LOSS PREVENTION BRIEFING FOR NORTH MEMBERS

GENERAL / APRIL 2012

Tanker Management Self Assessment

Contents
Contents ......................................................................... 1
Introduction .................................................................... 1
Purpose .......................................................................... 2
Wider Application ............................................................ 2
Monitoring and Improving Performance .......................... 2
Measuring a Companys Management System Status .... 3
Key Performance Indicators ............................................ 3
Elements of TMSA Guidelines ......................................... 4
Conclusion .................................................................... 10
Additional Reading ........................................................ 10

Introduction

Disclaimer
The purpose of this publication is to provide a source of information which is additional to that
available to the maritime industry from regulatory, advisory, and consultative organisations. Whilst
care is taken to ensure the accuracy of any information made available no warranty of accuracy is
given and users of that information are to be responsible for satisfying themselves that the
information is relevant and suitable for the purposes to which it is applied. In no circumstances
whatsoever shall North be liable to any person whatsoever for any loss or damage whensoever or
howsoever arising out of or in connection with the supply (including negligent supply) or use of
information.
Unless the contrary is indicated, all articles are written with reference to English Law. However it
should be noted that the content of this publication does not constitute legal advice and should
not be construed as such. Members should contact North for specific advice on particular
matters.

The introduction of the International Safety Management

(ISM) Code in July 1998 required companies to develop
and implement a safety management system (SMS) for
vessels within their fleet. This was intended to standardise
and document management processes that would assist
with the reduction of accidents on board and help to
protect the marine environment.
However, within the tanker sector inconsistencies in the
application of the Code from one company to another
soon became apparent to vessel inspectors and vetting
agents around the world. To help address this imbalance
the Oil Companies International Marine Forum (OCIMF)
introduced Tanker Management Self Assessment (TMSA).

North of England P&I Association The Quayside, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 3DU, UK
Telephone: +44 191 2325221 Facsimile: +44 191 261 0540 Email: [email protected] www.nepia.com
Copyright North of England P&I Association Limited 2012

Tanker Management Self Assessment

Purpose
To be effective, a management system needs to be much
more
than
just
procedures.
The
company
leadership/management should define the companys
values and aspirations and detail how the company
intends to achieve the objectives of their stated policies.
Management must also provide adequate resources to
ensure that the vessels are properly managed, crewed,
operated and maintained by well-trained, competent
personnel. Equipment must be properly maintained;
incidents and near misses investigated to determine root
causes so that corrective actions can be implemented.
There must also be systems in place to analyse risk to
ensure exposure to risk is considered at every level of
management.
TMSA contains all of these elements and provides a
structure to assist owners and operators assess the
effectiveness of their own safety management system with
suitable tools to measure and improve aspects identified
as weak or ineffective.
The first edition of TMSA was originally intended for
tankers of more than 500 GT subject to the requirements
of the 1974 SOLAS Convention, and therefore the ISM
Code. Four years of experience and comprehensive
feedback from the oil industry brought about the
publication of TMSA 2 in 2008 which was updated to
widen its application to all tank vessels irrespective of size.
Participating companies also benefit from improvements
to the on-line benchmarking procedures.

Wider Application

Monitoring and Improving

Performance
Benchmarking
Although ISM Code Section 12: Company verification,
review and evaluation, requires that a company has
procedures in place to ensure internal audits on safety
and pollution prevention measures comply with the safety
management system (SMS), there is little guidance on
how this should be achieved leaving the company to form
their own view on the effectiveness of their actions.
At the core of TMSA 2, is an opportunity for operators to
review their practice and compare performance on a
number of pre-determined aspects of ship operation with
other companies who have adopted the principles of
TMSA.
Benchmarking allows an operator to assess how well they
are doing using a number of key performance indicators
developed for twelve specific areas of ship management
and operation.
Self-assessment results can be posted on a password
controlled on-line data repository operated by OCIMF.
Logged assessment results can then be used to establish
a staged programme of goal setting and improvement.
Registration is required on OCIMFs website (www.ocimftmsa.com) to receive login credentials to use this facility.
Access is strictly controlled via licence subscription and
password authorisation.

