HSSEQ
Quality Assurance / Health and Safety policy
UMS is committed to carry out its business activities in a manner consistent with best practices related to quality, health and safety, and always in compliance with all relevant laws, rules and regulations, maintaining at all times first class relations with authorities, classification societies insurers and clients. Quality of services is to deliver in a safe and timely manner as per contract and in compliance with the elements mentioned above. As the service provided is linked to marine transportation, lifting, and operations UMS must have SAFETY as a corner stone priority to ensure quality.
UMS' safety priorities shall be listed in the following order, and UMS will do its utmost to;
- Protect life and health
- Protect environment
- Protect vessel and cargo
UMS will endeavour to prevent all dangerous occurrences, which are liable to cause injury to personnel or damage to the environment or property and ensure that all employees recognise that safety is a joint responsibility. Notwithstanding, UMS shall establish and at all times maintain a high level of emergency preparedness.
UMS is committed to seek continuous improvement of the health and safety performance and to establish and maintain a safety culture in all personnel. This is achieved through a health and safety management system implemented as an integral part of the Companies quality management system with Key Performance Indicators (KPI) being monitored. In principle UMS has a ZERO injury policy; however recognizing that this is a long term strategy the KPI on injury to crew resulting in an LTI presently has a nominal goal above ZERO. Risk assessments are an integral part of the office and ship board management system aimed at reducing/eliminating LTI’s and dangerous incidents. The risk assessment procedures provide a management regime in which risk can be systematically evaluated and risk reduction measures implemented as needed.
Client and Class inspections together with Port State Controls are considered constructive drivers in the companies strive for continuous improvement and bench marking. As a consequence the Client inspections and Port State Controls have KPI’s which are monitored and followed up.
The qualification and motivation of the crew onboard is of vital importance to ensure the safe operation of the vessels. The Company policy regarding manning is to operate the vessel with senior officers who have appropriate experience and training always in compliance with STCW, and for tanker vessels the Client/OCIMF manning matrix. The Company also promotes alternative carrier opportunities for officers by giving preference to own officers when shore assignments become available, equal qualifications considered, and when capacity allowing seconding officers ashore for career development.
Ethics Policy
UMS shall in all respects conduct its business in such a manner that confidence is created and maintained towards clients, partners, suppliers, employees and financial institutions.
UMS shall conduct its business with honesty and maintaining untarnished reputation for integrity is essential and is not under any circumstances to be sacrificed for the sake of economic gain or any other reasons.
UMS shall be strongly dedicated to giving its customers and clients the best possible service, seeking always compliance with industry best practice.
Environmental Policy
The company strives in all its activities and services, aboard and ashore, to appropriately minimize or within reason eliminate all harmful influence to the environment.
This may take place by optimizing and or reducing the use of energy, increased recycling, reduced wastage and minimizing effluents to water, air and land.
The company has an overruling requirement of no hydrocarbon spill to the environment.
This is achieved through an environmental management system which is implemented as an integral part of the quality management system.
The aim of the system is, as a minimum, to fulfil all relevant regulatory environmental requirements, guidelines and additional company established goals.
JJUC Ship Recycling Policy
UMS shall to its best ability seek to apply and follow IMO’s Convention for Recirculation of Ships – MEPC 57/WP. 6.
UMS shall also follow the industry’s (CS/ISF) Guidelines for ship recycling.
When planning for a sale for recycling UMS shall:
• Establish an inventory of dangerous/harmful materials on board. This shall be handed over to the buyer at the time of delivery.
• During the period leading up to delivery, the vessel’s management shall endeavour to, according to relevant regulations and best practice, to minimize the amount of such substances on board.
• The ship will be cleaned and delivered ”gas free for hot work” to the extent possible.
• Collect and submit technical documentation which can make the basis for a ”recycling plan ” for the vessel.
• Choose or try to influence the choice of a yard with an acceptable safety and environmental standard. Yards with both ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certification are available. There are Chinese yards which are ethically acceptable. Indian yards, where children labour is not utilized, are preferable to Bangladesh.
Norwegian Ship owners’ Association has available a list of preferred yards.
The IMO Convention will establish an approval process for breaking yards.
• When a vessel which is close to its life expectancy is to be sold one will endeavour to contractually bind the buyer to dispose of the vessel in an ethical way.
Whistle Blowing Policy
UMS has established an implemented a Whistle Blowing Policy which is located and can be found in the following manuals:
• “Kontorhåndbok” – Office Handbook, Ref. Del VIII – 11.1
• Health & Safety Manual, section 2.
Security Policy
See Ship Security Plan (SSP), section 3.
Administration of the Policies
The policies, goals and campaigns of the company and its management system are identified, subjected to scrutiny and possibly redefined in the annual Management Review. The process results identified as KPI’s are monitored measured and reviewed against the defined metrics.
These policies are made known to all employees by being an integral part of the Quality Management System, by training events and by posting at work premises. In addition the policies are made available to the general public by display at the company’s web site.
