"What stands out to me is the way OCIMF committees and members have come together – sharing insight, staying engaged, and working collectively "
Director's Log
This month’s update comes at a time of significant challenge across parts of the Middle East.
What stands out to me is the way OCIMF committees and members have come together – sharing insight, staying engaged, and working collectively to understand what this means in practice for the guidance and programmes we offer and how they may need to be adjusted in response to current challenges. Many have gone further, continuing to join recent meetings virtually while managing difficult circumstances in their own locations. That level of commitment does not go unnoticed – thank you.
At the centre of all of this are our seafarers, both on vessels and supporting offshore operations. Many are working under heightened uncertainty and
strain. We are engaging at every opportunity presented, including through the International Maritime Organization, to ensure their voices are heard and their experience is understood. We must ensure seafarers are properly supported and cared for, especially in conditions where fatigue and stress are real factors. Their wellbeing is critical to safe operations.
Support is available. Special thanks to the various charities working tirelessly to assist seafarers during this time. Many resources are referenced in BMP-MS Annex B. I highlight the work of the International Seafarers' Welfare and Assistance Network. Their Coping with Conflict guidance and moderated online sessions offer practical help, and their helpline SeafarerHelp is available, including via WhatsApp at +44 7909 470732.
Karen Davis
Director OCIMF
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Practical insights shared in Vietnam
OCIMF recently met with PetroVietnam Maintenance and Repair Corporation (PVMR) to exchange practical insights on international tanker inspection programmes and maritime safety practices.
Dave Cudbertson, Programmes Director, and Sashidaran Gopala, Programmes Technical Manager, focused on developments within the SIRE 2.0 programme and the OVID framework, alongside how inspection data continues to support safer, more consistent vessel operations across the industry. With more than 24,000 SIRE reports issued in 2025 and contingency reports remaining below 0.5 percent, the conversation also explored common observations from inspections and what they mean in practice for operators and inspectors.
The meeting, in Ho Chi Minh City on 3 March, created space for open discussion with programme managers and inspectors at PVMR. Topics included how SIRE 2.0 works in practice, what inspectors are seeing during assessments and how shared experience can strengthen understanding across the sector.
Engagements like this help ensure industry professionals remain aligned with evolving international practices in tanker operations and maritime safety.
While in the region, Dave and Sashidaran also met with OCIMF members Misc Maritime Services in Kuala Lumpur and PTT in Bangkok.
For more information, contact Dave Cudbertson, OCIMF Programmes Director,
Publications and Advocacy principal committee meetings
Publications and Advocacy Tankers, Barges and Terminal Interfaces Committee
12th meeting: 17–18 March 2026 (Houston)
Chair: Raj Shetty (ENOC)
Vice-Chair: Paul Tait (Chevron)
Secretary: Darron L. Biddle (OCIMF P&A Director)
P66 and member representative, Derek Thompson, hosted the P&A TBT Committee at their offices in Houston, TX, USA for TBT12. We are thankful for the engagement of representatives that participated through hybrid meeting arrangements due to current travel restrictions in some regions. The P&A TBT representatives received updates on the following topics:
- OCIMF industry engagement activities and plans for OCIMF Day events in 2026.
- Revised way of working for the upcoming review and revision of flagship publications including:
- Mooring Equipment Guidelines, Fourth Edition (MEG4)
- Tanker Management and Self-Assessment, Third Edition (TMSA3)
- Plans for the Programmes Modernisation Project.
- Plans for revisions to SIRE question guidance.
The members of the Environment Committee joined the P&A TBT meeting remotely to provide an update of their horizon scanning discussions and medium/longer range plans. Hans Weverbergh, SIGTTO General Manager, also joined remotely to explain the refreshed SIGTTO strategy and current activities. Members of the secretariat took advantage of the visit to Houston to meet with teams from several OCIMF members: Cheniere Energy Inc, Chevron Shipping Company, ConocoPhillips and ExxonMobil, taking feedback on how OCIMF can deliver greater value to the members. At the conclusion of the meeting, Chris Mann (bp Shipping) was approved as second Vice-Chair.
