Issue 79

"In this issue you will see that maritime security is still an important part of our focus. OCIMF hosted the Operation Atalanta meeting and participated in the industry meeting with the Nigerian Maritime Safety Agency (NIMASA) at IMO."

Please note the correct location for the 8-9th June 2020 SIRE Refresher course is New Orleans, not Dubai as stated in the earlier edition. Apologies for any inconvenience caused.

Director's Log

I am writing this month’s log as I travel home from Ulsan, South Korea where I was invited to speak at the 3rd Ulsan Port Authority (UPA) International Port Safety Conference.

Attendees included Port Authority representatives, ship operators, terminal operators, local government officials and a rather large contingent of merchant marine university students. The conference was interesting, professionally organised with a focus on improving safety, specifically within ports. I want to thank Mr. Sang Hwan Go, President of Ulsan Port Authority, and his team for inviting me and for their hospitality during my stay. On the second day, Terry Frith of the Chemical Distribution Institute (CDI) and myself presented on areas of safety, with respect to Chemical and Oil cargoes at the Talk Concert with UPA employees, after which was a meeting with SK Energy at their facilities within the port.

In this issue you will see that maritime security is still an important part of our focus. OCIMF hosted the Operation Atalanta meeting and participated in the industry meeting with the Nigerian Maritime Safety Agency (NIMASA) at IMO. The Straits of Hormuz continues to be of concern, however the main hot spot is the Gulf of Guinea. NIMASA is making substantial progress in this area, particularly with their Project Deep Blue. NIMASA will host a Global Maritime Security Conference in Abuja from 7-9 October, at which OCIMF will be well represented and I encourage any organisation or company, with an interest in maritime security in that region, to attend. More information on this subject can be found here.

Finally, I draw OCIMF members’ attention to the OVID Inspection Request article. This is an excellent tool that assists both vessel operators and members, but the level of member uptake is disappointing. I encourage all members involved in OVID to use this tool; it is there for your benefit.

I wish you all a happy, safe and healthy October

Rob Drysdale
Director OCIMF

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Out now

The second edition of the Guidelines on the Marine Assessment of F(P)SOs was published in September.

The publication is a complete framework for assessing the marine sections of Floating (Production) Storage and Offloading (F(P)SO) facilities against international legislation and industry best practice. It can also supplement any other internal assessments an F(P)SO operating company might carry out as part of its auditing process.

To download your copy click here

OCIMF presents at TIC Council Conference

The Testing, Inspection and Certification (TIC) Industry Council (formerly IFIA) hosted the 2nd Safety Conference in New York, USA on 5 September.

Organised in partnership with BP, Chevron, ExxonMobil and Shell, with roughly 70 delegates present, the conference aimed to connect petroleum inspection, testing and certification companies with inspection company clients, terminals and shipping companies on safety matters.

Peter Boks, President of Saybolt and chairman of TIC Council Petroleum and Petrochemical Strategy committee, delivered the opening address, after which there was a session on Loss Prevention Scheme that focussed on ethics, integrity and behaviour-based safety systems. TIC Council also updated members on the safety code that was published in July 2019.

During this session, Capt. Sanchay Srivastava, OCIMF Technical Adviser (Nautical), gave an overview of OCIMF's mission and objectives, its publications, programmes and IMO related activities. The presentation also introduced the Tanker Accident Database, the anonymous reporting tool for vessel owners and technical managers. This data can then be used for incident analysis, and to identify root-causes and mitigations.

With only 4 mariners out of 70 delegates in the room, the presentation was well-received and proved useful for TIC Council members. Members recognised that challenges related to safety are common across the industries and that they should work together to ensure effective controls are in place.

OVID Inspection Request (OVIR) system

OCIMF encourages members to actively support the OVID Inspection Request (OVIR) system which allows vessel operators to independently request an inspection of their vessels.

Vessel operators can propose an inspector, but OCIMF members do not have to accept the proposed inspector. By actively supporting this system, OCIMF members can contribute to improving the safety of offshore vessels globally and increasing the number of available inspected vessels that might be needed by members at short notice.

Launch of the OVID PSC repository

Both OCIMF members and vessel operators have recognised the benefit of having Port State Control (PSC) vessel inspection reports available for review and evaluation during the vessel vetting process.

Available through the SIRE programme since January 2019, the PSC repository has now been extended to the OVID programme. Vessel operators are encouraged to upload PSC inspection reports and associated documents as this will contribute to the efficiency of vessel evaluation and clearance processes. PSC inspection information entered into the programme is available to OVID member organisations directly from their OVID accounts, or via OCIMF webservices.