Continuous improvement

The widespread success of TMSA within the tanker sector

has focussed the attention of some industry observers on
the suitability of its application to other vessel types. A
closer examination of the TMSA key performance
indicators (KPI) and best practice guidance very quickly
reinforces this view.
All twelve key elements of TMSA refer to aspects of ship
management and operational activity that should feature
in every safety management system. Members are
strongly advised to review the content of TMSA In detail
and consider using it as a good example of industry best
practice, irrespective of vessel type.

TMSA Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) help operators

drive their continuous improvement programmes. The
following paragraphs summarise the continuous
improvement cycle.

North of England P&I Association The Quayside, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 3DU, UK
Telephone: +44 191 2325221 Facsimile: +44 191 261 0540 Email: [email protected] www.nepia.com
Copyright North of England P&I Association Limited 2012

Tanker Management Self Assessment

Plan
Effective strategies require clear purpose, policies,
processes, roles and responsibilities. TMSA guidelines
give vessel operators a clear indication of related
processes and targets that will help them plan their goals.

Act
The twelve elements of TMSA 2 identify a number of key
principles of ship management practice that routinely
occur throughout the industry. In order for the
organisation to achieve their improvement objectives there
must be a consistent implementation of company plans.
Operators should communicate plans to employees and
then prioritise and target processes for improvement.
TMSA guidelines are designed to help operators apply
continuous-improvement tools and techniques. Best
practice guidance notes adjacent to each KPI identify
processes that can be used to demonstrate the company
is fulfilling this stage of development.

Measure
Chapter twelve of the ISM Code requires that companies
evaluate their safety management system and perform
internal safety audits to assess performance and
compliance with existing procedures. Safety and
environmental excellence requires processes to check
and measure the organisations progress towards
sustainable improvement.
This segment of the continuous-improvement cycle
indicates
procedural
compliance,
as
well
as
implementation and improvement efforts.

Improve
In order to improve, a company must be able to assess its
performance and identify relevant goals that will keep the
continuous improvement process evolving. The results of
this assessment can then provide the foundation for an
improvement plan that highlights areas where maximum
benefit can be achieved. The plan should be agreed by
staff and focus on long term targets and objectives that
can best benefit the operator.
This segment of the continuous improvement cycle aligns
actions with process targets and ensures that individual
improvement plans are regularly reviewed and updated.
The TMSA programme complements industry quality
codes and is intended to encourage self-regulation and

promote continuous improvement. It is also designed to

provide vessel operators with a means by which they can
demonstrate a strong commitment to safety and
environmental excellence.

Measuring a Companys
Management System
Status
The status of a companys management system is broken
down into four key stages. The twelve elements of TMSA
contain KPIs and examples of best practice for each
stage of the development process.
Stages one and two are often referred to as the lower
stages and stages three and four described as the higher
stages.
Generally, the higher stages build on the lower stages but
this is not always the case. The vessel operator may
already have addressed some of the higher stage
activities without having all the underlying stages in place.
The operator may also choose to address activities in a
different order than the stages would suggest. However, it
should be noted that the most benefit is achieved when
the stages are completed in sequence. Furthermore, if the
lower stages have not been effectively addressed,
assumptions made in completing higher stages may be
unsound. The emphasis should therefore be on
completing elements generally in the order presented.
Users will learn most and derive the most value when the
processes described in TMSA are completed by their
employees.
An example of a KPI and corresponding best
management practice is contained in each of the
paragraphs describing the twelve elements later in this
briefing.

Key Performance
Indicators
TMSA provides Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to
measure the effectiveness of quality management
systems, and progress towards achieving company goals
and legislative responsibilities.

North of England P&I Association The Quayside, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 3DU, UK
Telephone: +44 191 2325221 Facsimile: +44 191 261 0540 Email: [email protected] www.nepia.com
Copyright North of England P&I Association Limited 2012

Tanker Management Self Assessment

The company should use KPIs to identify areas of
operation that require improvement and lay down followup plans that identify the assignment of responsibility for
implementing improvements deemed necessary.
As part of the self assessment process companies
evaluate which of the four stages of process development
best reflects their current operating practice. This forms
the basis of the score submitted on the OCIMF on-line
self-assessment database and provides the benchmark
values for future goal setting and development work.
Operators are encouraged to read each of the four
developmental stages of a process and determine
whether they can readily provide evidence to demonstrate
that they meet performance criteria.
Once adopted TMSA guidelines can form part of the
companys
safety
management
system
and
comprehensively fulfil a companys obligation under
chapter twelve of the ISM Code.
A number of KPIs will be considered inappropriate for
certain types of vessel operators. These will be primarily
concerned with the size of vessel and geographical and
operational parameters.

