Oil Companies International Marine Forum (OCIMF) is a voluntary association of

oil An oil is any nonpolar chemical substance that is composed primarily of hydrocarbons and is hydrophobic (does not mix with water) & lipophilic (mixes with other oils). Oils are usually flammable and surface active. Most oils are unsaturated ...

companies having an interest in the shipment and terminalling of crude oil, oil products, petrochemicals and gas, and includes companies engaged in offshore marine operations supporting oil and gas exploration, development and production. OCIMF's aim is to ensure that the global marine industry causes no harm to people or the environment. OCIMF's mission is lead the global marine industry in the promotion of safe and environmentally responsible transportation of crude oil, oil products, petrochemicals and gas, and to drive the same values in the management of related offshore marine operations. This is to be done by developing best practices in the design, construction and safe operation of tankers, barges and offshore vessels and their interfaces with terminals and considering human factors in everything done.

History

OCIMF was formed at a meeting in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

on 8 April 1970. It was initially the

oil industry The petroleum industry, also known as the oil industry or the oil patch, includes the global processes of exploration, extraction, refining, transportation (often by oil tankers and pipelines), and marketing of petroleum products. The larges ...

's response to increasing public awareness of

marine pollution Marine pollution occurs when substances used or spread by humans, such as industrial, agricultural and residential waste, particles, noise, excess carbon dioxide or invasive organisms enter the ocean and cause harmful effects there. The major ...

, particularly by oil, after the

Torrey Canyon SS ''Torrey Canyon'' was an LR2 Suezmax class oil tanker with a cargo capacity of of crude oil. She ran aground off the western coast of Cornwall, United Kingdom, on 18 March 1967, causing an environmental disaster. At that time she was the ...

incident.e Governments had reacted to this incident by debating the development of international conventions and national legislation and the

sought to play its part by making its professional expertise available and its views known to governmental and inter-governmental bodies. The role of OCIMF has broadened over the intervening period. Most recently the organisation has contributed to the EU discussion on tanker safety and the draft EU Directive on Environmental Liability, and has provided support to the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are located primarily in Europe, Europe. The union has a total area of ...

(EU) and the

International Maritime Organization The International Maritime Organization (IMO, French: ''Organisation maritime internationale'') is a specialised agency of the United Nations responsible for regulating shipping. The IMO was established following agreement at a UN conference ...

(IMO) debate on the accelerated phasing out of single-hull tankers and on the carriage of heavy grades of oil. OCIMF was incorporated in

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in 1977 and a branch office was established in London primarily to maintain contact with the IMO.

Organisation

OCIMF has 110 members. OCIMF’s committee structure comprises the Executive Committee at its head and four senior standing committees with the power to establish sub-committees or forums as necessary. The Executive Committee is the senior policymaking Committee of OCIMF. The membership of the Executive Committee is limited to a maximum of 15 members plus the Chairman and Vice Chairmen who are ex officio members. Members of the Executive Committee are elected at the Annual General Meeting. Present chairman is Mark Ross from Chevron Shipping Company. A full-time Director, currently Rob Drysdale from ExxonMobil, is in charge of a small permanent Secretariat located in London. This Secretariat comprises full-time employees and technical staff seconded from member companies. The work of OCIMF is carried out through four main Committees General Purposes Committee (GPC), Ports and Terminals Committee, Offshore Marine Committee and the Legal Committee. Sub-Committees, Forums, work groups and task forces composed of members' representatives and assisted by the Secretariat.

Publications

OCIMF produces industry guidance for

oil tankers An oil tanker, also known as a petroleum tanker, is a ship designed for the bulk transport of oil or its products. There are two basic types of oil tankers: crude tankers and product tankers. Crude tankers move large quantities of unrefined cr ...

and oil terminals, including the leading industry title 'International Safety Guide for Tankers and Terminals' (the 6th edition was published in 2020). The OCIMF along with the Society of International Gas Tanker and Terminal Operators (SIGTTO) developed the Jetty Maintenance and Inspection Guide (JMIG) to provide guidelines for effective maintenance on oil and liquified gas terminal jetty equipment.

References

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External links

Official website
Tanker shipping companies Petroleum industry Energy business associations