Tankers and fuel terminals under control. A course for safety and environmental protection [REPORT]

Source: AFP

The Oil Companies International Marine Forum (OCIMF) recently published its Annual Report 2025. It highlights the strategic milestone of implementing advanced safety inspection procedures for oil and gas tankers and terminals handling oil, gas, and petrochemical products. The Oil Companies International Marine Forum (OCIMF) was established in April 1970 in response to growing public concerns about the threat of marine pollution from the increasing number of tankers plying the oceans. Oil operators were particularly mobilized following the SS Torrey Canyon disaster in 1967.

Nearly 70 years have passed since the mega-tanker crashed into rocks off the coast of Cornwall. Over 100,000 tons of crude oil spilled into the sea and flowed into the English Channel. Within a short time, beaches were flooded with a thick sludge. Thousands of seabirds died as a result of their wings becoming fused together, and they found it difficult to swim and forage. The wreck of the SS Torrey Canyon remains the worst environmental disaster in Great Britain to this day.

At the time, it was the first such major oil spill in European waters. The cleanup effort lasted months. Not only special services but also thousands of volunteers were involved. Local communities joined in the coastal cleanup effort. Despite this, the environmental destruction caused enormous damage to life on Cornwall’s seas and coastlines.

Source: AFP

Black Shock After the SS Torrey Canyon Disaster
Brittany in northern France also felt the devastating effects of the tanker disaster. A thick oil slick washed up on the French coast, driven by winds and ocean currents, bringing it to the shore. It was dubbed the “marée noire,” meaning “black tide.” The damage was unimaginable.

The flood killed over 15,000 seabirds and coastal birds. Covered in a thick, sticky sludge, both dead and alive, the birds washed ashore. It took decades for some species to recover. This had a direct impact on sanitary conditions. Many scavengers fed on the trash washed ashore. This trash rotted on the beaches.

Not only birds perished, but also entire groups of other animals. Next, organisms from the primary food chain perished. In areas devastated by the oil spill, plankton and small invertebrates living in sediments, as well as mussels and clams, fish, birds, and mammals, perished.

The ecological disaster was exacerbated by the use of powerful chemicals by British authorities. They were applied haphazardly and in excessive quantities. All of this was done with the consent of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, which deemed the tourism industry and clean beaches to be of greater external importance than the “very minor” damage it predicted for wildlife, as Bethan Bell and Mario Cacciottolo from BBC News remind us.

Map of the impact of the SS Torrey Canyon disaster, source: BBC

The disaster deepened further when over two million gallons of a chemical called BP 1002 were sprayed onto the contaminated waters. Water was sprayed onto beaches with hoses, volunteers used watering cans, and fishermen pumped it into the sea from their boats. The army even punctured barrels of the substance and threw them off cliffs, BBC journalists recall.

It took several years to understand that oversight of tankers needed to be institutionalized, ensuring safety controls on ships, terminals, and oil platforms, and enshrining all of this in legal standards and regulations.

Tankers in Organization
The report mentions that in the early 1970s, various anti-pollution initiatives began to emerge at the national, regional, and international levels, but with little coordination. Thanks to the OCIMF, the oil and gas industry has been able to play a stronger coordinating role in responding to these initiatives, providing its expertise through collaboration with governments and intergovernmental bodies.

The OCIMF gained consultative status with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in 1971 and continues to present findings related to the safety of the oil and gas industry at IMO meetings. Since then, the organization’s role has expanded to include many new activities.

The OCIMF’s activities now cover safety and security, primarily related to the operations of tankers, barges, support vessels, and offshore terminals. As an IMO support organization, its advisory services also cover issues such as navigation in ice and large-scale piracy. These issues were not a significant concern for the oil and gas industry when the OCIMF was established in the 1970s.

The organization’s leadership emphasizes that OCIMF is now widely recognized as a safety advocate in the oil and gas transportation industry, providing expertise on the safe and environmentally friendly transportation and handling of hydrocarbons on ships and in terminals and setting standards for continuous improvement of safety systems.

