Tanker vetting process and the impact of novel Corona virus (COVID-19)
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Keywords
SIRE Inspection ; Vetting ; TMSA ; OCIMFAbstract
The term “Vetting” describes accurately the process that an Oil Major follows to evaluate and select at the end the most suitable Tanker Vessel to transfer their cargoes.
It is a widespread and accepted process; however, the relevant literature is quite limited, especially from operators’ point of view.
During the first stage a nominated inspector goes on board a tanker vessel in order to check and verify her condition. Then he submits a report, which is called SIRE report. After the submission, the operator of the vessel, has to submit also his / her comments on any noted observation and upload same into OCIMF’s database.
At later stages the Oil Majors will review these reports and other documentation related to the Ship Operator and Vessel, in order to decide and choose the best ship for their job to employ.
An Oil Major needs to assess not only those documents, but also Operators’ Safety Management System and their overall performance. They achieve this by conduction office, or nowadays remote TMSA verification audits. The final results of these audits play a major role in final Oil Companies’ decisions. The vetting as a vessel selection process has earned its place in the industry as a safety net which collects and reviews all the information gathered from the other safety nets; Flag State Control, classification, Port State Control, Class Inspections and others.
The vetting inspections, TMSA Audits and the Maritime industry in general, have been affected a lot by the pandemic of the Corona Virus. However, new practices such as remote inspections have been activated.
A real Case Study will be presented showing the tools that the Vetting Department of a Tanker Management Company uses to achieve industry’s high standards and the required constant development.