and Inspection Guide, Second Edition (JMIG 2), which provides information on the basic function, failure, inspection, maintenance, and repair of all the key equipment items and systems.
It is not intended to provide guidance on safety management procedures or to replace the manufacturers’ instruction manuals. However, it is designed to provide a description of a typical jetty and the likely faults that may occur if maintenance work is not carried out regularly.
The new edition incorporates updated references and lessons learned, which are reflected in detailed guidance on inspection procedures, including the degradation mechanisms for topside jetty equipment and underlying structure. It also advises on the use of alternative and emerging technologies to manage the integrity of the assets.
For technical enquiries, contact Filipe Santana, OCIMF Engineering Adviser, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
New OCIMF information papers out now
Onshore Power Supply Systems: Preliminary Design Recommendations for Tankers and Terminals
The adoption of Onshore Power Supply (OPS), also known as cold ironing, brings environmental advantages to maritime operations in ports and terminals. This information paper provides a preliminary guide to the design of OPS systems for tankers, terminals, and their interface. This guidance is supported by a survey of tanker ships that provides insight into each ship’s electrical installations, cargo systems and power consumption patterns. The paper outlines recommendations for standardised OPS system requirements for voltage, frequency, and number of cables. Other design and operational considerations are addressed.
This preliminary paper will be followed by a full OCIMF information paper covering aspects of the safe application of OPS to tankers, the terminals and their interface.
Click here to download Onshore Power Supply Systems
Management of Survival Craft on Fixed/Floating Offshore Installations: Preliminary Findings on Best Practice
The testing and maintenance of survival craft presents much greater risks at offshore facilities, which operate in a fixed position exposed to open ocean environments, than onboard ships, which can relocate to a safer location. This information paper aims to drive improvements to current Life Saving Appliance design and safeguards, regulatory requirements, industry best practices and programmes. It makes a case for change to the IMO, government marine regulatory authorities, industry partners and LSA Original Equipment Manufacturers to drive towards an agreed international standard that is fit for purpose for the design, maintenance, training, testing and operation of offshore facility survival craft.
This preliminary information paper is intended as a contribution to further work, culminating in a more detailed publication in parallel with a case for change submission to the IMO.
Click here to download Management of Survival Craft
Regional Ship to Ship Forum
OCIMF was invited to attend the Malaysian/Singaporean Regional Ship-to-Ship (STS) Forum, hosted in Johor Bahru, Malaysia on 16 November 2023.
The meeting was jointly hosted by IKMAL (Malaysian STS Community) and Singapore Nautical Institute (SNI) and attended by some of OCIMF’s members based in Singapore and Malaysia, the Malaysian Maritime Department, members of IKMAL and SNI and Malaysia/Singapore based STS service providers.
Presentations followed by open discussions took place on STS operational matters including a lawyer’s perspective on incidents. There was also incident and best practice sharing.
OCIMF Nautical Adviser Kevin Coelho explained OCIMF’s organisational structure, highlighted current areas of work and gave an update on OCIMF’s STS Expert Group. He encouraged service providers to share incidents and best practices so that industry can learn. Kevin also updated on the progress of the Ship to Ship Transfer Guide revision. He thanked members of IKMAL and those in the room who provided comments to OCIMF towards the revision of this guide. Ongoing engagement with this Forum as well as those in Europe, Middle East and Africa and the Americas, will continue. Kevin explained the value of an OCIMF hosted joint forum meeting set to take place in 2024.
The collaborative spirit of the forum and the proactive work done by the members to continually improve safety in STS operations was recognised.
For further enquiries, contact Kevin Coelho, OCIMF Nautical Adviser This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Ship to Ship Transfer Guide revision
Lead: Bill Kappelman (Chevron)
Co-Lead: Arvind Natarajan (ICS Secretariat)
Secretary: Kevin Coelho (OCIMF Nautical Adviser)
The working group revising the Ship to Ship Transfer Guide held its fourth meeting in November in hybrid mode. The meeting began with a status overview and an update on the project by OCIMF’s Nautical Adviser and the Project Support consultant. The following topics were discussed in detail:
- Status overview and update on progress so far, along with closing of actions arising from the last meeting.
