ISM Code International Safety Management Code in Scientific & Educational by AcronymsAndSlang com

So if you are on a chemical tanker which has DNV as the classification society and Hong Kong flag, you know what you need to check in the DOC. Now even in the clear case of neglect on part of crew, in many cases the court has given the verdict against the ship owner. The company identification number is issued by IHS Maritime and trade on behalf of IMO. The proper understanding and application by the ship’s command of the ship Safety Management Systems (SMS) are subject to Port State Control (PSC) inspection. Port State Control (PSC) inspector’s role, in this case, is not to cancel the ship’s Safety Management Certificate, that is a matter for the Flag State, but the ship can be detained until any breaches of the Safety Management Systems (SMS) are corrected. A. By checking DOC, SMC, SMS Manuals, Internal / External audits reports, PSC & Flag state deficiency reports.

• An effective Internal audits is the main dividing line between a good ship management company and a bad one.
• Only seven years prior to the accident, it was built in a German shipyard according to international maritime safety regulations.
• This actually is a good question and I will post a detailed answer sometime.
• The Company is then required to establish and implement a policy for achieving these objectives.
• The International Management Code provides an international standard for the management and operation of ships and pollution prevention.

To execute its proper functionality, the International Safety Management Code is supported by a Safety Management System. Known as the International Safety Management Code, what does ism stand for in the ism code the ISM Code is one of the required regulations in the marine industry. From the year 1994, it has been a vital component of the SOLAS Convention (Safety of Life at Sea).

The code highlights that in matters of safety, it is the efforts, competence and motivation of individuals that help achieve a positive result. Hi Your statement that QUOTEFurther if some of these ships have DNV class and others have ClassNK, then for each flag there will be two DOCs. There is no need for separate DOCs from separate ROs( Class society doing SMC audits on board).So there will be only individual DOC only for each flag .

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Capt. Rajeev Jassal has sailed for over 24 years mainly on crude oil, product and chemical tankers. He has done extensive research on quantitatively measuring Safety culture onboard and safety climate ashore which he believes is the most important element for safer shipping. So far we have discussed that two audits are carried out on ships to fulfill the requirements of the ISM code. ISM code requires the company to nominate a Designated person who will be a link between ship and shore. A company may have multiple document of compliance from different flags and from different classification societies. DOC is issued to the company by the flag state or by the classification society on behalf of the flag state.

The 2000 and 2004 amendments to the code were brought by the resolution MSC.104(73) and resolution MSC.179(79). Safety management certificate is also issued by the flag of the ship or by its classification society on behalf of the flag. The certificate is valid for five years and require intermediate (between 2-3 years from date of issue) verification. There is a relationship between the different standards and a need to cope with the issued certificates; a full set of certificates has to be retained at all times. Port State Control (PSC) inspections have a mechanism that will increase their severity; which parameters cause this needs to be understood by those dealing with the results. ISM Code has now been about in the shipping industry since the early 1990s.

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The object of the ISM Code (International Safety Management Code) is safe management coupled with continuous improvement. There has to be an audit trail to prove this and the management office is audited annually by external auditors authorized by the flag state. Between these external audits, the ship managers must undertake internal audits to ensure that there is proceeding compliance and must retain the documentary evidence of the internal audits. The audits have to show that what is written in the procedures takes place in practice and that there is evidence of this.

Its origins date back to the late 1980s, when there was a growing concern about lax management standards in the maritime sector. 1.2.1 The objectives of the Code are to ensure safety at sea, prevention of human injury or loss of life, and avoidance of damage to the environment, in particular, to the marine environment, and to property. Responsibilities of safety could not be left entirely to the master of the ship alone. The cornerstone of good safety management is the commitment from the top. In matters of safety and pollution prevention, it is the commitment, competence, attitude and motivation of individuals at all levels that determines the end result.

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The company should record the authority and interrelation of all personnel responsible for the ship’s safety and pollution prevention. A company should ensure that the master and crew are qualified enough and well-informed about the company’s SMS. They should have an adequate understanding of relevant rules and guidelines before sailing. The company should give training and appropriate orders which are in support of the SMS in the working language. ISM Code (International Safety Management Code) is also part of the Safety of Life at Sea Convention (SOLAS). The background to the introduction of the ISM Code (International Safety Management Code) was a series of very high profile maritime losses during the 1980s and early 1990s.