Detailed instructions on using the repository are available on the latest version of the user guide, which can be accessed via the resources area of the OCIMF members and vessel operators’ OVID accounts.

For enquiries, contact OCIMF’s Programmes Helpdesk Support. 

Tanker Accident Database

The Learning Lessons, Accidents, Statistics and Trends (LLAST) database, known as the Tanker Accident Database, provides an anonymous reporting tool for vessel owners and technical managers to document measurable accident data.

The aim is to collate anonymous tanker accident details which, over time, will allow for root cause analysis of tanker accidents, preventing repeat accidents and leading to further advances in maritime best practice and safety.

There has already been a strong uptake in participants registering their interest Visit the Tanker Accident Database website to register. Registered users will be alerted once the database goes live.

tanker accident database 

For more information contact Dave Wall, Senior Technical Advisor or Ricardo Martinez, Technical Adviser (Engineering).

Click here to register you interest

Maritime Security snippets

On 20 September OCIMF hosted the 7th Strategic Meeting between industry stakeholders and the leadership of the EU Naval Mission, Operation Atalanta.

The Operation Commander, Vice Admiral Martorell, accompanied by his successor Major General Antonio Planells Palou, chaired the meeting which aimed to strengthen relationships with key partners in the industry and discussing regional developments. With the operation having transferred from Northwood, UK to ROTA, SP six months ago, the meeting presented a timely opportunity to review the new HQ’s performance. The industry reported there was no decline in service since the move and thanked the EU for their continued efforts to keep seafarers safe. Vice Admiral Martorell discussed the progress made by the naval operation and set out his vision for the future; he specifically sought views on the extension of and potential changes to the current mandate which expires at the end of 2020.

The EU External Action Service introduced ideas for a new policy framework to provide naval ships for employment where member States see fit. A trial deployment to the Gulf of Guinea is likely within the next six months.

OCIMF supports industry meeting with the IMO and NIMASA.

During London International Shipping Week, OCIMF Chairman Mark Ross joined industry leaders for a meeting at IMO Headquarters with Secretary General Kitack Lim and Director General of NIMASA, Dr Dakuku Peterside. This meeting was another in a series of engagements on the security situation in the Gulf of Guinea. Dr Peterside gave an update on NIMASA’s progress towards implementing its Deep Blue Project, which introduces new capabilities to combat maritime security threats. This information, along with recent anti-piracy legislation in Nigeria, was welcome. More information on the Deep Blue Project can be found here. OCIMF will attend a Global Maritime Security Conference hosted by NIMASA in Abuja in October.

To register for the Global Maritime Security Conference, click here

Industry guidance – Vessels transiting the Arabian Gulf, Straits of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman

Members are to be reminded of the industry guidance published in July and the additional reports recommended, along with those listed in BMP5. A copy of the guidance can be found here.

Ship to Ship Focus Group

13th meeting: 17-18 September, Houston, USA (hosted by Phillips 66)

The committee made good progress on the Ship to Ship Hose Guide and formed a separate working group to complete it. The committee, industry representatives and hose manufacturers discussed recent hose failures and formed a plan to find out the root cause. On the second day, the group reviewed and endorsed the environmental criteria scoping document. Later, the committee finalised the Ship to Ship Service Provider Self Assessment.

Next meeting: 19-20 February 2020, Houston, USA (hosted by TBD)

Marine Terminal Focus Group

13th meeting: 4-5 September, Paris, France (hosted by Total)

The Marine Terminal Focus Group received updates on the current database from OCIMF's database managers Marine Information Solutions (MIS) and discussed the active directory plan to increase the number of terminals. MIS also provided database training and a Q&A session for the members of the committee.

Next Meeting: February 2020, London, UK (hosted by OCIMF)

Marine Technical Sub-Committee

39th meeting: 3-5 September, London, UK (hosted by Shell)

The meeting included discussions on:

• Alternative Fuels and Technologies presentations from member company representatives from ExxonMobil, Shell and Total and an update on their recent Life Cycle GHG Emission Study from the Society for Gas as a Marine Fuel (SGMF).
• International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) from the IACS Secretariat and updates on current and emerging issues in classification, regulatory and statutory matters, including European perspective, from the IACS Representative to the EU.
• IMO 2020 panel presentations from the Secretariat on IPIECA-OCIMF Joint Industry Project (JIP) and from BP, Chevron and Sonangol representatives on fleet preparations in advance of the regulation’s entry-into-force date.
• Extensive work on MTSC sub-committee management including prioritisation, resourcing and scheduling, as well as decisions on key position papers for addressing work requests from the principal committees.
• Secretariat updates on the OCIMF strategy, IMO strategy, Environmental Sub-committee and an update from the Publications team on their working-group publication guidance and expected new releases.

