International Association of Independent Tanker Owners

22nd October 2007

An Introduction to INTERTANKO’s Tanker Officer Training Standards(TOTS)

Executive summary.

TOTS - Tanker Officer Training Standards – is intended to provide tanker industry standards covering officer competences, onboard and shore training, “time in rank” and “time with company” and also to alleviate the problems and difficulties that tanker owners are encountering with the different “officer matrix” requirements of certain charterers.

Historical Background

A number of oil companies have put in place their“Officer Matrix” requirementbased on two elements:“time in rank” and “years with the operator”. These requirements have grown out ofthe perception that officer competence right across thetankerindustry doesnot universally meet with somecharterers’expectations.

As a result, tanker owners are increasingly finding themselvessubject to “time in rank” and “time with company”requirements which are competing andcontradictory, and which can be difficult to comply with.

INTERTANKO’s Tanker Officer Training Standards(TOTS) working group aimsto develop a coordinated response fromINTERTANKO’s members to establish a set of voluntary Tanker Officer Training Standards for INTERTANKO members, which, when complied with, will ensure tanker officers’ competence forboth oil and chemical tankers. The aim is that this would be accepted as the normof a competent tanker crew and provide an alternative way of measuring both “time in rank” and time with the company” to replacethe current measuring tools of “sea time” or “calendar years”.Such a system would provide a level of comfort to those oil companies that utilise officer matrix requirements and would ease compliance with them.

For more background on Stages 1 and 2 of the TOTS, please see Annex 1 which includes

TOTS Stage 1

TOTS: Stage 2

TOTS Pictogram

- All officer entry level core competency statutory training (Tanker Familiarisation Course)

- Dangerous cargo endorsement.

- Company based rank/ship specific onboard “record book” training .

- Company verification of “Time with Company” -shore based company technical assessment of the candidate

- Simulator based verification and training of “Time in Rank”

Capt Howard Snaith

Director: Marine Ports, Terminal & Chemical section, INTERTANKO

Annex 1

TOTS Stage 1

Stage 1 of this work is now completed and was endorsed by INTERTANKO Council at its meeting in March 2007.

The purpose of stage 1 of this work was to:

Map out and summarise the proposed TOTS system
Show how it can be builtinto what exists today
Show how it will fill the gaps that exist with regards to "experience" and how this can be improved and how alternative systems can be used as a measuring system other than the use of “time”.
Showthe overall concept and outline how it fits into TMSA and how TMSA can be used as part of the verifying process.
Indicate that the specific proposals emanating from the “Inter-Industry Group” (Human Factors Task Group), in-way of the Dangerous Cargo Endorsement proposed revisions, (albeit as a separate piece of work to TOTS), will fit togetherwith TOTS and indicate that the work of the IIG does notconflictin any way with this work or other training requirements.
The document includes a detailed written summary as well as pictograms to indicate how the system will work in practice and each stage involved.

TOTS: Stage 2

This is the detail and is outlined in the following paragraphs.

Contained in (Attachment 1)is a pictogram of the 5 main elements, and the TOTS elements involved.

It is recognised by INTERTANKO that it is important that we gain support from all parties (most importantly the oil companies) and cooperate with them to ensure we gain acceptance the TOTS system is seen as “additional” to what existstoday, will meet requirements and will provide an alternative measure to time in rank and time with company, we also believe that the incorporation of TMSA into TOTS will be the key to this process.

We have demonstratedthat TOTS can offeradditional value and will fill the experience gap which exists, and also provide a system of "verification of experience".

The verification aspects both at the training and verification levels are critical to the success of TOTS, as it is necessary that TOTS provides a system of providing and verifying experience in order that it may be accepted as an alternative to "years in rank", to this aim TOTS provides a systematic method of gaining specific experience at different levels and includesa method of verifying that experience, which also looks towards addressing the current “lack of compliance with rules and regulations” that exist today.

The Pictogram is divided into 5 sections which are explained as follows:

All officer entry level core competency statutory training (Tanker Familiarisation Course)

This is a statutory requirement the all officer entry level and basically consists of the Tanker Familiarisation Course: IMO Model Course 1.01. This then is the core competency based entry standard for an officer coming into the tanker industry.