Source: “OCIMF Annual Report 2025”
SIRE 2.0 – Tankers Under Special Surveillance
“2024 is a year of significant achievements for OCIMF and the entire maritime sector. The implementation of SIRE 2.0 marks a landmark milestone in our history. This achievement reflects years of effort and collaboration, demonstrating our unwavering commitment to safety and environmental protection. By focusing on the human factor, we are not only reducing human error but also raising safety standards to further support maritime risk management,” emphasized Lambros Klaoudatos, Chairman of the Oil Companies International Marine Forum, in his foreword to the “OCIMF Annual Report 2025.”

Karen Davis, Managing Director, Oil Companies International Marine Forum, emphasized that the OCIMF Annual Report 2024 reflects a period of extraordinary work, culminating in the evolution towards SIRE 2.0, a significant milestone that signals a culture shift in the maritime industry.

The OCIMF Ship Inspection Report Programme (SIRE) was originally launched in 1993, long after the SS Torrey Canyon disaster in 1967. Since the mid-1990s, it has been determined to comprehensively address the problems posed by tanker operators who failed to meet basic safety standards. It is emphasized that this is one of OCIMF’s most important safety initiatives.

In 2005, barges and small vessels were included in the SIRE programme. This unique risk assessment tool for tankers. Ship inspections provide valuable information useful to the operations of charterers, ship operators, terminal operators, and government authorities. Ship safety. Participation in SIRE is entirely voluntary. The program has become an important source of technical and operational information for potential charterers and other users.

Source: “OCIMF Annual Report 2025”

SIRE is a database containing up-to-date information on tankers and barges carrying crude oil and other petroleum products. SIRE aims not only to inspect but also to raise industry awareness of the need to maintain safety and quality standards in the transportation of oil, gas, and other products. The program utilizes a database containing current information from ship inspections. Since its launch, over 180,000 inspection reports have been completed in SIRE.

Over the past 12 months, over 22,500 inspections have been conducted on over 8,000 ships. On average, program beneficiaries access the SIRE database at a rate of over 8,000 reports per month.

Be Effective and Implement
“The Organization implemented SIRE 2.0 without major disruption to the industry, while the Forum’s committees, expert groups, and working groups remained focused on developing and promoting best practices in design, construction, and safe maritime operations,” reports Karen Davis. She also notes that internally, they operated in line with OCIMF’s strategic objectives, ensuring smooth operation and valuable, timely results. “We explored and took action to promote a respectful, diverse, and inclusive work environment and industry. We reached out to the entire industry through OCIMF Days, engaging partners and industry members to encourage greater participation in our work worldwide,” she adds in the foreword to the OCIMF Annual Report.

She also notes that the achievements in 2024 reflect our commitment, shared purpose, and belief in our core values of “Respect, Engage, Be Effective, and Implement.” SIRE 2.0 brings greater transparency, standardization, and data-driven analysis. He emphasizes that “IRE 2.0 represents a new era of maritime risk mitigation, recognizing that crew members play a key role in the safe and efficient operation of every vessel.

A comprehensive update of the Guide for Ship-to-Ship Transfer (STS) of Crude Oil, Chemicals, and Liquefied Gases will be available this year. The publication reflects the latest best practices, regulatory changes, and technologies. The new edition will be released in 2025. The Barge Inspection Questionnaire (BIQ) has been improved and will serve as the basis for the development of the Global Barge Guide.” Once completed, the Global Barge Guide will provide best practice guidance for barge operations worldwide, fostering greater consistency, improving operational safety, and environmental sustainability.

Lambros Klaoudatos emphasizes that a focus on the future is equally important. The maritime sector is becoming increasingly complex and demanding, but OCIMF remains an important platform for collaboration, driving progress. It also demonstrates preparedness to promote core values such as health, safety, security, and environmental stewardship.

OCIMF has published important documents addressing critical safety issues in the oil and petroleum transportation industry. These include new “Guidelines for Drug and Alcohol Control in the Maritime Industry,” a document recommending the transition to closed cargo operations for inland shipping in South and Central America, “Guidelines on Best Practices for Implementing Overarching Power Limitation,” and updated “Industry Guidelines for Cybersecurity on Board Vessels.”