Next meeting: Spring 2020 (TBC), San Ramon, USA (hosted by Chevron)

SIRE User Group

19th meeting: 3 September, Stamford, USA (hosted by OCIMF)

The committee discussed the following:

• SIRE performance.
• Benefits of the incident and PSC report repositories.
• Issues related to compliance and ethics.
• VesselInspection Programme (VIP) development and progress.

The SIRE User Group enables all users to share their experiences with and provide feedback on the operation of the programme. Meetings are held on a biannual basis, with attendees from tanker and barge operators, member companies and inspector organisations.

Next meeting: 4 February 2020, Dubai (hosted by OCIMF)

Human Focus Working Group

3rd meeting: 12-13 September, London, UK (hosted by OCIMF)

The Human Factors Working Group (HFFG) meeting covered:

• Communication of the OCIMF strategy on human factors.
• Development of an OCIMF information paper on human factors.
• Integration of human factors in the Vessel Inspection Programme (VIP) project.
• Human factors in the Tanker Management Self Assessment.
• Enhancing quality of incident investigations from a human factors’ perspective.
• Collaboration with other industry partners on human factors.

All OCIMF members are invited to join the HFFG and marine and human factors experts are welcomed.

For more information, contact Sam Megwa, OCIMF Deputy Director. 

Next meeting: 25-26 February 2020 (hosted by OCIMF)

Upcoming IMO events

Formal meetings (Autumn 2019)

Please note that there will be an election at the 31st session of the IMO Assembly at IMO HQ.

For NGOs, there are no autumn sessions of the Maritime Safety Committee and the Marine Environment Protection Committee. However, there will be a series of events during this period:

Intersessional working groups

Intersessional working groups focus on specific subjects and report to respective senior IMO bodies. The following meetings are relevant to OCIMF:

For the outcome of the past meeting, and the above formal meetings, log-in to the IMO area on the OCIMF members website here.

OCIMF visits IMO

Technical Adviser (Engineering) Ricardo Martinez accompanied MTSC members as well as new OCIMF technical and office staff on a visit to IMO HQ, which included a tour of the building and its artefacts, a film about the IMO’s work and in-depth presentations relevant to MTSC technical work.

The group was impressed by the facilities including the main conference hall, the Maritime Knowledge Centre (MKC), which houses the archives of the official documents and publications of the IMO, and the fourth-floor terrace with its excellent views of the Houses of Parliament over the River Thames. Equally impressed was the remarkable collection of artefacts donated to the IMO over the years, including several artworks, sculptures and ship models. The group also learned that OCIMF donated the bell, located on the ground floor, that once silenced the hall during meetings.

Ahmer Saeed, MTSC Chair, said, “IMO is international standard setting authority for truly international shipping industry. IMO standards have served the shipping industry well and kept shipping operations safe and environmentally friendly. This is aligned with our aspirations in OCIMF and we look forward to contribute even more on technical, safety and environmental input into IMO for improved safety and environmental performance serving our membership and wider community now and in the time to come”.

Thank you to Tamara Vassilissin for her wonderful job navigating OCIMF through the IMO building, Natasha Brown for her brilliant overview of the IMO during her in-depth presentation and Sharon Lynn Grant for her thorough explanation of the MKC. OCIMF appreciated your time, effort and warm welcome to IMO.

Upcoming SIRE courses

SIRE New Inspector courses

Please note that all New CAT1 Inspectors applicants must now hold and submit an ECDIS course certificate at the time of registration.

Refresher and ECDIS courses

Inspectors who have already attended the one-day OCIMF ECDIS day training should not request another place.

There is no charge to attend SIRE Refresher/ECDIS courses but costs associated with travel to and from the course, the inspector’s time, accommodation and meals are their own responsibility.

Courses will be cancelled if enough places are not filled, so apply early. To reserve a place on a Refresher Course, please contact Anita Borsberry. 

Upcoming OVID courses

OVID New Inspector courses

OVID Refresher courses

If you would like to enrol on a course, or have any queries relating to our courses, then please contact us here.

Please sign up early to avoid disappointment. All courses are subject to demand and OCIMF reserves the right to either change the date or cancel the course if there is insufficient interest.