Offshore Vessel Management and Self Assessment (OVMSA2) - Second Edition

By aligning their own policies and procedures with guidance detailed in this programme, companies can improve their performance and attain high standards of safety and pollution prevention. Self assessment results inform the strategy of shipboard personnel as they improve their safety management systems.

This second edition has been updated to reflect current legislation, expectations and emerging issues. It contains thirteen elements, the latest addition detailing maritime security considerations. Its update reflects feedback from companies, industry bodies and users of OVMSA.

The OCIMF Offshore Vessel Management and Self Assessment (OVMSA) programme was introduced in 2012 as a tool to help companies operating offshore vessels to assess, measure and improve their management systems. These systems encompass all company activities, including technical, operational, personnel and Health, Safety, Security and Environment (HSSE), both on board and ashore. The range of different offshore vessels and units are commonly referred to as vessels throughout this guide.

This second edition has been updated to reflect current legislation, expectations and emerging issues, and reflects feedback from companies, industry bodies and users of OVMSA.

The programme encourages companies to assess their management systems against Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and provides a minimum expectation (level 1), plus three levels of increasing best practice guidance. Self assessment results can be used to develop phased improvement plans that support continuous improvement of their safety management systems. Companies are encouraged to regularly review their self assessment results against the OVMSA KPIs and to create achievable plans for improvement.

Aligning their own policies and procedures with industry best practice helps companies to improve their performance and attain high standards of safety and pollution prevention.

While the OVMSA programme provides guidance, responsibility for vessel operations, and distribution of this data, lies exclusively with the vessel operator. It is recognised that non-SOLAS vessels operate outside the International Safety Management (ISM) Code. However, operators of such vessels can use this guide as a tool to measure and improve their operations. A company that incorporates the OVMSA into its management system will likely have an active assessment process, even if it does not have an ISM-approved system. Vessel operators can conduct, and regularly review, their OVMSA assessments online at

www.ocimf.org/ovid. Usernames and passwords are issued by OCIMF for a nominal software licence fee.

The OVMSA programme will continue to evolve. New KPIs may be added and best practice guidance updated in future editions.

As part of OCIMF’s goal to continually improve OVMSA, we invite comment and feedback from vessel operators and other interested parties, particularly on what constitutes best practice. Please send any comments to enquiries@ocimf.org.

Glossary

Abbreviations

Section one The Offshore Vessel Management and Assessment Programme

1.1 Introduction

1.2 Continual improvement

1.3 Key performance indicators

1.4 Self assessment process

1.5 Verification process

1.6 Submitting reports

Section two The 13 Elements of the OVMSA Guidelines

Element one Leadership and the Safety Management System

1 Management, leadership and accountability

1A Developing and maintaining a Safety Management System

Element two Recruitment and management of shore-based personnel

Element three Recruitment, management and wellbeing of vessel personnel

3 Recruitment and management of vessel personnel

3A Wellbeing of vessel personnel

Element four Vessel reliability and maintenance, including critical equipment

4 Vessel reliability and maintenance

4A Vessel reliability and maintenance (critical equipment)

Element five Navigational safety

Element six Offshore operations and the management of contractors

6A Offshore operations – Mooring

6B Offshore operations – Safe access

6C Offshore operations – Cargo, bunkering, ballasting and stability

6D Offshore operations – Lifting and hoisting

6E Offshore operations – Management of contractors

6F Specialist activities – Dynamic Positioning (DP) operations

6G Specialist activities – Anchor Handling and Towing (AHT)

6H Specialist activities – Geophysical and geotechnical

6I Specialist activities – Heavy lift

Element seven Management of change

Element eight Incident reporting, investigation and analysis

Element nine Safety management

9 Safety management: shore-based monitoring

9A Safety management: fleet monitoring

Element ten Environmental and energy management

Element eleven Emergency preparedness and contingency planning

Element twelve Measurement, analysis and improvement

12 Measurement, analysis and improvement (inspections)

12A Measurement, analysis and improvement (audits)

Element thirteen Maritime security

OCIMF

The Oil Companies International Marine Forum (OCIMF) is a voluntary association of oil companies with an interest in the shipment and terminalling of crude oil, oil products, petrochemicals and gas. OCIMF focuses exclusively on preventing harm to people and the environment by promoting best practice in the design, construction and operation of tankers, barges and offshore vessels and their interfaces with terminals. Learn more at www.ocimf.org