- Update from all sub-teams on the progress made with the Comments Register reviews. It was noted by the Secretary that comments are still coming in ad-hoc from the nautical community. Where there is value added, these will be addressed.
- Sub-teams updated all and appreciated the regional division of teams, which allows for ease of meeting up in the same time zones.
- The Secretary updated all on the collaboration between OCIMF and the International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH) and highlighted the importance of this regarding the number of ship to ship operations that are carried out in port.
- The working group has now approved the project plan timeline of work and agreed on meeting frequency.
Working group members used the opportunity to raise questions and seek clarifications. Given the end of year festive season coming up, the next meeting is scheduled for late January 2024.
For more information, please contact Kevin Coelho, OCIMF Nautical Adviser, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
IMO news
Left to right: Mr Rajeev Nayyer, delegate of India; Saurabh Sachdeva, Publications and Advocacy Director, OCIMF; Capt. Daniel Joseph, delegate of India; Abhijit Aul, Risk and Regulatory Affairs Adviser, OCIMF; Mr. Shyam Jagannathan, Director General of Shipping, India
OCIMF meets with the Director General of Shipping, India
During the 33rd IMO Assembly meeting, OCIMF met with Mr Shyam Jagannathan, Director General of Shipping, India, together with his team of advisers.
Conversations included security of shipping; role of OCIMF in further enhancing the safety record of the maritime industry, particularly in the offshore sector; and supporting seafarers’ training, development and welfare. OCIMF looks forward to supporting the Directorate General of Shipping, Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, India, in achieving their mission to achieve safe, efficient and secure shipping and protection of the marine environment.
33rd Assembly of the IMO
The Assembly is the governing body of the IMO and normally meets every two years. It consists of all Member States who collectively elect the IMO Council. The 33rd session of Assembly (A 33) was held at the IMO headquarters in London from 27 November to 6 December 2023. The following highlights some of the resolutions of relevance to OCIMF and its members, that were adopted by the Assembly.
Formal appointment of Mr. Arsenio Antonio Dominguez Velasco as the Secretary-General of the IMO
The Assembly approved the appointment of Mr. Dominguez as voted by the IMO Council in July 2023 for an initial four-year term commencing on 1 January 2024.
Adoption of resolutions on the IMO Strategic Plan for 2024 to 2029 covering the eight strategic directions (SDs) for the term
The SDs that the IMO will focus on for the six-year period beginning 2024 include, among others, the integration of new, emerging technologies in the regulatory framework; response to climate change; supply chain resilience and security of international trade; and addressing the human element.
Resolution urging Member States and relevant stakeholders to promote actions to prevent illegal operations in the maritime sector by the “Dark Fleet”
This resolution seeks to raise awareness and deterrence of illegal operations, including unsafe ship-to-ship transfers of oil by ships that appear to be linked to nations against whom sanctions have been imposed by certain countries.
2023 Guidelines on the implementation of the International Safety Management (ISM) Code by Administrations – Res. A.1188(33)
The ISM Guidelines assist flag Administrations when implementing the ISM Code. The 2023 revision of the Guidelines revoke resolution A.1118(30) and will enter into force from 1 January 2024.
2023 Procedures for Port State Control (PSC) – Res. A.1185(33)
The PSC Procedures provides guidance on the management of PSC inspections. The 2023 revision, among other things, includes enhanced guidance on detainable deficiencies under MARPOL Annex VI and will enter into force on 1 January 2024.
Guidelines on places of refuge for ships in need of assistance – Res. A.1184(33)
The revised resolution recognises technological developments in the maritime industry, the experiences gained in responding to incidents of ships in need of assistance and revokes the older Guidelines under resolution A.949(23). The importance of the role and duties of the coastal State, masters, salvors and other stakeholders involved are further recognised in the revised Guidelines.
For more information contact Abhijit Aul, Risk and Regulatory Affairs Adviser, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..