Element 1 Management,
leadership and accountability
A statement of commitment from the company chief
executive is a fundamental foundation of any safety
management system. Element one acknowledges this fact
and outlines the responsibilities of senior managers to
provide a clear message on the future goals and
ambitions in the CEOs mission statement. This should be
supported with clear and concise documented
procedures that identify unambiguous lines of authority
and a demarcation of responsibility for everyone in the
organisation.
All employees should be provided with clear instructions
on what is expected of them. This should take the form of
a job description, agreed by the employee and
documented as understood.
Example:
Key Performance Indicator from TMSA Stage 2

These include but are not limited to:

Safety and environmental excellence are fully

understood and supported by vessel and shorebased management teams.

Inland waterway operations.

Best Practice Guidance

Unmanned craft that do not permit KPI attainment.

Incompatible management
company of limited size.

Operation limitations when emergency response is

controlled by government agencies.

The company define safety and environmental

excellence, establish communication links to
encourage information sharing and promote best
practices
across
the
fleet.
Improvement
recommendations are tracked to ensure any
necessary changes have been implemented.

structures

within

Following an audit, results can be used to drive a cycle of

continuous improvement with clearly defined goals.
Benchmark comparison can be carried out with industrial
peers using the TMSA on-line benchmark comparison
data mentioned above.

Elements of TMSA
Guidelines
Guidelines define the twelve principles of management
practice and provide a framework for operators wanting to
achieve safety and environmental excellence.

Element 2 Recruitment and

management of shore-based
personnel
A mechanism to control the assessment of competence
and certification of seafarers has to some extent been
addressed with the introduction and continued revision of
the IMO 1978 Standards of Training and Certification and
Watchkeeping (STCW) Regulations (as amended).
Element two of TMSA identifies the need for a similar
approach to the qualification and appointment of shore
based personnel.

North of England P&I Association The Quayside, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 3DU, UK
Telephone: +44 191 2325221 Facsimile: +44 191 261 0540 Email: [email protected] www.nepia.com
Copyright North of England P&I Association Limited 2012

Tanker Management Self Assessment

A formalised pre-employment process should determine
the suitability of applicants for all appointments to shoreside posts, procedures for validating certificates ashore
are equally important as those for seafarers and should
include recruitment personnel liaising with certificate
issuing authorities and the applicants previous employers.
Continuity, retention and the provision of continuous
professional development opportunities for office and ship
based staff are considered important steps in nurturing a
robust, efficient and committed work force. When staff
retention rates drop below 70% TMSA recommends a
review takes place to determine why staff turnover is an
issue.
The appointment of suitably trained individuals to key
positions within the organisation should not be undertaken
lightly. Selection processes should be clearly documented
and appraisal procedures should include suitable
supplementary training opportunities to encourage the
development of individuals within the organisation.
Example:
Key Performance Indicator from TMSA Stage 4
Senior on-board personnel are rotated through office
assignments.
Best Practice Guidance
Rotation improves on-board understanding of the
wider aspects within the shipping business and
improves understanding of marine operations for nonmariner shore personnel.
Personnel records should include a training portfolio for
each member of staff, this can be used to ensure
technical staff are kept up to date on recent developments
within the industry and record the training undertaken by
members of staff.