But most importantly, the company is the organisation that has agreed to take over all the duties and responsibilities as per the ISM code. Substantive compliance with the ISM Code (International Safety Management Code) is the responsibility of the shipowner and the ship manager to whom the shipowner has entrusted the ship. The ISM Code was created by the IMO and Ferriby Marine’s Capt. Graham Botterill, Specialist Advisor to the House of Lords in the UK on ship safety, among others. The ISM Code is periodically amended to include new provisions or guidelines. ISM code has been critisized for bringing too much of paper work without comparatively lesser gains. But fact is more often than not, it is the implementation, in general that has been poor.

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It was in this year that this code was formally adopted and integrated as a part of the SOLAS Convention. It means that now it also becomes the company’s responsibility that people are following ISM code and ship’s SMS. Companies can no longer turn a blind eye to a violation of ISM code just because it might suit the company at that time (for example critical equipment not working because of lack of spares). One of the responsibility of the master as per ISM code is to review the effectiveness of the SMS on board.

ISM code is International Safety Management code for the safe operation of ships and for pollution prevention, as adopted by IMO assembly. The ship should be maintained well to remain seaworthy, and other additional requirements must also be fulfilled. A company is said to flout the guidelines and provisions in the case of non-fulfilment of a specified requirement.

History of the development of the ISM Code

These are also accompanied with  checklists, related forms and procedures. Also, the ship must be maintained in conformity with the provisions of relevant rules and regulations and with any additional requirements which may be established by the company. Comments from the auditor and/or audit body and from the ship are incorporated into the SMS by headquarters. The International Management Code for the safe operation of ships is a management system implemented to ensure the safety of life and property at sea and marine environment protection from pollution.

• The period of validity for SMC is 5 years with annual verification within 3 months before or after the anniversary date.
• Non-conformity means an observed situation where objective evidence indicates the non-fulfilment of a specified requirement.
• PSC inspections follow the guidelines set by the MOU and IMO for PSC inspections (& not the ISM code).
• ISMC is issued by the FSA and valid for not more than 6 months but can be extended as a special case by the FSA.
• The person responsible is to ensure safe operation of each ship and provide a link between the company and the crew.

Apart from this, there is a formal requirement for the auditor to be trained for carrying out the internal audits. In most effective systems, it is always someone from the QHSE department that conducts the internal audits. ISM code has not just made the company responsible for shipboard operations but it also its implications in the shipping business.

DPA (Designated Person Ashore)

A crucial aspect of any management system is identifying and reporting non-conformities. This is especially the case with accidents, near misses, and navigational discrepancies which may be seen to challenge a particular officer. These may occur because the system is not being followed in which case corrective action needs to be taken to prevent re-occurrence. Reporting and investigation of non-conformance are at the heart of systems improvement. Lately, the skeptics have seen the advantages and today the ISM Code (International Safety Management Code) is enforced by the most flag and port states. The Code is expressed in broad terms so that it can have a widespread application.

Further if some of these ships have DNV class and others have ClassNK, then for each flag there will be two DOCs. One issued by DNV on behalf of that flag and other issued by ClassNK on behalf of that flag. Further if company manages 3 type of ships, if they want they can have a different DOC for each type of ships or they can have all the ships mentioned in one DOC. Thos was the thinking during initial days of ISM code, now most of the companies prefer all type of ships in one DOC but choice is theirs. The catastrophic capsizing of the passenger/car ferry Herald of Free Enterprise in March as well as investigations into several accidents revealed major errors on the part of management.

It says that ship owner will not be responsible for any delays or damages resulting because of faults of master and crew of the ship. Even for the master’s responsibilities, it is not directed to the Master but to the company. A permanent and Unique Number is required to be assigned to all Companies and Registered Owners managing any ship of 100 gross tonnes and above engaged on international voyages. But a detailed report on the impact and effectiveness of the ISM code suggests that “where the ISM Code had been embraced as a positive step toward efficiency through a safety culture”, tangible positive benefits were evident. ISM code has been the most controversial among all the chapters of SOLAS. There are plenty of seafarers and shore staff who feel that ISM code has only brought more paper work and nothing else.

In this case as the requirement under Section 10 of the ISM code (maintenance of ship and equipments) were not met. This verification process is called “external audit” of the SMS and is usually done by the class on behalf of the flag of the ship. DOC is issued to the company after a successful audit to verify that company complies with the requirements of ISM code.

Shipboard and office procedures are linked so that for example, Masters’ or Chief Engineers’ reports become quality records to support the ship maintenance the office planned or ordered. A company’s safety management system ensures compliance with the rules and guidelines of the ISM. The requirement of this code is applied to all kinds of ships and highlights the company’s environmental protection policy.