The Barge Inspection Report Programme (BIRE) provides technical and operational information to charterers, terminal operators and government bodies concerned with ship safety in the vetting of barges and support vessels.
About BIRE
The Barge Inspection Report Programme (BIRE) is a barge and inland coastal vessel inspection regime aligned to OCIMF’s Ship Inspection Report Programme (SIRE) providing the marine industry with a comprehensive and standardised vessel risk assessment tool and vessel inspection report database. BIRE provides technical and operational information to charterers, ship operators, terminal operators and government bodies concerned with ship safety in the vetting of barges and support vessels.
SIRE and BIRE inspections are conducted by accredited and highly trained ship inspectors worldwide and added to a central report database, providing a crucial source of vessel safety information for reliable and timely vessel assessment and vetting. Barge and small vessel owners and operators are strongly advised to join the BIRE Programme and benefit from access to accurate vessel safety and performance information.
About EBIS
The European Barge Inspection Scheme (EBIS), was an independent Europe-only barge inspection regime operated by EBIS, which transitioned to OCIMF’s Ship Inspection Report Programme (BIRE/SIRE) on 1 January 2021, creating a single barge inspection scheme. The integration of EBIS into BIRE/SIRE has provided the inland and coastal barge industry with a unified and standardised vessel inspection regime that can support safe and efficient operations worldwide.
To oversee the smooth transfer of EBIS into BIRE/SIRE, the OCIMF/EBIS Transition Taskforce was established, including members of the EBIS Board of Directors, OCIMF members and Secretariat. The OCIMF/EBIS Transition Taskforce coordinated all activity relating to the transition of key elements of EBIS into OCIMF’s vessel inspection programme, working with barge owners, operators, charters and inspectors alongside industry partners to ensure the outcome is an enhanced and improved barge inspection tool for the entire industry.
Over the course of the transition period, training courses and webinars were hosted by the EBIS Transition Taskforce to support OCIMF member companies, existing EBIS member companies, accredited EBIS and BIRE/SIRE inspectors as well as vessel owners and operators.
