Navigating the Future of Ship-to-Ship Operations

Yvonne Mason, OBE, DL, CEO of SafeSTS Ltd – UK distributor of Trelleborg-produced fenders – brings a lifetime of maritime experience to the forefront of the ship-to-ship (STS) operations industry. With roots on England’s Norfolk coast and a career built on both passion and expertise, Mason has cemented her reputation as a leader in the maritime sector, recognized with an OBE for her contributions. Under her leadership, SafeSTS Ltd has grown into a global provider of pneumatic fenders and STS equipment, dedicated to ensuring safety, quality, and environmental responsibility. In this exclusive Q&A, Mason shares insights on the evolution of STS operations, the importance of innovation and proactive safety measures, and her vision for the future of the industry.

 

How have you seen ship-to-ship operations evolve over the years?

 

Massively, since our first involvement with the STS business over 30 years ago. What used to be the sole domain of the oil majors has transitioned out into the trading world and across many different cargoes now including alternative fuels. All of these require differing operational processes, equipment packages and most importantly expertise. Historically, STS was carried out offshore and underway: it has evolved over time with large numbers of operations now being carried out within port limits.

 

Since the start of this decade, a combination of COVID and geopolitics has changed the whole STS landscape and sadly this has not been for the better with new players, some illicit, entering the market. This provides obvious challenges for the upholding of standards and compliance within the industry, as recently demonstrated by the video clip widely shared on LinkedIn of the catastrophic failure of one such LPG operation off Bangladesh.

 

Our mission at SafeSTS is very simply explained (although a tremendous amount of work goes into delivering it on a daily basis). We bring our expertise to the intersection of process and equipment on such operations, to deliver safety and peace of mind to those who work with us. And, we partner with leaders in their field, such as Trelleborg, to innovate where we need to overcome new challenges such as those posed by changing weather patterns.

 

How do you ensure the safety and efficiency of ship-to-ship transfers, and what role do our products play in this process?

 

We apply the MARPOL Chapter 8 benchmark to all our operations offshore and inshore, which is generally viewed as the minimum industry requirement (although it is very clearly not being adhered to by all operators).

 

In today's world though, the fundamental question which we all must ask ourselves, operators and clients alike, is whether meeting the bare minimum safety requirement on such operations really is good enough anymore? We don't believe that it is.

 

We have identified certain weaknesses in existing transfer technology and processes, and we demonstrably exceed international requirements with our selection of STS equipment. We also go above and beyond the minimum requirements with the selection, training, mentoring and number of our POACs deployed on each operation.

 

And, last but not least, back to our decades of expertise in this field. The SafeSTS operational personnel who manage each job are supported 24/7 by one of the most experienced marine teams in the business, who have centuries' worth of combined experience of conducting such operations all around the world, in all kinds of conditions.

 

Can you share any notable experiences where our pneumatic fenders, Kleline hoses, or PTX mains couplings made a significant impact on your operations?

 

We have selected to partner with Trelleborg for our STS equipment as, following comprehensive analysis of the market, we have very simply concluded that they are ‘best in class’ not just on one specific product line, but across the suite of related safety-critical products we need for such operations.

 

Taking the example of the development of the Protected Transfer System, our mariners and Gall Thomson's design engineers pooled their expertise to de-risk the element of the process where LPG and oil STS currently rely on manually disconnecting hoses in an emergency – putting the seafarers (literally and figuratively) directly in the "line of fire" in an emergency disconnect scenario.  

 

With ever-evolving demand driven by energy security strategies, we are being asked to ship further and further offshore. Given the changing weather and sea conditions, the PTX provides the added safety, security and peace of mind that we have the ability to remotely and safely disconnect in seconds – and so enable a planned and controlled vessel separation if need be.

 

How do you envision our partnership evolving to address future challenges and opportunities in the industry?

 

Our partnership will evolve through continuous collaboration between our mariners and your engineers to address emerging industry challenges and opportunities. The rise of new green fuels demands innovative, safety-focused transfer systems, while the push for carbon reduction calls for low-emission solutions in STS operations. Geo-political shifts and climate change will require our customers to operate more flexibly and need systems to support this without compromising on safety.

 

As new energy fields and transshipment needs grow, combining SafeSTS’s operational expertise with Trelleborg’s engineering innovation will enable us to develop bespoke, future-ready solutions. Together, we can set new benchmarks for safety, efficiency, and environmental responsibility in the evolving maritime sector.

 

 

In your opinion, what are the key factors driving changes in ship-to-ship operations today?

 

Changing weather patterns and the need to understand technology gaps and then develop and invest in products that can make an immediate and substantial difference to the conditions in which STS operations can be conducted – whilst enhancing the safety profile of such operations.

 

The emerging need to safely tranship/bunker the fuels of the future, such as ammonia, which require a much higher standard of care due to their toxicity. 

 

New field development strategies. STS is increasingly a requirement of the export strategy for new fields: financing new field development requires incremental environmental benefits, and STS by design is an environmental benefit to support long haul on big ships.

 

How do you foresee the future of STS operations, and what improvements or innovations would you like to see in that future?

 

It's difficult to predict the future, but STS will inevitably continue for many years to come. The key will be in ensuring that the necessary investments are made by operators to support their clients so that such operations are conducted with the maximum focus upon safety and environmental responsibility, rather than to meet a bare minimum standard. This will inevitably involve input and co-operation from all relevant stakeholders: operators, shipowners and managers, clients be they oil majors or traders and the regulatory authorities wherever in the world STS takes place.

 

The next step on the environmental side of things would be a strategic move to minimize emissions from offshore loading and STS transfer – and we have designed and patented solutions that do just that in cooperation with international partners.

  

In your view, what aspects of proactive maintenance can make the biggest difference to enhancing/optimizing operational efficiencies?

In our view, it is not so much about specific aspects than the general principle, not so much about optimizing operational efficiencies than avoiding operational inefficiencies and their knock-on impact upon profitability and client relationships. 

It is commonly recognized that scheduled inspection and maintenance will bring to light small problems which may well develop into large and expensive problems later if not addressed. And those large and expensive problems have a nasty habit of only surfacing at the most inopportune moment – for example at the start of a planned series of STS operations many miles offshore.

In most jurisdictions, annual vehicle checks to ensure basic safety are mandatory and most people will also take the opportunity to have their vehicle serviced in line with manufacturers' recommendations. Firstly, because doing so will maximize the residual value of our expensive assets, and secondly because it decreases the risk of us ended up stranded on a roadside at midnight. 

If we are generally applying this philosophy to our personal assets in our private lives, why should anything change in the two minutes between us getting out of our proactively maintained vehicles in the car park and entering our places of work to consider the philosophy to be applied to the maintenance program for our companies' assets?

Are there any major trends or issues that you see influencing port and terminal operations now or in the next few years that you would like to highlight? 

 

Emissions management is one aspect that requires closer scrutiny, but the key will be the fiscal benefit to the operation. Watch this space.

Yvonne Mason’s deep connection to the maritime world and unwavering commitment to excellence are evident in every aspect of SafeSTS Ltd’s operations. From addressing the challenges of changing weather patterns to pioneering safety innovations, Mason’s leadership is steering the STS industry toward a safer and more sustainable future. As the UK distributor of Trelleborg’s fenders, SafeSTS’s partnership embodies a shared vision for quality and innovation. With the rapid changes shaping the maritime sector, Mason’s forward-thinking approach ensures that SafeSTS Ltd remains a trusted partner, ready to meet the demands of an evolving industry.