OCIMF — the Oil Companies International Marine Forum — represents 111 oil company members and holds consultancy status at the International Maritime Organization, making it the primary standards authority for marine transportation and terminal interface safety across the global oil and gas supply chain. Its SIRE programme (Ship Inspection Report Programme) functions as the de facto vetting standard used by charterers, terminal operators, and port state authorities worldwide.
Origins: The Torrey Canyon and the Birth of OCIMF
The Torrey Canyon disaster of March 1967 — the first major oil tanker grounding to generate sustained public alarm about marine pollution — exposed the absence of any coordinated industry safety framework. The vessel spilled approximately 119,000 tonnes of crude oil off Cornwall, triggering emergency government responses across the UK and France and forcing the oil industry to confront its liability in marine incidents.
Three years later, in April 1970, OCIMF was formally established as a voluntary association of oil companies with a mandate to promote safe and environmentally responsible transportation of crude oil, oil products, petrochemicals and gas. What began as a post-incident industry response has since grown into a body whose standards underpin tanker vetting, terminal safety, and offshore marine operations globally.
What OCIMF Does
OCIMF operates as a voluntary association, not a regulator — but its commercial reach gives its standards binding force in practice. OCIMF describes its vision as “a global marine industry that causes no harm to people or the environment” and its mission as leading the industry in promoting safe and environmentally responsible transportation of crude oil, oil products, petrochemicals and gas.
The organisation’s scope covers vessel transportation, inshore and offshore terminal interfaces, and offshore marine operations including vessels operating within the 500-metre exclusion zone of offshore facilities. Its focus areas span health, safety, security, and environment (HSSE). Its publications library — covering tanker operations, terminal safety, mooring, and offshore procedures — is the working reference material for terminal operators and vessel operators globally.
The SIRE, OVID and TMSA Programmes
The SIRE programme (Ship Inspection Report Programme) is OCIMF’s highest-impact operational tool. It provides a shared database of vessel inspection reports used by charterers, oil companies, port state control authorities, and terminal operators when vetting tankers for hire or port entry. A vessel without a current SIRE report faces significant commercial friction — oil majors routinely require SIRE compliance before fixture.
The OVID programme (Offshore Vessel Inspection Database) extends the inspection framework to offshore support vessels operating near offshore facilities. Where SIRE covers crude and product tankers, OVID covers platform supply vessels, anchor handlers, and similar assets within the offshore exclusion zone.
The TMSA programme (Tanker Management Self Assessment) is a management system benchmarking tool for tanker operators. It provides a structured self-assessment framework across 12 key performance areas including navigation, cargo, and emergency response. While voluntary in name, TMSA compliance is effectively required by oil majors when qualifying tanker operators for their supply chains — a non-compliant operator faces commercial exclusion rather than regulatory sanction.
OCIMF and Terminal Operations
OCIMF’s relevance extends well beyond shipping into tank inspection companies and terminal operations directly. Its terminal interface standards govern ship-to-shore connections, mooring configurations, and loading arm operations — the physical and procedural interfaces between vessels and storage facilities that represent the highest-risk moments in bulk liquid logistics.
The organisation’s mooring guidelines (MEG4 — Mooring Equipment Guidelines, 4th edition) establish the equipment, calculation, and inspection standards for mooring systems at terminals handling crude, products, and LNG. ISGOTT (the International Safety Guide for Oil Tankers and Terminals), jointly published with the International Chamber of Shipping and the International Association of Ports and Harbours, provides the operational procedures manual used by terminal operators and vessel masters at every major bulk liquid terminal globally.
For terminal operators, OCIMF standards are not optional reading. They define the procedures governing tanker berth operations, vapour emission controls, ship-shore safety checklists, and emergency response coordination — areas where Steel Tank Institute standards govern onshore tank integrity, and OCIMF standards govern the vessel and terminal interface.