Element 3 Recruitment and

management of vessel personnel
The competence and motivation of a ships crew have
consistently been identified as critical factors in ensuring
the safe and efficient operation of any vessel. Prerecruitment checks by the employer need to determine
the authenticity of an applicants certificates and previous
relevant experience. Pre-employment medical screening
of crew members such as those offered by the

Association have been shown to reduce significantly claim

costs associated with medical and repatriation expenses.
Regular crew appraisal procedures adopted by an
employer will help identify those individuals who work well
as team and can be used to ensure crew members are
provided with a programme of continuous professional
development suitable for the individuals and company
objectives. Individual training programmes can then be
utilised to support crew weaknesses identified during
appraisals and encourage ambitious staff to progress
within the company and improve levels of staff continuity.
In situations where a manning agent is used, annual audits
of agent premises should be carried out to ensure
company procedures are reflected in operating practices.
Element 3 contains detailed advice on the types of
procedures that will ensure the integration of suitable best
management practices to support and develop a
companys vessel crewing policy.
Example:
Key Performance Indicator from TMSA Stage 3
The company organises senior officer seminars to
promote, emphasise, and enhance the companys
safety management system.
Best Practice Guidance
The company holds shore based seminars for senior
officers at least every two years.

Element 4 Reliability and

maintenance standards
North of England recognises the contribution well
maintained ships make to the safe and efficient transport
of goods from one port to another. The outcome of
vetting and port state inspections can have a significant
impact on the efficiency and costs of vessel operation.
Operators are required by the ISM Code to establish and
maintain procedures that identify mechanical, electrical
and other items of equipment that, in the event of failure,
may result in a hazardous situation. This critical
equipment will include main propulsion systems, steering
gear and cargo handling equipment.
Efficient planned maintenance systems that incorporate
defect reporting and close-out procedures will assist with

North of England P&I Association The Quayside, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 3DU, UK
Telephone: +44 191 2325221 Facsimile: +44 191 261 0540 Email: [email protected] www.nepia.com
Copyright North of England P&I Association Limited 2012

Tanker Management Self Assessment

maintaining a vessels classification status and ensure that
a suitable range of spares are available in a timely manner
for the completion of planned work activity on board.
Effective systems require a close working relationship
between a vessels chief engineer and the fleet technical
superintendant.
Regular
vessel
inspections
by
superintendants combined with a common computer
based planned maintenance programme improve this
relationship and enable both parties to work towards the
completion of equipment manufacturers recommended
maintenance practices.
The International Association of Classification Societies
(IACS), publication A guide to Managing Maintenance in
accordance with the requirements of the ISM Code is a
useful guide for planning and implementing an effective
maintenance management system.
Example:
Key Performance Indicator from TMSA Stage 3
A common, computer-based maintenance system on
board each vessel records all planned maintenance.
Best Practice Guidance
The maintenance and defect reporting system is held
on computer for a better overview and easier editing.
This only includes reference to the manufacturers job
description, not the instructions.

Element 5 Navigational safety

Although the master is ultimately responsible for the safe
navigation of the vessel, the company are obliged to
establish and maintain navigational procedures that
ensure the safety of the vessel. These are likely to reflect
the content of publications such as the International
Chamber of Shipping publication Bridge Procedures
Guide, and ensure that a combination of navigational
techniques appropriate to the circumstances of the
voyage, are implemented fully. Best practice advice on
these procedures includes employing the services of third
party chart agent to monitor and support vessel chart
catalogues.
Electronic chart use should be supported by
comprehensive officer training and chart correction
software.

Regular reviews of on-board compliance with navigational

plans should be performed by the master and crosschecked by the shore-based management team at
frequent intervals.
The effectiveness of bridge management teams should be
included in crew reviews in order that additional training
needs can be addressed satisfying TMSA element three.
Example:
Key Performance Indicator from TMSA Stage 3
Vessel
operators
provide
bridge
resource
management training courses for all deck officers.
These courses follow a set format.
Best Practice Guidance
Trainers are suitably qualified. Refresher training is
conducted wherever needs are identified. Staff
training records are documented.

