TMSA
Tanker Management and Self Assessment (TMSA)
The TMSA is divided into four parts
- Part One introduces this quality system initiative, explains the format of the guidelines, and describes the cycle of continuous improvement (Plan-Act-Measure-Improve).
- Part Two contains all 12 elements and their subparts, and is truly the substance of the TMSA. Each subpart contains stages of improvement progress and indicators for each of four stages.
- Part Three contains TMSA application information and references related to its content. Lastly,
- Part Four contains a glossary of related terms.
The 12 Elements
01. Management, leadership and accountability
- With strong leadership management promotes concept of safety and environmental excellence
- Management accepts responsibility for developing and dynamic safety management system to implement policy and deliver safety & environmental excellence
02. Recruitment and management of shore-based personnel
- Ensure fleet is supported by key staff who are competent to carry out full range of responsibilities and tasks
03. Recruitment and management of ships’ personnel
- Ensure all ships have competent crew ,who fully understand their roles and responsibilities and are capable of working as a team
- Through strong leadership management promotes the concept of safety and environmental excellence at all levels in an organisation
04. Reliability and maintenance standards
- Each vessel to have formal maintenance and defect reporting and optimum spare
- Testing and planned maintenance of critical system and equipment carried out per plan
- Management tracks the number of outstanding maintenance tasks to ensure that these are resolved quickly and efficiently
05. Navigational safety
- Establish and consistently apply navigational practice ,bridge procedures and deck officers training in line with regulatory frame work and company policies
06. Cargo ballasting and mooring operations
- Ship operation should establish monitor and maintain all planning and operational procedures for cargo and ballasting operations and equipments.
- Ensure these operations are effectively implemented
07. Management of change
- A change-management process is in place throughout the office and operates effectively to reduce operational risks
- A change –management process is in place throughout the fleet to assist in identifying hazards and to reduce operational risks
08. Incident investigation and analysis
- Comprehensive procedures are prepared and maintained for incident management
09. Safety management
- The company has a comprehensive and proactive approach to identification of potential hazards and the shore based management of operational risks
- The company has a comprehensive and proactive approach to the identification of potential hazards and the management of shipboard risks
10. Environmental management
- The company implements a plan for the systematic identification and assessment of all sources and atmospheric pollution
- Comprehensive environmental initiative and actions are being implemented onboard
11. Emergency preparedness and contingency planning
- To improve and test the ship operators ability to respond to manage an incident
- To improve and test the ability of ship operator to respond to an incident by holding regular and realistic emergency drills and exercises
- Corporate Crisis Management Manual (job descriptions, etc.)
12. Measurement, analysis and improvement.
- Company has a structured process for conducting ship inspection and monitor the condition ships of the fleet.
- Detailed report and closeout plans are maintained ashore.
- Process to include identifications of trends and provision for promptly closing out any deficiency identified
- The company has a structured process that allows shore based management to conduct planned and systematic audits of all shore and shipboard locations
Bit misleading in name, the Tanker Management and Self Assessment (TMSA) guide is in fact a quality management system standard. To this end, operating petrochemical tankers only in accordance with an ISM Code-defined safety management system is no longer sufficient.
Why? The TMSA takes the approach of the ISO 9001:2008 and ISO 14001:2004 Quality & Environmental Management Systems Requirements and heavily promotes continual improvement of processes through a variant of the Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle. The TMSA addresses issues beyond those required by the ISM Code.
Such issues include as examples:
- The use of performance indication (benchmarks) to measure progress approximately 250 performance indicators have been documented in this guide;
- Significant emphasis on leadership (the role of top management);
- Significant emphasis on the recruitment and maintenance of shore-based staff to including retention benchmarks; Significant emphasis on environmental policy and management – stating and pursuing objectives to reduce pollution – eventual attainment of ISO 14001 accreditation;
- A controlled management of change process;
- Formalized (documented) risk assessment programs;
- Formal navigational audits by the master; and
- Greater emphasis on feedback mechanisms, to specifically include the customer.
Important to understand, minimum compliance to all elements of the TMSA only establishes the baseline from which your company must improve.
Benefits
The TMSA quality system initiative provides several benefits to tanker operators, including:
- Key Performance Indicators – examples to incorporate as specific results to measure;
- Goals by way of Best Practices – established for each stage of implementation;
- Directly addressing leadership – one of quality management principles;
- Compelling operators to establish benchmarks and measure the results of important activities;
- Directing your organization based on factual information, the result of measurement and analysis; and
- Allowing each OCIMF member to charter from those operators who excel in safety and environmental practices.
Ignoring TMSA is done at your own commercial peril in carrying for OCIMF members. The OCIMF, affirming the purpose of the TMSA, states “there is a clear distinction between the standards of those ship operators that embrace the spirit of the ISM code and those that aim to fulfill only its minimum requirements.” An industry trade publication has referred to the TMSA as a set of voluntary guidelines. While there is nothing in the guidelines stating that all operators must meet the best practices suggested by tomorrow, there is also nothing that states that the use of these guidelines is voluntary.
A quality management principle states that organizations depend on their customers and should meet customer requirements and strive to exceed customer expectations.
How we can assist
ECM Europe is an industry firm in the development and improvement of management systems.
We review management system requirements and results, and reccomend subsequent improvement through various gap-analysis audits.
We have high qualified skilled operators for clients ahd have worked with their safety, quality and environmental management systems for many years. We can modify your management system as needed to better align it with the requirements of TMSA and provide you with an end satisfactory results.