Dangerous cargo endorsement.

This section is included in the programme for several reasons:

i/ To demonstrate where the TOTS system fits into the over all training scheme for tankers and also to clearly demonstrate that it is “not”an alternative form of DCE but is in addition to the DCE.

ii/ It is necessary to understand the work been undertaken by the IIG with regards to Dangerous Cargo Endorsements, so that it can clearly be shown that TOTS does not encroach into this area, or conflict with it.

TOTS: company based rank/ship specific onboard record book training.

3.1 TOTS

Section 3 is in essence the start of the TOTS program and where our project starts to focus its main efforts.

3.2Time in Rank Modules

There are 3 detailed “Time in Rank Modules” in this section that will be record book based;which will include various elements that need to be signed off by senior staff onboard the vessel and coordinated, controlled and verified by the company.

Command Module (Master and Chief Officer)
Senior Officer Tanker Module (Engine)
Junior Officer Tanker Module (Deck and Engine)

Areas that will be addressed will cover 3 specific tanker types:

Chemical Tankers
Product Tankers
Crude Oil Tankers

In addition to specific other tasks of a safety and environmental aspect, the training record book will be follow the individual even if he changes companies.

3.3 Time with Company Module

There is 1 generic “Time with Company Module” that is record book based which is aimed to provide guidance to companies in achieving a focussed attainment in familiarity with a companies operating systems.

This training record book will only be acceptable whilst the candidate is serving with that company, if the candidate changes companies then the candidate will have to under go a new “Time with Company” training record and verification with that new company.

3.4 Conversion Elements

There will need to be two (2) conversion elements included, so that an entry level junior officer may convert to either the “Senior Officer Module (Engine)” or the “Command Tanker Module” in due course and when he is ready. This will make conversions efficient,and avoid officers to have to re-enter the system at stage 1 when they wish to seek promotion and train to the higher level.

TOTS: company verification of “Time with Company” - shore based company technical assessment of the candidate

4.1 Verification of “Time with Company” (TMSA 3A Stage 4.0,3B Stage 3.4 & 6A Stage 4.2)

4.2 As this will be an in-house company run technical verification process (perhaps a 1-2 day assessment),that will formally assess the experience levels gained whilst completing the “Time with Company” training record book, in section 3 of the TOTS program.The TOTS scheme will be a company based system; we believe it will have more merit than a mandatory system because it will be:

i/ Voluntary

ii/ It will demonstrate commitment from the company

However, as a company based system it remains important that there is a verification process involved that will over-arch the “Time with company” elements to ensure a uniform system of implementation and application and that the system is fully implemented and robust.

We believe that by ensuring that TOTS meets the related elements sought from TMSA, (specifically TMSA section 3A Stage 4, 3B Stage 3.4, & 6A Stage 4.2), this will be beneficial for all concerned as it will ensure the same degree of attention to detail and verification by the company as with all other elements within TMSA. A self-auditing company system of verification of TOTS linked to TMSAwill therefore have an over-arching verification process, which in turn will ensure a systematic undertaking by the company to ensure TOTS is implemented as intended.

TOTS: simulator based verification and training of “Time in Rank”

5.1 At the command module level we are developing a simulator verification system (Module 5A) that will “verify” compliance at this level, this section of the scheme is an important aspect to the whole system because this will be where the training and experience gained in sections 1, 2 and 3 will be practically verified by simulator based training. If the candidate has not undertaken elements 1, 2 and 3 he should not be able to pass the simulator verification assessment in stage 5.

5.2 Module 5B, will provide simulator tanker training for all ranks (other than those covered within the Command Module)

In both module 5A and 5B we plan to segregate the simulator training and the verification into different ship types;

Crude Oil Module
Product Module
Chemical Module

5.2IMO Model Course 2.06

This is the current IMO Model simulator course “cargo and ballast handling simulators” that will be the base course building onto this will be the 3 specific tanker types elements

Tanker Officer Training System(TOTS) Page 1 of 6

Our Ref.: HS-40321/10002011 22ndOctober 2007 (Version7)

Tanker Officer Training System(TOTS) Page 1 of 6

Our Ref.: HS-40321/10002011 22ndOctober 2007 (Version7)