What Are the OCIMF Requirements for Pneumatic Fenders?

The OCIMF Ship-to-Ship Transfer Guide requires pneumatic fenders at 50 kPa initial pressure (Pneumatic 50), sized from Table 9.1 using the equivalent displacement coefficient C, with a minimum of 3 fenders per operation.

The Guide defines fender selection in three steps. First, calculate C using the formula C = (2 × W_A × W_B) / (W_A + W_B), where W_A and W_B are the displacements of the two vessels in tonnes. Second, look up the recommended fender size and minimum quantity from Table 9.1. Third, confirm the fender’s energy absorption at 50 kPa exceeds the calculated berthing energy for that vessel combination.

The Guide requires fender systems to be selected for the worst-case Full-Full condition — both vessels at full displacement — regardless of whether the actual operation is lightering. This prevents undersizing based on a partial-load scenario that does not represent the severest possible berthing.

Initial pressure is fixed at 50 kPa. Performance data at 80 kPa does not align with the OCIMF Table 9.1 design basis. A supplier who quotes 80 kPa data as the primary figure makes OCIMF compliance verification harder. Ask for 50 kPa performance specifically.

Minimum quantity by Table 9.1 row (the requirement is non-monotonic — read it from the exact row, do not assume it only rises with C):
– C ≤ 10,000: minimum 3 fenders
– 30,000 ≤ C ≤ 100,000: minimum 4 fenders
– 150,000 ≤ C ≤ 200,000: minimum 5 fenders
– C ≥ 330,000 (e.g. VLCC-to-VLCC): minimum 4 fenders

Source: Ship-to-Ship Transfer Guide for Petroleum, Chemicals and Liquefied Gases (CDI/ICS/OCIMF/SIGTTO, 2013), Table 9.1.

Terminal vetting officers and P&I clubs require ISO 17357-1:2014 type test reports with actual measured values — not a product certificate alone — to verify that a fender meets the performance assumptions in the OCIMF STS Transfer Guide.

A certificate confirms that a product type was tested at some point. A type test report shows the measured values from that testing: energy absorption and reaction force at 60% deflection, internal pressures at 0% and 60% deflection, and air-leakage and hydrostatic-pressure results. These are the numbers a vetting officer compares against the OCIMF Table 9.1 selection for a specific vessel combination.

ISO 17357-1:2014 covers:
– Prototype performance test — energy absorption and reaction force at 60% deflection (Clause 8)
– Durability test — ≥3,000 compression cycles, no cracking, no energy-absorption loss (Clause 8.4)
– Air-leakage test and hydrostatic-pressure test on commercial fenders (Clauses 9.4 and 9.5)
– Material tests for outer and inner rubber, including tensile, ageing, and ozone resistance (Clause 9.2, Table 3)

Per-unit test certificates should also accompany delivery, confirming the individual fender meets production quality requirements.

The OCIMF STS Transfer Guide does not cite ISO 17357 by name, but the performance parameters it specifies — energy absorption, reaction force, deflection — align with ISO 17357 test methods. Terminal operators and P&I clubs have closed that gap: ISO 17357-1:2014 compliance is now treated as proof that the fender meets the Guide’s performance assumptions.

If a supplier cannot provide type test reports with measured values, their product’s OCIMF compliance cannot be independently verified. Request reports before purchase, not after delivery.

Yes. The OCIMF STS Transfer Guide defines required berthing energy for each equivalent displacement coefficient range in Table 9.1, and the selected fender’s energy absorption at 50 kPa must exceed that value.

Berthing energy in Table 9.1 is stated in tonne-metres (t·m) and assumes Calm weather conditions (sea state 0–3, Hs 0–1.25 m) and 50 kPa initial pressure. If the operation area experiences Moderate or Rough sea states, approach velocity increases and berthing energy must be recalculated upward.

Selected rows from OCIMF Table 9.1 (CDI/ICS/OCIMF/SIGTTO, 2013):

If C falls between two table values, select the fender size for the higher coefficient.

When berthing energy exceeds the table value — due to higher sea state or abnormal approach — upgrade by increasing fender diameter. The Guide discourages raising pressure from 50 kPa to 80 kPa as an energy upgrade path. A steeper force-deflection curve increases hull reaction force without addressing the underlying energy requirement, and it no longer matches the OCIMF design basis.

A safety factor between 1.0 and 2.0 may be applied for abnormal berthing conditions.

For a VLCC-to-VLCC STS transfer, the equivalent displacement coefficient C reaches approximately 300,000–330,000 tonnes, which maps to 4.5×9.0 m fenders at 50 kPa with a minimum of 4 fenders per operation, per OCIMF Table 9.1.

The coefficient C is calculated as:

C = (2 × W_A × W_B) / (W_A + W_B)

For two fully loaded VLCCs each at 300,000 tonnes displacement:

C = (2 × 300,000 × 300,000) / (300,000 + 300,000) = 300,000

When W_A = W_B, C simplifies to W_A. At C = 300,000–330,000, Table 9.1 specifies:

The selected fender’s energy absorption at 50 kPa must exceed 155 t·m (approximately 1,520 kNm). Apply a safety factor of 1.0–2.0 for abnormal berthing.

If one vessel is lighter — for example, an Aframax at 120,000 tonnes alongside a VLCC at 300,000 tonnes — C calculates to approximately 171,000, which falls in the 150,000–200,000 range: 3.3×6.5 m fenders with a minimum of 5 per operation, per Table 9.1. Never downsize based on the smaller vessel’s displacement alone.

Source: Ship-to-Ship Transfer Guide for Petroleum, Chemicals and Liquefied Gases (CDI/ICS/OCIMF/SIGTTO, 2013), Table 9.1.

Yes. JettyGuard supplies ship-to-ship transfer fenders across the complete OCIMF Table 9.1 size range — from 1.0×2.0 m to 4.5×9.0 m — at 50 kPa standard initial pressure, with ISO 17357-1:2014 type test reports available for every size.

Performance data is published at both 50 kPa and 80 kPa. The 50 kPa column is the primary figure for OCIMF compliance verification — vetting officers can compare directly against Table 9.1 without conversion.

Both mold-type and wrapped-type construction are available. For STS operations running more than two transfers per month, mold-type fenders provide more consistent wall thickness over repeated deflection cycles. For lower-frequency projects, wrapped-type fenders meet the same ISO 17357-1:2014 performance requirements at a lower price point. Both carry full type test documentation for vetting purposes.

The manufacturing facility’s ISO 9001:2015 quality management system supports per-order test certification alongside the type test reports.