The next P&A TBT meeting is scheduled for the week of 28 September 2026, in London. For any queries, contact Darron L. Biddle, OCIMF P&A Director,
Publications and Advocacy Offshore Committee
12th meeting: 24–25 March (London)
Chair: Matthieu Bougeant (TotalEnergies)
Vice-Chair: Frank Nyheim (Equinor)
Secretary: Darron L. Biddle (OCIMF P&A Director)
Member representatives assembled at the OCIMF office for the 12th meeting of the Publications and Advocacy Offshore Committee (PAOC). Notably, all committee members were able to join in the discussions either in person or remotely. We also welcomed a new member to PAOC, MISC Maritime Services Sdn. Bhd., represented by Zulman Mohd Shidek. Over the course of the two days of meetings, the member representatives were joined by Tom Frost, IOGP Health, Safety, Security and Wells Director, and Kate Harvey, G+ Global Offshore Wind Health and Safety Organisation General Manager, who provided overviews of their respective organisations. This was followed by engaging discussions of areas of future collaboration. Additionally, PAOC members received updates from and provided directional guidance to the Floating Systems Expert Group (FSEG) and Offshore Vessel Operations Expert Group (OVOEG) related to various initiatives and revisions of publications.
In conjunction with the Inspections Process Expert Group (IPEG) and other members of the Programmes team, OVOEG is working on an OVID programme improvement initiative to deliver increased value to all stakeholders: OCIMF members, vessel operators, and OVID inspectors. One component of this is conducting OVID User Forums in key hubs of offshore activity to collect input from and share feedback with these stakeholder groups. Offshore Adviser Christopher Holland and OVOEG Lead Monty Mathew provided an update on the first OVID User Forum in Aberdeen in November 2025 and plans for the next OVID User Forum adjacent to Offshore Technology Conference (OTC), 7 May 2026, in Houston, TX.
The next PAOC meeting is scheduled for the week of 28 September 2026, in London. For any queries, contact Darron L. Biddle, OCIMF P&A Director,
OCIMF to host booth at Offshore Technology Conference
In what we believe is a first for OCIMF, we will host a booth at Offshore Technology Conference | OTC 2026 | Houston, 4–7 May 2026, to highlight OCIMF’s Offshore publications and programmes. Additionally, representatives from Witherbys Publishers will be exhibiting alongside the OCIMF team to help promote the range of available OCIMF publications.
We are seeking member representatives (local or those who will be in the area) to join us at the OCIMF booth (OCIMF will provide a free Day Pass) and help us share the story what OCIMF is doing in the Offshore space. We request your support if your or your team members are interested in joining us at the OCIMF booth. Please contact
Learn about existing Offshore publications and ongoing efforts of the Floating Systems and Offshore Vessel Operations work groups on the following publications:
- Revision of Guide to Manufacturing and Purchasing Hoses for Offshore Moorings (GMPHOM).
- Revision of Guidelines on the Marine Assessment of F(P)SOs.
- Revision of Offshore Vessel Management and Self Assessment (OVMSA).
- Development of new publication – Best Practices for the Management of Lifesaving Appliances (LSA) on Fixed and Floating Offshore Installations.
- Improvements to OVID Programme.
For more information, contact Christopher Holland, Offshore Adviser,
Future OCIMF Days and stakeholder engagements
7 May 2026: Houston OVID User Forum (adjacent to OTC Houston)
20 May 2026: OCIMF Day – London
September 2026: OVID User Forum – Kuala Lumpur (adjacent to OGA 2026)
13 October 2026: OCIMF Day – Cartagena, Columbia (adjacent to SLOM Jornada)
Environment Committee
12th meeting: 17-18 March
Chair: Maria Polakis (BP)
Secretary: Martin Young (OCIMF Environmental Adviser)
The Environment Committee held its 12th in-person meeting (EC 12) on 17 and 18 March at OCIMF’s London office. Discussions during the meeting included re-assessing the prioritisation of the existing environmental issues identified in the OCIMF Environment Plan and undertaking a horizon scanning exercise to identify potential new or emerging environmental issues for future assessment. There were external presentations from IPIECA about exploring closer collaboration and from a consultant to discuss pre-combustion OCCS and CCGT propulsion that has been presented in papers to the forthcoming IMO MEPC 84/ISWG-GHG 21. The meeting also included a joint session with the concurrent P&A TBT Committee to update on the EC’s work.
