TMSA: the Company's self-assessment, not the ship's
TMSA is OCIMF's Company management self-assessment: 13 elements, 266 KPIs and four cumulative levels. Declared attainment must reflect actual implementation, not just available documents; sharing with third parties requires the relevant permissions.
Operational Explanation
Tanker Management and Self Assessment addresses the operator's management system and fleet; it is not an inspection of an individual ship or a statutory certificate. This does not mean declarations cannot be compared with audits, onboard evidence or SIRE reports: the self-assessment must be supported by evidence of implementation.
Levels 1 to 4 are cumulative: attaining a level requires the relevant KPIs at that level and the preceding levels to be met. Completion percentage, attained level and actual maturity are not synonyms. Procedures, records, operational evidence and effectiveness checks must support the answer. OCIMF MSA · OCIMF TMSA analytics.
TMSA has been integrated into SIRE since February 2017, but publication and access are not the same. Recipients can consult documents under applicable distribution and access permissions; not every charterer automatically sees every TMSA or fleet report. OCIMF: TMSA access.
Regulatory Reference
TMSA is a voluntary OCIMF scheme, not a statutory certificate. Contractual arrangements or recipient vetting criteria may require it. It does not replace applicable ISM duties.
OCIMF TMSA analytics · OCIMF: TMSA access.
The current edition is the third, OCIMF publication page: TMSA 3, published on 10 April 2017. The first edition dates from 2004, the second from July 2008.
The TMSA3 FAQs published by OCIMF in April 2017 set out what changed with the third edition, and are the source of the figures that follow:
- 13 elements. The third edition added Element 13, Maritime Security, in these words: “Added a new element: Element 13 – Maritime Security”. The numbering runs from 1 to 13, but Element 6 is split into 6 and 6A: there are fourteen assessment sheets and thirteen numbered elements.
- 266 KPIs, of which 85 were introduced with this edition and 19 more than in TMSA 2. Twenty-five KPIs were moved from a higher level to a lower one (from 4 to 3, from 3 to 2): the affected criteria must therefore be met at a lower level than in the previous edition.
- The “not applicable” option was removed. If the Company considers that a KPI does not concern it, it answers yes stating and justifying the reason with documentary evidence; answering no makes the system record the element as incomplete.
- Element 10 renamed Environmental and Energy Management, previously Environmental Management, and expanded content in Elements 6 and 6A covering cargo, ballast, tank cleaning, bunkering, mooring and anchoring.
A discrepancy between two OCIMF documents, reported in full. The April 2017 FAQs announce that “from 1 January 2018, only TMSA3 will be available”. The later OCIMF presentation on the TMSA programme states instead that from 9 April 2018 all TMSA reports created or published within SIRE must be in the TMSA 3 format. The first is the announced deadline, the second the one actually applied: both are reported here with their source, rather than picking one.
Scope of Application
Every tanker vessel technical operator that joins the programme. OCIMF states that TMSA 3 can be used worldwide, including coastal and inland vessels and barges: it is not a scheme for large ocean fleets alone. An annual subscription fee applies per operator: check the current amount in the OCIMF portal, because a price changes without the page noticing.
Check the individual charterer’s requirements and applicable agreements: TMSA publication, updating and access may be conditions of the commercial assessment.
Procedure / How to Complete It
- Assign each element to someone with access to the evidence: TMSA is not filled in by the quality department on its own.
- For each KPI collect evidence of implementation and effectiveness, not merely a procedure. Check cumulative criteria at preceding levels before declaring attainment.
- Where a KPI does not apply, answer yes with the reason written down and evidenced: the “not applicable” box no longer exists.
- Publish the self-assessment, check distribution permissions for intended recipients and review it annually as OCIMF recommends. Publication alone does not guarantee recipient access.
- Update it off-cycle whenever something substantial changes: management structure, safety management system, fleet size or composition.
Practical Example
Example: a Company declares Level 4 for MoC, but two ships show changes made without assessment. Having a procedure alone does not support the declaration: implementation and all relevant cumulative criteria must be checked. A recipient authorised to view both TMSA and SIRE reports can compare them; access to both is not automatic.
What Typically Goes Wrong
Common Mistakes Mistake Library
| Mistake | Consequence | How to avoid it |
|---|---|---|
| Level declared from a procedure alone, without cumulative criteria and operational evidence | Maturity overstated against implementation | Check current and preceding-level KPIs, evidence and effectiveness |
| Self-assessment treated as an annual exercise | A score that does not reflect changes in structure or fleet | Update at every substantial change, not only at the deadline |
| KPIs deemed not applicable without documented justification | Element recorded as incomplete by the system | Answer yes with reason and evidence: the “not applicable” box is gone |
What the PSCO Checks
Operational Tips
- Maintain a KPI → operational evidence → effectiveness-check map, with owners and cumulative criteria.
- Check KPIs reassigned between levels without assuming that every change concerns Level 1.
- Compare self-assessment with available SIRE evidence; separately check permissions for external recipients.
- Element 13 on maritime security covers cyber security too: it is not a chapter for the security officer alone.
Preparation checklist
Educational checklist. This summary supports learning and preparation only. It does not replace the vessel’s approved procedures, manuals, statutory documents, company SMS, or applicable official requirements. Completing it demonstrates neither compliance nor readiness for an inspection: it shows that a list has been read, not that the ship is in order. Always verify the current documents carried on board.
- Every element assigned to someone with access to the evidence
- KPI, implementation-evidence and cumulative-criteria map updated
- Non-applicable KPIs justified in writing and documented
- Self-assessment reviewed within the last twelve months
- Update carried out after the latest change of structure or fleet
- Levels compared with operational evidence; distribution permissions checked
FAQ
Related Topics
Last substantive revision of this page: 15 September 2026 · page fingerprint c2e9e72904ff