Element 6 Cargo, ballast and

mooring operations
The structural safety of the vessel depends upon detailed
planning of coordinated cargo and ballast operations.
Stress, draught and trim must be regularly checked
throughout cargo loading and discharge to ensure loading
plans are being followed. Industry guidelines that include
IMO publications, IBC Code, IMSBC Code, BLU Code,
BLU Manual, CSS Code, and ICS publication ISGOTT, are
among best practice guidelines that should be
incorporated into all relevant cargo operations.
Loading computers should be regularly assessed against
class approved criteria to ensure operational accuracy
and records are maintained. Frequency of testing should
be included in the vessel management documentation.
Crew members should receive suitable training prior to
being placed in charge of cargo and ballasting operations,
this may include the use of computer based training
software as part of shore based supplementary training
courses.
Personal injury accidents that occur during mooring
operations are often exacerbated by poor working
practices and a lack of a proactive safety culture on
board. Crew familiarisation training and the supervision of
mooring operations should emphasize the importance of
avoiding snap back zones and a thorough briefing of

North of England P&I Association The Quayside, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 3DU, UK
Telephone: +44 191 2325221 Facsimile: +44 191 261 0540 Email: [email protected] www.nepia.com
Copyright North of England P&I Association Limited 2012

Tanker Management Self Assessment

mooring equipment operation. OCIMF Guidelines and the
UK MCA publication Code of Safe Working Practice for
Merchant Seamen (COSWP), Chapter 25 Anchoring,
mooring and towing operations - contain detailed
guidelines on operational best practice.
Planned maintenance programmes should include an
assessment of the suitability of all mooring equipment and
incorporate winch brake testing and the number of spare
mooring ropes and wires should reflect the trading pattern
of the vessel.
North of Englands loss prevention briefing Wire Ropes
and Their Uses includes information on inspection,
discard criteria and maintenance requirements of a
number of different types of wire carried on board
including mooring wires.
Example:
Key Performance Indicator from TMSA Stage 3
There is a documented system in place to ensure that
junior officers/relevant vessel staff are actively involved
in cargo planning and the execution of cargo and
ballast operations.
Best Practice Guidance
Appraisal reports verify regular participation in support
of the officers training and development process.

Element 7 Management of
change
Change of any description within an organisation or on
board a ship introduces the possibility of additional risk.
An evaluation of the impact change may have on
operational matters and procedural tasks will assist in
identifying which aspects of the company will be affected
most, this will also determine who should be responsible
for managing the change and whether there may be
preparatory work required to re-train or issue new
equipment to those affected. Suitable risk assessment will
then be necessary to control the implementation of this
process. COSWP Chapter 1 - Risk Assessment - provides
detailed instructions on how this should be carried out.
Technical changes may also require the provision of
revised drawings, equipment, operational and technical
maintenance manuals in order to maintain a detailed
documented history of a vessel and provide crew

members with the information they require to operate and

maintain the vessel in a safe manner.
Change therefore requires a documented process to
ensure every aspect of the change process has been
addressed; this may well sit comfortably within the
companys safety management system.
Objectives identified at the time of introducing change
need to be assessed to determine their effectiveness.
TMSA Element 7 recommends that this should take place
on an annual basis and may form part of the
organisations twelve monthly review of their safety
management system.
Example:
Key Performance Indicator from TMSA Stage 2
The system ensures that the documentation
supporting a change includes the reason for the
change, a clear understanding of the safety and
environmental implications, and the appropriate level
of approval.
Best Practice Guidance
The company has a document process that ensures
authorisation for any change is approved by senior
vessel management/responsible person and not by
the person directly involved in the change. The
document includes reference to appropriate safety
and environmental issues.

Element 8 Incident investigation

and analysis
Accident prevention requires a careful and thorough
analysis of incidents to ensure that contributing factors
can be avoided in the future. This requires a consistent
approach by the organisation to accident reporting,
investigation and analysis in order that lessons learned
may be communicated to other vessels and departments.
Element 8 highlights the importance of crew members
involved in accident investigation receiving suitable training
and support from the company and third party subject
specialists.
Training programmes should include suitable refresher
training and this should form part of the individuals
personal training programme.

North of England P&I Association The Quayside, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 3DU, UK
Telephone: +44 191 2325221 Facsimile: +44 191 261 0540 Email: [email protected] www.nepia.com
Copyright North of England P&I Association Limited 2012

Tanker Management Self Assessment

Company reflection and review practices must ensure that
incident information and analysis findings are promulgated
efficiently to the other vessels within the fleet and details
are discussed with crew members during safety
committee meetings and onboard training drills.
Example:

Example:
Key Performance Indicator from TMSA Stage 3
Appropriate company representatives make extended
visits to all vessels within the fleet to confirm safety
standards and ensure that safety training programmes
are effectively implemented

Key Performance Indicator from TMSA Stage 2

Best Practice Guidance
External training in incident investigation techniques,
including root-cause analysis, is given to at least one
of the shore-based management teams.
Best Practice Guidance
The company uses classification societies/ contracting
companies to provide specific courses in incident
investigation. Knowledge from the training courses
may then be used to train other shore and vessel
personnel.

