OCIMF Newsletter: SIRE 2.0, Seafarer Welfare, OTC Booth

Director’s Message Highlights Seafarer Welfare Amid Regional Challenges

According to OCIMF’s newsletter, Director Karen Davis opened this month’s update by addressing significant challenges affecting parts of the Middle East. She noted that OCIMF committees and members have worked collectively to understand how ongoing regional difficulties affect the organisation’s guidance and programmes, with several members continuing to join meetings virtually despite difficult local circumstances.

Davis emphasized the wellbeing of seafarers, both aboard vessels and supporting offshore operations, many of whom are working under heightened uncertainty and strain. OCIMF said it is engaging through channels including the International Maritime Organization to ensure seafarers’ experiences are understood. The newsletter pointed to resources listed in BMP-MS Annex B and highlighted the International Seafarers’ Welfare and Assistance Network, including its Coping with Conflict guidance and the SeafarerHelp helpline, reachable via WhatsApp.

Vietnam Engagement Focuses on SIRE 2.0 and OVID

OCIMF representatives Dave Cudbertson and Sashidaran Gopala met with PetroVietnam Maintenance and Repair Corporation in Ho Chi Minh City on 3 March to discuss the SIRE 2.0 programme and the OVID framework. The newsletter noted that more than 24,000 SIRE reports were issued in 2025, with contingency reports remaining below 0.5 percent. Discussions covered common inspection observations and their practical implications for operators and inspectors. The pair also met OCIMF members Misc Maritime Services in Kuala Lumpur and PTT in Bangkok during the same trip.

Committee Meeting Advances Publications Priorities

The Publications and Advocacy Tankers, Barges and Terminal Interfaces Committee held its 12th meeting in Houston on 17–18 March, hosted by P66, covering plans to revise flagship publications including the Mooring Equipment Guidelines and Tanker Management and Self-Assessment guidance. Chris Mann of bp Shipping was approved as a second Vice-Chair.

Apeks view — The operational detail worth noting is the SIRE 2.0 volume: over 24,000 reports issued in 2025 with contingency reports under 0.5 percent, a sign the inspection regime is generating consistent, comparable data at scale. For owners and managers, that consistency is the real value — structured, repeatable evidence supports better fleet decisions than isolated inspection snapshots. Programme reviews like OVID’s User Forums and publication updates matter most when they keep that evidence base rigorous and useful to human reviewers, not just voluminous.