For more information, contact Martin Young, OCIMF Environmental Adviser,
Maritime Security Committee
OCIMF’s Maritime Security Committee (MSC) meets regularly to discuss the consequences of conflict in the Middle East and the effect on members' activities. Information flow across the membership and broader industry remains key to understand the complexity of challenges faced by tankers and offshore vessels. The Joint Maritime Information Centre (JMIC) is providing daily updates which should be consulted when preparing any threat and risk assessment. All reports can be found on the UKMTO website here.
If any member has knowledge to share or would like to learn from others please consider attending these meetings – contact OCIMFs Security Adviser, Russell Pegg at
IMO news
IMO Council, 36th Extraordinary Session (C ES 36)
The IMO Council met for an extraordinary session from 18 to 19 March 2026 to discuss the impact of the situation in the Gulf region, particularly around the Strait of Hormuz, on shipping and seafarers.
The Council reiterated the need to respect navigational rights and freedoms of merchant and commercial vessels in accordance with international law and called for attacks on ships and, therefore, innocent seafarers to be halted immediately. The Council also asked for urgent development of provisional measures to facilitate safe evacuation of merchant ships that were currently confined within the region and for relevant Member States to ensure that health and well-being of affected seafarers were safeguarded.
For further information contact Security Adviser, Russell Pegg
12th session of Sub-committee on Human Element, Training and Watchkeeping (HTW 12)
HTW 12 took place during 23 to 27 February 2026 at the IMO headquarters in London. This was followed by a five-day intersessional working group. Meetings were held in hybrid mode with the following developments of relevance to OCIMF membership.
Comprehensive review of the International Convention of Standards on Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW)
- Substitution of seagoing service with simulator training: proposals to substitute up to 3 months sea service with simulators for engine, deck and electro-technical officers gained momentum.
- Prevention of bullying, harassment and sexual assault at sea: training to be incorporated through amendments to various Chapters of the STCW Code.
- Mental health and psychological safety: new knowledge, understanding and proficiency requirements at the management level were agreed.
Fatigue and seafarers’ hours of work and rest
- Initiation of scoping exercise to identify and assess any gaps in relevant IMO and other international instruments to address concerns around fatigue.
Preparing seafarers for a safe energy transition
- Interim guidelines on training of seafarers using methyl/ethyl alcohols, and ammonia as fuels, respectively, were finalised. Workplan for a variety of other fuels and technologies was agreed.
12th session of Sub-Committee on Ship Systems and Equipment (SSE 12)
SSE 12 took place during 9 to 13 March 2026 at the IMO headquarters in London with the following developments of relevance to OCIMF membership.
Life-saving appliances
- Revision of SOLAS Chapter III and the Life-saving Appliances (LSA) Code: requirements to be reshaped to be goal-based to contain safety objectives, functional and performance requirements.
- Amendments to Resolution MSC.402(96) on requirements for maintenance, thorough examination, overhaul and repair of lifeboats, rescue boats, launching appliance and release gear are ongoing with a view to promoting its consistent application.
- Ventilation requirements for partially enclosed lifeboats to be developed intersessionally.
Fire safety
- Amendments to existing IMO guidance on maintenance and inspections of fixed CO2 fire extinguishing systems (MSC.1/Circ.1318/Rev.1) were finalised for approval by MSC 112 later in 2026.
- Ban on firefighting foams containing perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS): prohibition entered into force 1 January 2026. Discussions around banning a wider spectrum of chemicals containing fluorinated substances to continue intersessionally.
Safe decarbonisation of the maritime industry
- SSE sub-committee to commence work on development of guidance for safety of ships using battery energy storage systems.
Summary reports will be issued in due course. For enquiries regarding IMO matters and meeting participation, contact Risk and Regulatory Affairs Adviser, Abhijit Aul