"I feel we are now on the journey to do this and although we do not yet have a clear road in front of us, our industry will be successful as we have proved many times in the past."
Managing Director's Log
October has seen OCIMF through our traditional committee season.
I reported in September that our new functional committees had held their inaugural meetings and in October our new principal committees for Publications and Advocacy (Tankers, Barges and Terminal Interfaces), Publications and Advocacy (Offshore) and Programmes held theirs. These were conducted successfully on a remote basis as is normal during the ongoing pandemic. For 2020, there now only remains our Executive Committee meeting in early December.
We developed and delivered our first remote training in October. This was intended as a pilot project with two objectives. The first was to address a shortage of inspectors in a specific region, and the second to provide information that would allow us to consider extending remote training in other regions and in our other inspection programmes. For more information, see the article below.
It is encouraging to note the number of meetings being held by the Intentional Maritime Organization (IMO) in October and scheduled for November; the IMO Secretariat are clearly experienced and proficient in running these. The topic on everyone’s mind is the IMO’s Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emission reduction targets – developing amendments to MARPOL and the practical challenges in developing and implementing solutions to achieve those targets. I feel we are now on the journey to do this and although we do not yet have a clear road in front of us, our industry will be successful as we have proved many times in the past.
I wish you a happy, healthy and safe November.
Rob Drysdale
Director OCIMF
Do you have news that you'd like to share with our readers? If so email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Ship to Ship Service Provider Management and Self Assessment Guide, Second Edition – Out Tuesday
OCIMF’s Ship to Ship Service Provider Management and Self Assessment Guide (STS SPSA), first published in 2011, has been updated to reflect current legislation, expectations and emerging issues, and reflects feedback from STS Service Providers and users of this book.
The self assessment programme encourages STS Service Providers to assess their safety management systems against key performance indicators. It provides a minimum expectation level and an additional three levels of increasing best practice guidance. The results can be used to develop plans that support the continuous improvement of management systems and the attainment of high standards of safety and pollution prevention. Key updates include:
- Where applicable, the elements have been aligned with Tanker Management Self Assessment (TMSA) 3.
- A new element has been added that covers Maritime Security.
- The ‘Reliability and Maintenance of STS Equipment’, the ‘Due Diligence Regarding Transhipment Locations’ and the ‘STS Operations’ elements have been expanded to include new sections.
- The ‘Environmental and Energy Management’ element now incorporates the OCIMF Energy Efficiency and Fuel Management paper that was a supplement to TMSA 2.
- Elements have been streamlined and merged to improve consistency and make self assessment easier.
- The best practice guidance has been expanded to complement the key performance indicators and revised to remove ambiguity and duplication.
With its publication, the first edition of STS SPSA has been superseded and is no longer available.
To order your copy, click here
Peril at Sea and Salvage: A Guide for Masters, Sixth Edition – Out now
OCIMF and the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) are pleased to announce the release of Peril at Sea and Salvage: A Guide for Masters, Sixth Edition.
This Guide takes Masters through the actions to be taken when confronted with an emergency on board. It has been prepared principally with oil tankers and gas carriers in mind, although most of the content will be equally appropriate to other types of ship.
The Guide will supersede Peril at Sea and Salvage: A Guide to Masters, Fifth Edition. Since the release of the fifth edition, several regulatory changes have helped improve safety on ships and prevent harm to the environment. They have also changed the nature of Masters’ responsibilities by placing a greater emphasis on the company to plan for emergencies at sea.
To order your copy, click here
New information paper – F(P)SO Heading Control Guidelines
OCIMF has released a new information paper that provides recommendations to safely manage heading control operations of turret moored Floating (Production) Storage and Offloading (F(P)SO) facilities.
F(P)SO heading control operations are undertaken to enable surveys, installation works, maintenance works and associated F(P)SO operations, often while the facility remains in operation, and are exposed to a wide range of hazards. This information paper provides guidance on the risks and consequences of loss of F(P)SO heading control, outlines heading control assurance guidance and details potential hazards as well as F(P)SO redundancy measures. The guidance also covers crew training and competency considerations, requirements for F(P)SO deck equipment, Heading Control Tug (HCT) suitability and communications procedures.
To improve the management of heading control operations, the information paper also includes an assurance tool and a standard methodology to calculate the bollard pull requirements for Heading Control Tugs. The methodology has been developed in close cooperation with the Maritime Research Institute Netherlands (MARIN).
Publications and Advocacy – Tankers, Barges and Terminal Interfaces Committee
1st meeting: 13-14 October, virtual (OCIMF) Chair: John DeRose (Excelerate Energy) Secretary: Dave Wall (OCIMF Publications and Advocacy Director)
The newly formed Publications and Advocacy – Tankers, Barges and Terminal Interfaces (P&A TBT) Committee met for the first time for a kick-off meeting. The meeting was conducted virtually, and all 20 members, and a large number of the OCIMF Secretariat, attended. On the first day, the committee was briefed on the OCIMF Strategy and new ways of working including bow ties and risk matrix.
On the second day, they were briefed on the current situation with publications and a project to review the content of each publication. OCIMF Regulatory Adviser, Motonobu (Moto) Tsuchiya, also briefed the committee on the newly created advocacy register and how that will be used in the future to prioritise advocacy initiatives at the IMO.
