OCIMF puts SIRE on tablets

ASKING QUESTIONS

INSPECTIONS • OCIMF IS UPDATING ITS LONGSTANDING SHIP INSPECTION PROGRAMME, LEVERAGING TECHNOLOGY TO MAKE IT MORE USER-FRIENDLY AND PROVIDE RICHER RESULTS

THE OIL COMPANIES International Marine Forum (OCIMF) is overhauling its Ship Inspection Report Programme (SIRE) and taking advantage of technology developments by introducing tablet-based inspections. This will, OCIMF says, deliver a more comprehensive inspection process and enhanced policies and procedures as from the second quarter of this year. The new programme, SIRE 2.0, will facilitate a risk-based approach to assessing the safety and quality of a vessel and its crew on an ongoing basis, but will require a “change in mindset” from industry, OCIMF has warned.

Under SIRE 2.0, accredited inspectors will complete a Compiled Vessel Inspection Questionnaire (CVIC) in real time using a tablet device. Unlike the existing paper-based questionnaire, the SIRE 2.0 CVIQ uses a sophisticated algorithm to select questions from a question library based on the type of vessel, its outfitting and operational history to create a bespoke risk-based inspection questionnaire. This means no two inspections will be the same.

In another significant change to the reporting process, most questions require the inspector to provide responses based on hardware, processes and human factors, with observations graded from “not as expected” through to “exceeds expectation”. Observations will also be supported with documentary and photographic evidence (where permitted).

As a result of these enhancements to the programme, each inspection question set is varied, providing vessel operators and crews greater opportunity to demonstrate their best practices, and for the first time both positive and negative observations can be documented. Enhanced governance processes will ensure greater transparency and control for OCIMF and other parties involved in the programme, with stringent compliance requirements enhancing accountability and creating an altogether more robust programme that can more easily be adapted to the evolving risk profile of the industry.

DETAILED TAILORING OCIMF’s managing director Karen Davis explains: “The development and introduction of the SIRE 2.0 tanker inspection regime represents a significant change for OCIMF, its members, users of the inspection programme and the marine industry as a whole. It’s a move away from a snapshot ‘yes/no’ approach to providing richer, more meaningful insight that can be acted upon.

“The new programme will ensure observations are given context and will result in more detailed, reliable, granular and comparable marine assurance data, helping the report recipient better understand how well a vessel is managed,” Davis adds. “Central to SIRE 2.0 is the integration of human factors assessments which will take into account performance-influencing factors, as OCIMF acknowledges that mistakes are typically due to conditions and systems that make work difficult. SIRE 2.0 is designed to encourage a safety culture aligned with the principles contained in the OCIMF Human Factors Approach paper and framework for integrating human factors in management systems.”

Software for the intrinsically safe tablet devices has been developed in consultation with ports, terminals and ship operator stakeholders, in accordance with best practice as defined by the International Safety Guide for Oil Tankers and Terminals (ISGOTT). Given the complexity of the project, over the past three years OCIMF has been engaging with different stakeholder groups at relevant junctures to gather feedback, input and technical expertise.

Sam Megwa, OCIMF’s programme director, explains: “At OCIMF we are doing everything we can to support industry to transition from SIRE to SIRE 2.0. While there is work still to be done to bring SIRE 2.0 online, the team are well underway with the trial inspections programme and have already rolled out a series of workshops with more planned over coming months. Transition training of inspectors has also been underway for some time already, with additional courses due this year. We will continue to engage with all stakeholders to ensure the successful implementation of the programme, and to help our industry achieve zero accidents to people and the environment”. www.ocimf.org