This year, the event is sponsored by TMS Tankers.
The panel of experts, including Capt A Mavridis, operations manager of TMS Tankers; Capt Idola Ibanez, SE and vetting manager of Repsol; Capt David Brant, senior mooring master at Mariflex, Dr Stelios Perissakis and Dr Alexandros Glykas of DYNAMARINe and Stephen Mackin, partner, Clyde & Co, will be addressing the quality of STS service providers in accordance to best industry practices.
These companies should conform to requirements as outlined by OCIMF and IMO to effectively provide safety related services to ships involved in STS transfer operations. Transparency, associated with service providers’ compliance and procedural structure will be presented and discussed at the forum.
The scope of the seminar is to establish a rigid conceptual groundwork for an audit scheme for STS transfer organisations. Currently, the service providers audit is only undertaken by oil companies and traders, as part of an internal procedure or charter party compliance.
Lack of transparency neither helps an improved safety culture nor fair competition amongst STS organisations. The assessment criteria should be transparent and known to the tanker operators involved, who bare the upmost responsibility in conducting these operations safely, the organiser, DYNAMARINe said.
Transparency is the key for assisting an improved safety culture, which is in the tanker operator’s direct interest, the organiser said. In addition, transparency will consequently improve the sustainability of these operations, which is to the benefit of all stakeholders, regardless in which region they operate.