GREECE-based Dynamarine and UK-based James Fisher Fendercare have struck up a partnership aimed at “reshaping practices” in ship-to-ship transfer operations.

The focus of the collaboration will be on transparency, data-driven assessment, and continuous safety improvement, Dynamarine said.

Initiatives such as optimisation of 3D mooring plans are also in the sights of the two companies.

Under the agreement, Dynamarine will develop standardised audit criteria for STS service providers that are aligned with guidelines drawn up by the Oil Companies International Marine Forum.

Classification societies will be involved in implementing the critera, with back-up from Dynamarine, it said.

Meanwhile, James Fisher Fendercare has agreed to “fully embrace” the new audit criteria and will actively contribute to their development by sharing operational insights and supporting enhancements to Dynamarine screening tools.

The two parties are planning to jointly engage with energy companies, P&I clubs, industry bodies and regulators “to promote structured, objective risk evaluation and drive the advancement of safety culture across the STS sector”, they said in a statement.

The co-operation promises to be “a game-changer” for safety in provision of STS transfer services, said Dynamarine’s chief executive Alexandros Glykas.

“We commend James Fisher Fendercare Marine for acknowledging that proactive risk management and mutual transparency are the only sustainable path forward,” he said.

Dynamarine recently estimated that ship-to-ship transfer incidents cost insurers about $35m annually, but the sector’s exposure could be much greater, given the prevalence of high-risk operators.

Tankers registered with the Greek specialist have a 1.5% incident rate that is close to one-third of the industry average.

The company has said the reduction in incidents stems primarily from its systematic risk screening and real-time monitoring.