IFSTS 2017 ? An overview of the forum

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IFSTS 2017 ? An overview of the forum

On 13^th September 2017 another IFSTS Forum was held at the sponsored premises of Clyde & Co at London. Although the content of the forum was the ?Quality Criteria on STS Service Providers ? The Tanker owners? Perspective?, the delegates grabbed the opportunity to challenge the implementation of the onlineSTS.net concept; however not the concept itself. The Forum included indeed a very lively and constructive dialogue, between the panel and the registered delegates from numerous well established STS Service providers as well as cargo traders.

DYNAMARINe would like to thank TMS Tankers for their Gold sponsorship at the event and her contribution in the panel with Capt. Apostolos Mavrides, Operations Manager of TMS and Capt. Nontas Tsipogiannis as a delegate.

The overall perspective of expected exercise of due diligence was presented by all panelists, from their viewpoint as an STS stakeholder. TMS Tankers (Capt. Apostolos Mavrides) emphasized that Tanker operators are expecting a collaboration with STS Service Providers prior to commencement of the STS operation in order to allow them to prepare their senior officers according to OCIMF guidelines and STS Plan procedures. REPSOL (Capt. Idoia Ibanez) presented the transparent process of internal policies in assessing STS locations, STS Service Providers and Mooring Masters. The SE & Vetting Manager of REPSOL stated that due diligence on the basis of a transparent process is an important issue with value to the reputation of the organization. Clyde & Co (Mr. Stephen Mackin, Partner) presented the due diligence requirements and liability on behalf of cargo owners, on the basis of C/P safe berth clause. Within this presentation, it was noted that careful pre-planning and diligent monitoring of the operation are amongst the duties of ship operators and also that the INTERTANKO STS clause provides an assurance to the tanker owner, compared to other C/P STS Clauses.

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DYNAMARINe (Dr. Stelios Perissakis and Dr. Alexandros Glykas) focused and the onlineSTS.net concept introduced to the industry as well as the proposal for introducing base line transparent criteria for the auditing/ verification of the Self-Assessment scheme as introduced by OCIMF.

The only way to ensure the quality profile of a company is an independent onsite audit. Nonetheless, it is obvious that it is practically impossible that all tanker operators will audit all STS Service providers. The approach of DYNAMARINe, through the onlineSTS.net auditing concept, is to establish a fully transparent and shared audit scheme on behalf of all its members. This approach apart from being financially feasible, it has also a number of positive side effects with respect to a healthy competition and an advanced safety culture. The main principle that governs this initiative is that the procedure will be fully transparent and open for productive dialogue from the entire industry.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all delegates for their constructive comments and we look forward meeting you at the next IFSTS-2018 on March 2018 at a date to be announced.

Should you wish to receive the draft Paper ?Setting Minimum Requirements For StS Service Providers? please contact us.

To view online the material of the forum please visit the forum web page.

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