This voluntary system is in no way intended to replace certification by classification societies, whose responsibility it is to certify that a vessel is seaworthy and complies with maritime safety  regulations. Oil companies’ vetting departments help them choose a suitable vessel from among the certified vessels exclusively.

Vetting inspections are usually carried out during commercial unloading operations, with the prior agreement of the shipowner and management company, the only organizations authorized to allow third parties onboard. Vetting inspections also give the company access to confidential documents relating to the vessel’s maintenance and classification, which can only be consulted by third parties onboard.

Vetting inspections do not include a survey of the vessel’s structural elements, which is the responsibility of the classification society and the shipowner as part of the vessel’s regular maintenance and of the process of ensuring that it complies with applicable rules and regulations. In any case, it would be technically impossible for a vetting department to carry out such a structural survey.

Oil majors perform inspections according to a standard report format developed by the OCIMF. These reports are available to all OCIMF members via the SIRE database, which provides each company’s vetting department with the information it needs to apply its own internal criteria without having to inspect each vessel itself.

Total’s decision to tighten its chartering criteria has resulted in a significant lowering of the average age of vessels used by the Group. At January 1, 2009, the average age of the tankers under time-charter to Total was 5 years, one of the lowest in the industry. On average, Total charters 3,000 voyages each year.