The Oil Companies International Marine Forum (OCIMF) has established comprehensive guidelines for Mooring System Management Plans (MSMP) to enhance the safety and efficiency of mooring operations. These guidelines are a crucial component of the Mooring Equipment Guidelines, Fourth Edition (MEG4), which provide a framework for managing mooring systems from design to retirement.
The MSMP includes detailed lists of mooring equipment, inspection, maintenance, and retirement strategies, as well as risk and change management principles. It also emphasizes the safety of personnel and the importance of human factors in mooring operations.
The MSMP Register, a subset of the MSMP, along with the Line Management Plan (LMP), assists ship operators in documenting and managing their mooring equipment effectively. This guidance is further supported by the Vessel Inspection Questionnaire (VIQ7), which integrates the planning procedures into its inspection process. By adhering to these guidelines, ship designers, terminal designers, ship operators, and mooring line manufacturers can significantly improve the design, performance, and safety of mooring systems.
What is the MSMP?
The MSMP should contain the following:
- Part A – General ship particulars
- Part B – Mooring equipment design philosophy
- Part C – Detailed list of mooring equipment
- Part D – Inspection, maintenance and retirement strategies
- Part E – Risk and change management, safety of personnel, and human factors
- Part F – Records and documentation
- Part G – Mooring System Management Plan Register (MSMPR)
The MSMP should be kept on board at all time, and should be available for vetting inspection.
Impact on operation of tankers and gas carriers
All new ships should comply with the MSMP requirements. Existing ships should undertake the necessary due diligence to collect the required information and align their operating procedures with the safe mooring principles, as far as practicable. If the vessels’ management of mooring lines is not as per the policy and/or as outlined in the Line Management Plan (LMP), an observation will be recorded by the vetting company. Please refer to the updated SIRE Vessel Inspection Questionnaire (VIQ7), Ship Inspection Report, OCIMF, 17 September 2018.
MSMP is an OCIMF and not a class guideline or requirement
However, there may be cases where the new OCIMF guideline will require a breaking load of mooring lines exceeding what is or has been guided by class according to exisiting requirements.