Element 9 Safety management

TMSA came about following inconsistencies in the
development of individual safety management systems
and apathy in their application. TMSA principles are
intended to enhance the implementation of the spirit of the
ISM Code and the adoption of a proactive safety culture
on board.
Monitoring the implementation of safety management
systems requires a document review by shore based
managers of working practices carried out on board.
Completed risk assessments should be reviewed by
technically competent company representatives, common
risk assessments introduced throughout the fleet and near
miss reporting adopted to promote the safety culture on
board.
Best practices include supplementing minimum STCW
safety training with personalised training relevant to the
role of individual crew members on board. Senior officers
and visiting shore managers should lead by example in the
use of appropriate personal protective equipment.

Company representatives (possessing sufficient

marine technical knowledge and background to
properly evaluate and advise vessel personnel) should
try to make a short voyage on the vessel at least
annually, and should observe and advise the company
of any required safety improvements and corrective
actions.

Element 10 Environmental
management
Fundamental to effective environmental practice is the
systematic identification and assessment of sources of
marine and atmospheric pollution, reduction and safe
disposal of potentially damaging residual waste. There
should be reporting procedures for pollution and near
miss incidents and contingency planning for potentially
hazardous incidents.
Reference in company protocols to the requirements of
MARPOL Annexes and/or national and regional limitations
should be supported by regular reviews of action
necessary to ensure present and future compliance. An
environmental action plan accredited for an international
standard such as ISO 14001 should be reviewed annually
and updated on a regular basis with company
performance monitored quarterly and benchmarked
across the fleet.
Environmentally critical equipment should be identified in
planned maintenance procedures to ensure operational
performance and the carriage of suitable spares is
maintained.
Company practices should be future-proof with
procedures introduced to accommodate pending
legislative changes and environmental waste reduction.
Non-conformities should be
company auditing process.

North of England P&I Association The Quayside, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 3DU, UK
Telephone: +44 191 2325221 Facsimile: +44 191 261 0540 Email: [email protected] www.nepia.com
Copyright North of England P&I Association Limited 2012

addressed

within

the

Tanker Management Self Assessment

Example
Key Performance Indicator from TMSA Stage 4
Environmental performance is benchmarked across
the fleet and against the oil/marine industry as a
whole.
Best Practice Guidance
Performance is monitored at least once per quarter
within the company and annually across the industry.

Element 11 Emergency
preparedness and contingency
planning
An effective response to on board emergency situations
has been encouraged for many years within merchant
shipping legislation requiring ships crews to participate in
training exercises on board. This was promoted further in
ISM Section 8 Emergency preparedness.
Stopping short of identifying individual scenarios that
should addressed on board, this legislation requires
companies to develop a programme of drills and a shore
based response team to participate in structured training
activity.
Element 11 of TMSA expands on these requirements and
identifies the need for media training and security
management arrangements to be considered by the
company.
Plans for incident management must account for the
twenty four hour operational practices of most companies
and provide shore based emergency response personnel
with the resources they need to manage an incident.
Contact details for relevant members of staff and third
party salvage and towing specialists should be available to
the person in charge to ensure suitable levels of cover are
provided in the event of an emergency developing.
Designated members of the team should receive media
training to ensure the control of information passed to the
press and a relationship established with media
professionals to support company staff.
Scenario planning on board should ensure that training
exercises are credible, realistic and involve the shore

based support team. Timing of exercises should include

the testing of procedures outside the normal working
hours of the office personnel.
Exercises should reflect the nature of vessel and fleet
operation and should be recorded on a company matrix.
Example:
Key Performance Indicator from TMSA Stage 2
Lessons learnt from exercises and actual incidents are
incorporated into the emergency response plans
when they are updated.
Best Practice Guidance
The company records lessons learnt, subsequent
improvements, corrective actions and resolution. In
some jurisdictions, local authorities may take over the
management of the response and may stipulate the
response plan and define associated training
requirements.

