STS Service Provider Management and Self Assessment - A Best Practice Guide

The self assessment programme encourages STS service providers to assess their safety management systems against key performance indicators. It provides a minimum expectation level and an additional three levels of increasing best practice guidance. The results can be used to develop plans that support the continuous improvement of management systems and the attainment of high standards of safety and pollution prevention.

Key updates to this edition include:

• Where applicable, the elements have been aligned with TMSA 3
• A new element has been added that covers maritime security
• The ‘Reliability and Maintenance of STS Equipment’, the ‘Due Diligence Regarding Transhipment Locations’ and the ‘STS Operations’ elements have been expanded to include new sections
• The ‘Environmental and Energy Management’ element now incorporates the OCIMF Energy Efficiency and Fuel Management paper that was a supplement to TMSA 2
• Elements have been streamlined and merged to improve consistency and make self assessment easier
• The best practice guidance has been expanded to complement the key performance indicators and revised to remove ambiguity and duplication.

Purpose and scope

The OCIMF Ship to Ship Service Provider Management and Self Assessment (SPSA) Guide was introduced in 2011 as a tool to help Ship to Ship (STS) Service Providers assess, measure and improve their management systems. This second edition has been updated to reflect current legislation, expectations and emerging issues, and reflects feedback from STS Service Providers and users of this book.

The second edition of SPSA is based on the principles of the Tanker Management and Self Assessment (TMSA) 3 programme that was revised in 2017.

Companies should exercise due diligence in approving well managed, good quality STS Service Providers for use in STS operations. Before subscribing to the services of an STS Service Provider, companies will assess and review the safe management and operation of the STS transfers conducted by that Provider. This is to ensure operations are conducted in accordance with all relevant national and international maritime legislation, local regulations and industry best practices, and promoting safe and environmentally aware performance at all stages of the STS operation.

The self assessment process on which the Guide is based provides valuable feedback to companies on the effectiveness of the STS Service Provider’s management systems and their approach to managing safety and environmental risk.

The accuracy of the information contained in the self assessment should be confirmed by an independent external review/audit.

The programme encourages STS Service Providers to assess their Safety Management Systems (SMS) 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 SMS. STS Service Providers are encouraged to regularly review their self assessment results against the SPSA KPIs and to create achievable plans for improvement.

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

New in this second edition:

• Elements have been aligned with TMSA 3 (except elements 4, 5 and 6, which are more STS specific).
• Elements have been streamlined and merged for consistency and to make self assessment easier.
• The best practice guidance has been expanded to complement the KPIs and revised to remove ambiguity and duplication.
• The option to mark KPIs as ‘not applicable’ has been removed.
• The management of contractors and subcontractors as a separate element has been removed. It is now assumed this is embedded in all elements if contractors/ subcontractors are used.
• ‘Operational personnel’ is used instead of ‘vessel personnel’.
• Element 4 now includes a section on the reliability and maintenance of STS equipment, including critical equipment.
• Element 5 now includes a section on due diligence for transhipment locations.
• Element 6 now includes a section on STS operations.
• Element 9 covers safety management (shore based monitoring and offshore operations monitoring).
• Element 10, ‘Environmental and energy management’, has been revised and now incorporates the OCIMF Energy Efficiency and Fuel Management paper that was a supplement to the second edition of TMSA 2.
• Element 13, ‘Maritime security’, is new.

The management and self assessment KPIs will continue to evolve. New KPIs may be added and best practice guidance updated in future editions.

This document provides additional guidance on thirteen elements, including industry guidance (e.g. Ship to Ship Transfer Guide for Petroleum, Chemicals and Liquefied Gases published jointly by CDI, ICS, OCIMF and SIGTTO) that can be considered to represent current best practice. The content will support STS service providers to identify practical measures to improve their management systems, where appropriate.

As part of OCIMF’s goal to continually improve the SPSA, we invite comment and feedback from STS Service Providers, Companies and other interested parties, particularly on what constitutes best industry practice. Please send any comments to enquiries@ocimf.org.

Section one

The STS Service Provider Management and Self Assessment
1.1 Introduction
1.2 Continual improvement
1.3 Key performance indicators
1.4 Self assessment process
1.5 Verification process

Section two

The SPSA elements

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 operational personnel
3 Recruitment and management of operational personnel
3A Wellbeing of operational personnel

Element four

Reliability and maintenance of STS equipment (including critical equipment)

Element five

Due diligence regarding transhipment locations 37

Element six

STS operations
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 – offshore operations 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

Section three

STS operational assessment forms and checklists
Part A: STS Service Provider particulars
Part B: STS transfer location assessment
Part C: STS transfer operation assessment
3.2 Checks prior to mooring/cargo operation
3.3 Checks during cargo operations
3.4 On completion of cargo transfer and prior to unmooring

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