OCIMF Annual Report 2022

Maritime Security Committee

Activity in the Middle East was carefully monitored in close cooperation with UKMTO Dubai, the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) and the International Maritime Security Construct (IMSC), who actively supported industry with timely threat information.

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Threats in the Gulf of Guinea (GoG) were of highest concern to operators, who were pleased to see the Nigerian Deep Blue Project inaugurated in June, followed in July by the first of many Gulf of Guinea Maritime Collaboration Forum meetings. Establishing these initiatives was a crucial step in consolidating effort to counter the piracy threat.

OCIMF worked closely with industry partners and Nigerian officials on issues to strengthen protection in the GoG, building a strategy to guide direction. While the inter-monsoon seasons did not have the same level of attacks experienced in previous years, the GoG remains an area of considerable risk.

Despite virtual working, OCIMF maintained a high level of engagement at regional and international forums and our contribution to the UN Contact Group for Piracy off the Coast of Somalia and the G7++ Friends of the Gulf of Guinea was welcomed. The year ended with OCIMF’s seconded Maritime Security Liaison Officer to UKMTO Dubai being awarded the UK’s Merchant Navy Medal, giving great recognition to the organisation’s contribution to maritime security and the safety of seafarers.

Environment Committee

The Environment Committee (EC) provides subject matter expertise on the environment to the Forum. It focusses primarily on preventing harm to people and the environment by developing and implementing the OCIMF plan on environment. For 2021, its activities included:

• Receiving intercessional approval of the committee plan by the Executive Committee that addresses actions across publications, advocacy, programmes and membership collaborations arranged in short-term, medium-term and long-term time horizons.
• Completing review of aged publication(s) related to high priority areas and recommended withdrawal of aged publication(s).
• Providing input to the review of the Vessel Inspection Programme (VIP) Project on high priority environmental barriers relating to greenhouse gas and air emissions and addressing significant gaps in onboard vessel inspection regime.
• Reviewing the scope of IMO reports and upcoming work programme and determining its value to the committee and wider membership focussed on high priority areas.
• Reviewing Priority Matrix and Bow Tie as part of the Strategy Implementation in collaboration with Engineering Expert Group and focus on high priority areas – greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution.

A major achievement in 2021 was the approval of OCIMF’s new Environment Plan. It outlines the OCIMF approach to managing one of the most important issues of our time, with the sole aim to enhance environmental performance in the maritime sector, while maintaining a focus on related safety.

We will achieve our objectives by providing consistent guidelines and recommendations to our members and industry, engaging with others as new technologies and alternative fuels are developed, and effectively mitigating risk. As is tradition at OCIMF, it also allows us to aspire to go above and beyond where it is practical and safe to do so

said OCIMF.

The Environment Plan was based on a three-step approach including members’ survey and consultations, virtual stakeholder workshop and development of the plan approved by the Executive Committee.

The purpose of this plan is to document the key objectives and actions for the environmental committee, to address key environmental risks, in advance of an overall Strategic Implementation Plan and to guide the efforts of the group while transitioning from the old to new ways of working.

The scope of this plan:

• Spans across all operational activities of tankers, barges, offshore vessels, and their interfaces with terminals;
• Covers the four strategic priorities of publications, advocacy, programmes, and membership collaboration;
• Includes short, medium, and long-term key actions in line with findings from the stakeholder white paper that summarises wider member feedback regarding key environmental risks.

SIRE 2.0

OCIMF is introducing a new Ship Inspection Report Programme (SIRE) tanker inspection reporting scheme to bring the existing programme in line with the evolving needs and requirements of the marine industry. The new regime, SIRE 2.0, will supersede the existing SIRE programme when it becomes fully operational in Q4 2022.

As a digitalised (instead of paper-based) inspection programme, SIRE 2.0 will provide more accurate information to enable OCIMF members and programme recipients to make judgements on the quality and likely future performance of a vessel. It takes into account the top-down safety culture of tanker shipping companies and, crucially, integrates human factors (alongside hardware and processes) as a core component of assessment across the entire inspection.

Crucially, a digitalised SIRE 2.0 inspection regime will significantly expand the quality of marine assurance data gathered during vessel inspections. This will allow for more in-depth reporting outcomes and comprehensive assessments of the quality of a vessel and its crew. With more actionable insight, ship owners, operators and managers will be able to ensure vessels are being operated and maintained to the highest standards at all times.

In addition, under SIRE 2.0 no two inspections will be exactly the same. Instead of a static questionnaire with yes/no answers, SIRE 2.0 inspections will be
conducted in digital format, in real-time, with inspectors completing a Compiled Vessel Inspection Questionnaire (CVIQ) using a tablet device. The move to a digital solution means that every tanker inspection will be bespoke, with questions drawn from a large ‘SIRE 2.0 Question Library’ using an algorithm to select questions based on the type of vessel, its outfitting and operational history to create a one-time CVIQ for the SIRE Inspector to complete.

As vessel owners, operators, managers and crew, inspectors or recipients of the SIRE 2.0 inspection reports will not be able to predict the inspection questions in advance, they should be prepared to respond to all questions within the SIRE 2.0 Question Library applicable to a particular vessel. Further, almost every question will require the Inspector to give a response in relation to Hardware, Processes and Human Factors, and observations can be supported with photographs, where allowed, and documentary evidence.

EXPLORE MORE AT OCIMF’S ANNUAL REPORT FOR 2022