Vetting Inspection for Oil Tankers, Ships, Vessels & Offshore Marine Units

Introduction

Vetting inspection is a grading system of a ship that helps a potential charterer compare similar vessels and choose the best as per his needs to maximize efficiency. Traders buy and sell various products and transport these products from one place to another using suitable vessels. Suitability of a vessel is defined by several parameters such as equipment, freight rate, availability, size, special arrangements, and features with regard to load and discharge terminals, etc. Vessel vetting helps define potential risks before the hiring decision is made, and thus, it needs to be reliable and effective. The overall and long-term motive of the marine assurance or vetting process is to weed out substandard ships from the industry. The assurance process also involves a physical examination of a vessel to check several features and compare them with internationally established standards. This is called SIRE (Ship Inspection Report) inspection. To standardize the method and outcome of SIRE inspections worldwide, the Oil Companies International Marine Forum (OCIMF) published the ‘Vessel Inspection Questionnaire’, which acts as a tool of assistance to the inspector to ensure all major aspects are reviewed and confirmed. Given the importance of vetting and the impact it has on life, property, cargo, organization reputation, etc., it needs to be carried out carefully and diligently, in an unbiased manner. Thus, inspections are always performed by accredited inspectors, and the results are submitted to a common database hosted by OCIMF. Detailed information across various aspects is obtained and reviewed against standards to check the suitability of a vessel to ferry cargo of a particular kind. The SIRE program, in particular, is a unique and critical tanker risk assessment tool that is extremely valuable to charterers, ship operators, terminal operators, government bodies, etc. It provides technical and operational information that comes handy for future assessments as well.

This training course will empower you with comprehensive information and knowledge of the vetting process for ships and other offshore marine units. It will broaden your perspective of the necessary factors for inspection and their impact when making a decision on the choice of vessel. This in turn will help you assist your organization in focusing efforts on the correct features and functional areas critical for decision making regarding the vessel to be used for the transport of goods. The knowledge gained about one of the most important and well-known compliance checks, the SIRE program will increase your potential and demand to play critical roles for your organization or other organizations in managing and successfully completing the marine assurance or vetting process.

Objectives

By the end of this training course, participants will learn to:

• Comprehensive information and knowledge about the vetting of vessels and other offshore marine units
• Knowledge of international standards and practices that vessels worldwide need to adhere to in order to be confirmed suitable for transporting goods from one place to another
• The required awareness and experience to be able to drive compliance requirements within the organization and focus efforts on the right things, which could help increase chances of selection of the vessel for the transport of goods
• Adequate knowledge and exposure to conduct regular internal audits of important features to be able to maintain good quality standards at all times, thus increasing chances of successful outcomes in the vetting process
• The exposure and confidence to give the organization a competitive edge because of well-maintained vessels and streamlined processes adhering to required guidelines and standards
• The knowledge to train peers on best practices and safety measures to be able to comply with universal requirements and increase the life of the vessel
• The required skill, capability, and confidence to partake in the maintenance of ships and/or other vessel units in all aspects by framing policies and following recommended rules, thus helping your organization increase its business and also paving a promising future for your career
• The required skill, experience and confidence to work in any organization of choice, thus increasing chances of lateral and/or vertical progression
• The knowledge to attract potential investors and clients, contributing to the overall development of the organization

Training Methodology

This is an interactive course. There will be open question and answer sessions, regular group exercises and activities, videos, case studies, and presentations on best practice. Participants will have the opportunity to share with the facilitator and other participants on what works well and not so well for them, as well as work on issues from their own organizations. The online course is conducted online using MS-Teams/ClickMeeting.

Who Should Attend?

• Senior officials and top management of marine organizations responsible for taking strategic decisions regarding processes, practices, and functions within the organization
• Potential investors who would like to analyze organization credibility for investment decisions
• Internal auditors and compliance officials responsible for checking and confirming adherence to set standards
• Safety managers as well as ship and other marine unit crew responsible for performing operations and following all processes and guidelines diligently
• External inspectors and legal officers who need to thoroughly understand the importance and criticality of the vetting process
• Any other marine professional who would like to know more about the vetting process

Course Outline

The course will cover the following areas necessary to understand the vetting process:

Module 1: International Conventions Influencing Vetting

• SOLAS
• MARPOL
• STCW
• MLC

Module 2: Aspects Checked During Inspection

• Ship condition
• Crew experience and skill
• Cargo papers
• Vessel records
• Casualty records
• Quality of machinery
• Engine department records

Module 3: Reports Used for Vetting

• Port state control audit reports
• SIRE inspection reports
• Managers’ performance reports
• Media reports
• Tanker managers’ self-assessment reports

Module 4: Instruments Used in the SIRE Program

• Vessel inspection questionnaire
• Barges inspection questionnaire
• Uniform SIRE inspection report
• Vessel particulars questionnaire
• Barges particulars questionnaire

Module 5: Advantages of Vetting

• Suitability and compliance check
• Systematic management of safety and quality risks
• Evaluation of compliance with universal standards
• Professional marine risk management

Module 6: Challenges in Vetting

• Lack of data and records
• Unqualified or inexperienced inspectors
• External influence or pressure
• Lack of time and resources
• Incompetent crew
• Lack of awareness and cooperation

Module 7: Inspection/Checks Undertaken On-Board

• Safety familiarisation
• Drills
• Updated SOLAS and fire-fighting appliance (FFA) manuals
• Duly updated life-saving appliance (LSA) and FFA files and operating instructions
• Availability of immersion suits
• Well-kept polytechnics
• Clearly marked isolation valves
• Well-placed IMO symbols
• Clearly displayed expiry dates

Module 8: Best Practices by Inspectors

• Introduce self and explain the flow
• Set a good example by own safety practices
• Adhere to specific terminal requirements
• Discuss findings immediately with officials
• Discuss overall inspection findings before leaving the vessel
• Prepare clear but detailed reports