The Covid-19 pandemic has understandably made physical SIRE inspections very difficult, due to quarantines, travel restrictions, ports and terminals barring visitors, inspector non-availability and the risk of exposing both inspectors and crew to infection.
So, after successful trials, as a temporary measure OCIMF has brought in remote inspections, to tackle the above and so that the SIRE regime can continue.
With remote SIRE inspection in the option of the submitting company and the Programme Recipient, rather than the vessel operator, in September 2020, Synergy Navis Marine Pvt Ltd successfully carried out such inspections on two of its managed Medium Range tankers, the “HIGH LEADER” and the “HIGH NAVIGATOR”. Thus we quickly adapted and made full use of this OCIMF platform, such that the requirements of all CP chain stakeholders were met and the vessels maintained appropriate approvals in the continuing competitive market.
The submitting company decides on a case-by-case basis whether to commission a remote inspection, and the Programme Recipient decides likewise whether to accept such a report. The inspection includes exhaustive documents pertaining to all 12 VIQ chapters, all being uploaded onto the OCIMF platform, together with the vessel’s statutory and other applicable certificates in the OCIMF repository, and operator data submission questions in the VIQ editor (i.e. the number to be answered, and a brief description, again spread across all 12 VIQ chapters), and on the day of the inspection the vessel’s staff are extensively interviewed by video link. Quick compilation and prompt communication are key, as most data must be uploaded at least two days before the inspection, and the material scrutinised by the inspector is the same as for a conventional SIRE.
We are very pleased to report that both these remote SIRE inspections were carried out successfully with the help of the ships’ staff. The onboard team on both vessels did a commendable job in compiling and submitting all required data within a short time span and in satisfactorily answering the inspector’s questions in the video interview.
We would like to thank the entire staff on board these vessels for their full cooperation in carrying out these remote SIRE inspections.
About the author:
Capt. Ashutosh Manoli is a Marine Superintendent with 22 years of experience in the maritime industry, managing different types of vessels like Parcel Chemical Tankers, MR Tankers, and VLCCs. He is a problem solver and is passionate about bringing in new technological solutions in order to provide efficient service to our clients as well as managing our seafarers’ safety.