Element 12 Measurement,
analysis and improvement
Perhaps the most important feature of any effective safety
management system is the dynamic nature of its
implementation. TMSA refers to this as a living process at
the core of the business.
Operators must strive to ensure their system manuals do
not sit on the shelves gathering dust; they should be used
as a tool in the daily operation of the processes and
procedures they refer to.
The effectiveness of that tool must be reviewed and
assessed on a regular basis to make sure that it
accurately reflects the nature of the work in hand and has
not become outdated and irrelevant.
Vessel inspections, checks on legislative compliance by
ships crews, and a review of actions closed out following
audit will all give an indication of how well the system is
performing.
A fleet standard format of inspection that satisfies the
requirements of industry best practice guidelines should
be used for internal audits performed on all vessels and
shore support offices associated with the system.

North of England P&I Association The Quayside, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 3DU, UK
Telephone: +44 191 2325221 Facsimile: +44 191 261 0540 Email: [email protected] www.nepia.com
Copyright North of England P&I Association Limited 2012

Tanker Management Self Assessment

Staff members with responsibility for performing audits
should be suitably experienced and given formal auditor
training, a record of audits performed should be held for
future reference by management and numbers of audits
performed in keeping with those planned monitored.
The effectiveness and status of corrective actions
recommended in previous audits need to be assessed as
part of this process and systems should include a
documented process that can be used for this purpose.
An analysis of inspection results and the operators ability
to satisfy ISM requirements as well as regulatory and
legislative amendments should form part of a
management review.
Example:
Key Performance Indicator from TMSA Stage 3
The company analyses its inspection results and
compares them with data from third-party inspections
(such as the SIRE, CDI or EBIS systems) and makes
comparisons between vessels within the fleet,
particularly with any vessels built to a similar design
and specification.
Best Practice Guidance
The company regularly compares its own inspection
results with the results of inspections conducted by
third parties. Where there are consistent anomalies,
the company reviews and improves its vessel
inspection process. The company also compares
inspection results within its own fleet and between its
vessel inspectors. The company uses these
comparisons to monitor/improve fleet inspection
standards.

practice and procedures that enable an operator to

assess their own safety management system and
benchmark their progress through four key stages of
process development.
Used to provide a more qualitative determination of the
effectiveness of safety management, the TMSA web
based data repository allows users to upload their
performance rating and control the release of information
to other subscribers.
Implementing a comprehensive and effective safety
management system is a significant challenge on its own.
Maintaining it as a living document at the core of
operational practice makes that challenge all the more
difficult. Using TMSA as part of a consolidated approach
to this task has been shown to succeed, providing a safer
environment for those on board and reducing risk to the
environment.

Additional Reading
IMO publications
Code of Safe Practice for Cargo Stowage and Securing
(CSS) Code
International Bulk Chemicals (IBC) Code
International Code for the Construction and Equipment of
Ships carrying Liquefied Gases (IGC) Code
International Maritime Solid Bulk Cargoes (IMSBC) Code
International Safety Management (ISM) Code
Standards of Training Certification and Watchkeeping,
(STCW), as amended.

UK MCA publications

Conclusion
Although intended in the first instance as a best practice
guide for the tanker industry, TMSA has enormous
potential for other operators to use to improve safety
management by identifying key performance indicators
and examples of best practice equally applicable to other
vessel types.
Using the International Safety Management (ISM) Code as
its foundation, TMSA incorporates existing industry
guidelines supported by practical examples of best

Code of Safe Working Practices for Merchant Seamen

(COSWP)

ICS publications
Bridge Procedures Guide
Guidelines on the application of the ISM Code
Safe Transport of Containers by Sea
Shipping and the Environment
Tanker Safety Guide

North of England P&I Association The Quayside, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 3DU, UK
Telephone: +44 191 2325221 Facsimile: +44 191 261 0540 Email: [email protected] www.nepia.com
Copyright North of England P&I Association Limited 2012

10