Optimization of safe terminal operation

Demand for energy is increasing every day all around the world. Huge amount of energy sources are transported from countries that have origins to demanding countries. The most common method for this transportation is carried out via ships. Most of energy sources are flammable, explosive and dangerous for health. That's why safety measures should be taken during transportation and loading-discharging operations. Especially, tanker-termianal operations which may be fatal and cause a disaster If safety measures don't taken. For this reason, it is appropriate that attention should be concentrated on the port facilities and the activities of ship and shore employees involved in cargo operations. Developed countries construct and manage safe terminals on their countries by sizeable investments. And they inspect the tankers coming to their terminals properly, so they minimize risk of dangerous goods that are transported via ships. On the other hand, most of undeveloped countries which are origins of energy sources can't construct safe terminals and they can't provide safe operations at their terminals due to lack of education, lack of safety awareness and lack of investments and technologies about safety. Countries like the US, Netherlands, England, Germany are unconcerned about tanker-terminal operations of undeveloped countries. They take care of their own demands about dangerous goods and their safe operations. In such a way that, developed countries are aware of dangers of petroleum and chemical products. That's why they make provision for safety. They build safe tanker terminals with all safety and technological equipments for their own countries. Well educated and qualifed crew are employed at tanker terminals. Before a tanker arrives to their terminal, she is inspected by safety inspector and accepted for operation at their terminal only if she meets all safety standarts. On the other hand, ship owners generally think profitability of a voyage and don't care about safety of terminals that their ships have operations at. For this reason, Ship owners may prefer undeveloped countries for loading operations because cost of these ports are lower than others. The differences about port costs derive from inadequate initial investment to the terminal and minimum expense for management and safety. In this study, internatioanl safety standarts for tankers and terminals are defined and explained firstly. Then, Marine Terminal Information System that was established in October 2011 by OCIMF( Oil Companies International Marine Forum) is defined and explained. And then, the results of the questionnaire analyzed thoroughly by using SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) programme. At last, analyses and suggestions are stated. Marine Terminal Information System aims to enable safety standarts for tanker-terminal operations all around the world. And also, aims to prevent marine pollution by sea. Over the past 3 years, OCIMF has developed the MTIS system with the aim of filling the gaps that exist in the international standards for terminals and also that would complement the similar work already being done by OCIMF and its members to improve ship safety and environmental protection. Specifically, the consolidated system embraces Marine Terminal Particulars Questionnaire (MTPQ), Marine Terminal Management and Self-Assessment (MTMSA) Marine Terminal Operator Competence & Training (MTOCT). The Marine Terminal Operator Competencies and Training (MTOCT) aims to identify key competences and knowledge requirements, together with appropriate verification processes, to help members develop or commission their own terminal operator training programmes to ensure that personnel working on the ship/shore interface have the required skills and competence. OCIMF spent three years reviewing and updating OCIMF Marine Terminal Training and Competence Assessment Guidelines and the Society of International Gas Tanker and Terminal Operators (SIGTTO) Suggested Competence Standards, to create the MTOCT manual and database. This allows a terminal operator to install the MTOCT database and then fully customise it to meet their own requirements. Marine Terminal Management and Self-Assessment (MTMSA) provides the best practice and key performance indicators against which terminal operators can assess the effectiveness of their management systems for berth operations and the ship to shore interface. With a self-assessment culture at the heart of OCIMF's approach, members can use the MTMSA guide to develop their own internal review methodology. They can then use the internal review results to continuously improve their safety and environmental performance and to identify and share best practice around their terminal network. Marine Terminal Particulars Questionnaire (MTPQ) aims to compile a comprehensive database of relevant information for all of the world's 3,500+ terminals from the hardware available, to berth measurements and transfer rates.(Url-6) For defining tanker-terminal operation safety defects, a questinnaire was applied to 50 participants whose professions are captain, chief officer, chief enginier, loading master, port facility security officer and other realated employees that working at tanker-terminals. The quastionnaire corporates ship-shore safety check list items and terminal regions. Ship-shore safety check list cited from International Safety Guide for Tanker and Terminals Code. Terminal Regions in all around of the world are territorialised seven regions according to OCIMF Tanker Terminal Maps. The first three questions of the questionnaire are definitive questions that incorporate professions, profession experiences and type of tanker-terminals at which participants work. The second part of the questionnaire comprises of 30 statements in likert scale. The statements are cited from International Safety Guide of Tanker and Terminals. In the last part of the questionnaire is prepared using again likert scale for determining the safety level at seven terminal regions that are territorialised according to OCIMF Tanker Terminals Maps. For the second part at 30 expression, evaluation is defined as; "never = 1", "rarely = 2," "occasionally = 3", "regularly = 4" and "constantly = 5". And the last part corporates an open ended question and safety conditions at 7 terminal region by defining the safety levels as ''absolutely unsafe = 1 '', '' unsafe = 2 '', '' I'm not sure = 3 ',' safe = 4 '', '' absolutely safe = 5 '. The quastionnaire results indicated that there are safety defects on tanker terminal operations. And also safety conditions are variable according to terminal regions. The non-conformities that are often encountered during terminal operations asked to the participants with the open ended question. Answers given to this question are mostly similar. Answers viewed bearing in the mind that professions and experiences. And the results are stated in the conculision. When root cause analyze of safety defects on tanker terminals are carried out according to the results of the questionnaire, it is determined that existing condions of safety are at different level, at different terminal regions. There are lots of reasons for this differance of safety level. Most of important reasons are difference of safety awareness, differance of safety perception, difference of safety culture, difference of priorities, difference educational level in different countries. In additon to this, it can be said that profession experience is an effective factor for safety and emergency response at tanker-terminal operations. On the other hand, professional experience may come up with casualization of the operations carried out by its cockiness. Changing technological opportunities of tanker terminals come up with new technological training requirements. That's why, required trainings should be supplied for employees by tanker terminal management. According to the results of the questionnaire, the safest terminals are in the second terminal region that covers Germany, Denmark, England, the Netherlands and Belgium, with the grades of 4,54(between safe and absolutely safe). When this region is examined, it is seen that all of the countries at the region are developed countries. Safety standards for the terminal are determined according to international rules, but there are lots of shortcomings in the implementation of these standards to terminals. If a system like ''Marine Terminal Information System''that has database particulars and safety defects of registered tanker terminals, is established, employees of tanker-terminal and the other operation relevants will be able to report the safety defects and will be able to access all informations and defects about the terminal. After reporting, the terminal will be inspected according to defined safety standarts by an independent surveyor. Surveyor will define the failures of terminal and inform responsibles about the terminal failures. And then, If the terminal failures aren't removed in a determined period of time the terminal will be registered to a black list. And this black list will be promulgated to the relevants by the authorities. As soon as the reported failures are removed, the terminal will demand an inspection from authorities. If authority experts whom the terminal responsibles demand, approve removal of failures and safety of terminal the terminal will be able to carry on its normal operations and will be deleted from the black list. When sanctions like black list and punishments are implemented to the terminals that don't meet safety standarts terminal responsibles try to ensure safe operations at their terminals much more than before. Safer tanker-terminal operations, cleaner seas, more trained employees, more livable environment are on the mind and with this study, tanker terminals are aimed to enable safety standarts for tanker-terminal operations all around the world.