OCIMF is very pleased to announce that Phase 1 of the roll-out of SIRE 2.0 has been successfully completed and, as all the agreed Critical Success Factors have been met, Phase 2 of the phased transition is now underway.
During Phase 2 participants will test the entire end-to-end SIRE 2.0 inspection process with limited support from the OCIMF Secretariat. There will also be an increase in the number of submitting companies, operators and inspectors, participating in the SIRE 2.0 inspections (compared to Phase 1). OCIMF anticipates the project transitioning to Phase 3 in early Q4 2023 provided all Critical Success Factors are met and approved by the VIP Steering Group.
Key Learnings from Phase 1
All the SIRE 2.0 inspections conducted during Phase 1 were completed in full. The feedback from Inspectors, Vessel Operators, Submitting Companies and Programme Recipients has been positive, with constructive feedback submitted to the SIRE 2.0 Project Team for further review.
There were no issues of significant concern raised throughout Phase 1. However, there were some important lessons learned in Phase 1 that programme participants should be mindful of:
- Vessel Operators: Must complete the Harmonised Vessel Particulars Questionnaire (HVPQ6) and the Pre-inspection Questionnaire (PIQ) within the time guidance provided under SIRE 2.0 Conditions of Participation, Policies and Procedures. Operators are also encouraged to understand direct printing facilities available on their onboard equipment as this may differ from one printer model to another. Please refer to the Tablets/Hardware/Software FAQ section on the SIRE 2.0 web page: https://www.ocimf.org/programmes/sire-2-0
- Submitting Companies: Must familiarise themselves with SIRE 2.0 Conditions of Participation, Policies and Procedures. Special attention should be paid to the applicable paragraph for Submitting Companies within the document. Under SIRE 2.0, all inspection reports will need to be validated by in house personnel, in line with Draft Inspection Report Validation: Best Practices paper which has been published on OCIMF website.
- Programme Recipients: Should take the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the report format. Any companies that have integrated SIRE 2.0 into their in-house IT environments may take this opportunity to test the report retrieval functionality.
- Inspectors: Must familiarise themselves with SIRE 2.0 Conditions of Participation, Policies and Procedures. Special attention should be paid to the applicable paragraph for Inspectors within the document. A dedicated support desk is now provided to Inspectors for all tablet related assistance. Inspectors are encouraged to take note of the contact details which will be distributed via the onboarding email received.
Generally, participants benefitted from familiarising themselves fully with the Inspection Management Process document which has been published for Submitting Companies, Vessel Operators and Inspectors – available here: https://www.ocimf.org/programmes/sire-2-0
Readiness for Phase 3 – All Programme Users
As we move through Phase 2 and finalise preparations for Phase 3 – when all programme users will have the opportunity to conduct a SIRE 2.0 inspection to test their own readiness – it is crucial that ALL programme users familiarise themselves with the documentation and training materials available here: https://www.ocimf.org/programmes/sire-2-0
Phase 3 offers all programme participants the opportunity to conduct SIRE 2.0 inspections for familiarisation and testing purposes (however VIQ7 will still be used as the commercial inspection programme throughout Phase 3). All users are encouraged to engage in Phase 3 to test their readiness before the system goes live and SIRE 2.0 becomes the commercial inspection programme at Phase 4 and VIQ7 is withdrawn.
More phase-specific information will be provided to all programme participants in the coming weeks and all users will be given sufficient notice before Phase 3 commences.
Feedback and engagement
Alongside feedback captured through the Phase 1 SIRE 2.0 inspections, efforts to bring wider industry along with us in the transition to SIRE 2.0 continue. OCIMF has been engaging with a wide range of industry associations, subject-matter experts and organisations, alongside the OCIMF membership and relevant Committees, to gather feedback and encourage participation.
Members of the Vessel Inspection Project (VIP) team and OCIMF Secretariat are scheduled to participate in a number of industry events after the summer, including OCIMF Day (London, 11 September) the Tanker Operator conference (Hamburg, 01 November) the Tanker Shipping and Trade conference (Athens, 07-08 November) the LNG Shipping and Terminals conference (London, 14-15 November) and a joint Japan Maritime Centre and IOPC Funds event in Japan (Tokyo, 18 October) and another with the Petroleum industry Marine Association (Tokyo, 19 October).
Webinar events and ongoing communications will also continue as the roll-out progresses, but should you have any queries relating to the project or wish to raise any concerns, please contact