According to the agreement, OCIMF’s intention is to develop a new questionnaire variant in the SIRE programme based on the latest EBIS templates. Therefore, the transition refers to the EBIS vessel questionnaire templates as well as technical information templates currently in development by EBIS, Version 9.

As a result of a successful transfer and use of EBIS 9 templates in to the OCIMF SIRE programme, the EBIS Board of Directors with their membership are expected to terminate its obligations and dissolve the EBIS company in 2022.

To facilitate a smooth transition both organisations have agreed:

  • All EBIS members can apply to become SIRE programme recipients. OCIMF will seek to assist the EBIS members in their application.
  • All Accredited EBIS Inspectors will have the opportunity to gain SIRE Cat 3 accreditation for the European region following application and a training course.
  • Assistance will be provided to vessel Owners and Operators transferring their fleet’s EBIS technical information into the SIRE database.

EBIS 9 will be hosted by OCIMF from 1 January 2021.　 This aligns with EBIS’s normal implementation cycle of a new questionnaire and technical information templates. The EBIS 8 questionnaire will be retired from the EBIS database and this data will be available in the current EBIS database as a historical document, until 31 December 2021.

On the occasion of  the historic project in the European inland barge industry. Rob Drysdale, Director, Oil Companies International Marine Forum (OCIMF) said,

" The benefits are that the EBIS questionnaire becomes part of an established and well respected programme that will ensure its ongoing viability and sharing of global lessons and best practices within the inland navigation industry. It also consolidates barge inspections within Europe into a single system."

In his turn, Robert Brook, Chairman, Board of Directors, the European Barge Inspection Scheme (EBIS) said,

"The EBIS Board of Directors looks forward to this transition and the ability to build on the success of EBIS over the last 20 years".