Publications and Advocacy – Offshore Committee
1st meeting: 20-21 October, virtual (OCIMF) Chair: Andrew D. Bush (ExxonMobil) Vice Chair: Don W. Davis (Chevron) Secretary: Dave Wall (OCIMF Publications and Advocacy Director) and Faisal Rashid (OCIMF Offshore Adviser)
The first OCIMF Publications and Advocacy Offshore (P&A Offshore) Committee meeting was held remotely as part of the new OCIMF Strategy and revised Committee Structure implementation.
On the first day, the committee was briefed on the OCIMF Strategy and new ways of working including bow ties and risk matrix. The Offshore Committee has approved the Terms of Reference (TOR) for P&A Offshore.
On the second day, the committee was briefed on the current situation with publications and a project to review the content of each publication. OCIMF Regulatory Adviser, Motonobu (Moto) Tsuchiya, also briefed the committee on the newly created advocacy register and how that will be used in the future to prioritise advocacy initiatives at the IMO.
Programmes Committee
1st meeting: 27-28 October, virtual (OCIMF) Chair: Ed Barsingerhorn (Shell) Vice Chairs: Dave Ingels (P66) and Javed Bhombal (IMT) Secretary: Sam Megwa (OCIMF Programmes Director)
The newly formed Programmes Committee met for the first time for a kick-off meeting. The meeting was conducted virtually and attended by all 18 members, representatives from the OCIMF Secretariat and invited guest speakers. On the first day, the committee discussed the refreshed OCIMF Strategy, development of OCIMF programmes bow ties and new ways of working and the revision of the SIRE Composite Guidelines as part of the Programmes Document Library project.
On the second day, the committee discussed the Vessel Inspection Programme (VIP) project that will deliver SIRE 2.0, alignment of SIRE/BIRE/OVID Programmes project, impact of COVID-19 pandemic on programmes and remote inspections.
The committee adopted the TOR for the Programmes Committee and agreed to meet once a quarter, and additionally once a month, if necessary, to enable agile decision-making and action.
OCIMF online inspector training course
OCIMF held its first online SIRE inspector training 19-23 October.
The course was developed and delivered on an exceptional basis following an extraordinary meeting between the Secretariat and the OCIMF North America Barge Focus Group. These online training courses are a pilot scheme for future online training courses under SIRE and OVID. Feedback from members has been positive.
Special thanks to OCIMF Training and Accreditation Manager, Ajay Gour, and others in the Secretariat for their hard work in developing and delivering the first online training course. This is a milestone for OCIMF, and the aim is to further develop especially during this COVID-19 pandemic.
Industry highlights threats to vessels operating in Gulf of Guinea
As the dry season approaches and sea conditions abate, an increase in attacks against vessels in the Gulf of Guinea (GOG) can be expected and requires renewed attention.
Industry has published this reminder for Masters and crews to be extra vigilant and ensure all security measures are taken.
For more information, contact Russell Pegg (OCIMF Maritime Security Adviser).
IMO updates
IMO meetings
44th meeting of the Facilitation Committee
The 44th meeting of the Facilitation Committee (FAL 44) was held 28 September-2 October.
Key discussions were:
- Data Exchange: FAL strove for further harmonisation of ship-port data exchange format.
- Stowaway: FAL decided to continue its work on stowaway cases.
- Facilitation of maritime traffic during a public health emergency: FAL is working on the amendments to the FAL Convention to address any future pandemic.
The 124th meeting of the IMO Council
The 124th meeting of the IMO Council (C 124) was held 12-16 October and awarded the International Maritime Prize to Mr Peter Hinchliffe, the former Secretary-General of the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS).
Seventh meeting of the Working Group on Reduction of GHG Emissions from Ships
The seventh meeting of the Working Group on Reduction of GHG Emissions from Ships (ISWG-GHG 7) was held virtually 19-23 October. The meeting developed the draft amendments to MARPOL Annex VI, Chapter IV, which consist of both ship design and operational measures for reducing GHG emissions.
Other events
IMO/Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) joint webinar, Future of Shipping: Digitalisation (8 October): Taking everyone on board was the key message of the event.
Upcoming meetings
The 102nd meeting of the Maritime Safety Committee
The 102nd meeting of the Maritime Safety Committee (MSC 102) has been re-scheduled for 4-11 November and will be held remotely. Key discussions will be:
- Mooring: Amendments to the SOLAS Convention and associated guidelines will be adopted for entry into force on 1 January 2024.
- Lifting appliances: MSC will review the draft texts of the SOLAS regulations and associated guidelines.
- COVID-19: MSC will formalise industry initiatives as an MSC resolution, which address crew change during the pandemic.
The 75th meeting of the Marine Environment Protection Committee
The 75th meeting of the IMO Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 75) has been re-scheduled for 16-20 November and will be held remotely. Key discussions will be:
- Ballast Water Management (BWM) Convention: MEPC 75 will adopt amendments for introducing mandatory commissioning testing.
- Scrubber: Review of the draft standard will be deferred for future discussion.
- Energy efficiency: Relevant issues, including shaft power limitation, and issues relating to analysis of fuel data collection will be re-directed to the correspondence group.
- Reduction of GHG emissions: MEPC 75 will review the outcome from the seventh meeting of the Intersessional Working Group on Reduction of GHG Emissions from Ships (ISWG-GHG 7), the fourth IMO study and voluntary research fund.
For more information, members can visit the IMO section on the OCIMF members' website.
Regional Marine Forums
All Regional Marine Forums (RMFs) have been cancelled in 2020.