Governance and Membership
OCIMF’s 111 members include every major international oil company. Day-to-day governance runs through the Secretariat and an Executive Committee (ExCom) capped at 15 members plus a Chair and Vice Chairs. Current ExCom Chair is Lambros Klaoudatos (BP); Vice Chairs are Waddah Ghanem (ENOC) and Barbara Pickering (Chevron).
ExCom member companies currently include Saudi Aramco, ConocoPhillips, Equinor, TotalEnergies, Shell, Petrobras, Marathon Petroleum, along with International Maritime Technologies (IMT) and PIMA. These appointments rotate — the list reflects current positions rather than permanent seats.
Below the ExCom, OCIMF operates through three Principal Committees addressing strategic priorities, four Functional Committees covering legal, human factors, environment, and maritime security, Expert Groups and Working Groups producing specific publications, and Communities of Practice (CoPs) providing virtual knowledge-sharing across the membership. Chemical tanker operators such as Stolt-Nielsen, whose fleets are subject to SIRE vetting, participate in OCIMF’s CoP framework alongside crude and product tanker operators.
OCIMF in 2026
Energy transition pressures are reshaping OCIMF’s work programme. LNG, ammonia, and methanol are entering active use as marine fuels, each introducing new terminal interface requirements — bunkering operations, vapour handling, material compatibility — that require updated guidance beyond the crude and products framework OCIMF was built around. The organisation’s Functional Committees are actively developing standards for these new commodity flows.
SIRE 2.0, an updated inspection framework incorporating digital reporting and expanded question sets, has been rolled out across the SIRE programme. Terminal operators should verify current SIRE 2.0 requirements from the OCIMF website when assessing vessel compliance for berth operations.
Organisation Snapshot
| Founded | April 1970 |
|---|---|
| Trigger event | Torrey Canyon oil spill, March 1967 |
| Members | 111 oil companies |
| IMO status | Consultancy status at the International Maritime Organization |
| Headquarters | London, UK |
| Core programmes | SIRE, OVID, TMSA |
| Scope | Marine transportation, terminal interfaces (inshore, onshore, offshore), offshore marine operations |
| Vision | A global marine industry that causes no harm to people or the environment |
Full programme documentation and the SIRE vessel inspection database are available via the OCIMF website.
What is OCIMF and what does it do?
OCIMF (Oil Companies International Marine Forum) is a voluntary association of 111 oil companies that develops safety and environmental standards for marine transportation of crude oil, oil products, petrochemicals and gas. It holds consultancy status at the IMO and operates the SIRE, OVID and TMSA programmes used across global tanker and terminal operations.
When was OCIMF founded and why?
OCIMF was founded in April 1970, three years after the Torrey Canyon tanker disaster of March 1967 — the first major oil spill to generate widespread public concern about marine pollution. The incident exposed the absence of any coordinated industry safety framework and prompted the oil majors to establish a voluntary standards body.
What is the OCIMF SIRE programme?
SIRE (Ship Inspection Report Programme) is a shared database of vessel inspection reports used by charterers, oil companies, terminal operators and port state authorities when vetting tankers. Oil majors typically require a current SIRE report before fixture, making SIRE compliance effectively mandatory for tanker operators seeking contracts with the major oil companies. OCIMF launched SIRE 2.0, an updated digital version of the programme, to expand the inspection framework.
How does OCIMF affect tank terminal operators?
OCIMF standards govern the ship-to-shore interface at bulk liquid terminals — mooring systems, loading arm operations, vapour emission controls, and ship-shore safety checklists. Its MEG4 mooring guidelines and the jointly published ISGOTT (International Safety Guide for Oil Tankers and Terminals) are the primary operational references for terminal managers handling tanker berth operations.
Which companies are members of OCIMF?
OCIMF’s 111 members include all major international oil companies. The current Executive Committee includes representatives from BP, Chevron, Shell, TotalEnergies, Saudi Aramco, Equinor, ConocoPhillips, Petrobras, Marathon Petroleum, ENOC, and others. ExCom membership rotates annually at the AGM.