Over the countless years that the maritime

domain has been in existence, there have been

several important landmarks carved through. These
include the establishment of important law-making
bodies and setting up of necessary rules and
regulations.
All these laws and law-implementing
authorities have transformed and made the maritime
sector the powerful domain that it is today.
Known as the International Safety
Management Code, the ISM Code is one of the
aforementioned required regulations in the marine
industry. From the year 1994, it has been a very vital
component of the SOLAS Convention (Safety of
Life at Sea). It was in this year that this code was
form ally adopted and integrated as a part of the
SOLAS Convention.
In other words, it can be also highlighted that the ISM Code Shipping is an
intrinsic part of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in its efforts to
ensure, maintain and effectuate safety for the seafarers as well as simultaneously
providing a pollution-free zone for the sector entirely.
It can be said that the code focuses on bringing the aspect of marine safety to
a common platform for vessels of all nationalities. This eliminates any discrepancies
that could arise about the maintenance of a much-needed safety protocol.
According to the stipulations of the Code, it is mandatory that all ships follow
this code. In order to execute its appropriate functionality, the International Safety
Management Code is supported by a Safety Management System.
This system, abbreviated as SMS, details the various requirements that need
to be followed like:
 Establishment of a managerial committee to oversee the various proceedings
 Ensure that the managerial officers carry out their outlined duties
appropriately
 Corroborate the differences between the outlined responsibilities and the
actual performance to resolve them
 Audit the vessel – both internally and externally so as to eliminate all
possibilities of safety problems.

The latter aspect comes under the ambit of the Planned Maintenance
System. It is expected of every shipping corporation that it carries out auditory
analyses of its safety management system and enforces the same, wherever
lacking.

While the internal auditing is carried out by the company itself, the external
auditing is carried out, every two to three years, by the officials of the country where
the vessel is registered to.

If the vessel has successfully incorporated all the safety requirements, then
the officials issue it with a Certification of Safety Management or the Safety
Management Certificate which brings the entire chain of a process to a fruitful
completion. The International safety management (ISM) code ensures the safety
of life and ship at sea by implementing various safe practices on board ships.

ISM code works with the motive of satisfying three important goals:
 Safety of people on board
 Safety of ship and cargo
 Safety of the marine environment
For implementing ISM code on ships, all the three – the shipping company,
the governing authority, and the ship’s crew together play an important role. Every
seafarer should know the important aspects of the ISM code in order to create a
safe working environment while at sea.
ISM code is implemented on ships in the following ways:
Plans and checklists form the most integral part of the implementation
procedure of the ISM code on ships. Checklists for safe starting and stopping of
shipboard machinery, along with plans to carry out various work procedures on
board ship ensures the safety of the ship and marine environment.
Plans and checklists also include accurate defining of tasks to be carried out
by each crew member of the ship.
Procedures are formed to tackle emergency situations onboard ships. This
emergency preparedness to respond to emergencies is inculcated in the ship’s staff
through drills and various emergency training programmers.
Every activity on a ship is a team effort. Effective team meetings and
discussions help in a great way to take the security of the ship to an all-new level.
In order to ensure the utmost safety of the ship, the ISM code targets the very
basics of the ship’s functioning – ensuring proper maintenance of the ship’s
machinery. This includes
 Inspection of ship machinery at regular intervals of time
 Taking the right actions in case of non-conformity
 Keeping a record of the causes and maintenance activities for future
reference
 Regular testing of equipment and systems
 Training ship personnel and keeping them updated with the latest in the
industry
A maintenance plan is made in order to carry out ship machinery and repair
work. Know how to make a ship maintenance plan here.
Every ship has a safety committee, along with a safety officer, to discuss and
implement new safe working practices and update the existing ones. The master of
the ship is the chairman of the committee and ensures proper functioning of the
same.
Every detail of the ship is noted down in valid documents, which are available
all the time onboard the ship. These documents are reviewed at regular intervals of
time during audits.
 All the changes in the documents are reviewed and approved by the
authorized personnel. Moreover, all the documents necessary for the safety of the
ship are mentioned in the SMS manual.
The shipping company pays an important role to ensure that the ISM code is
properly implemented on the ships. The company also appoints a safety officer, who
is required to carry out his duties properly by providing all the necessary information
regularly.
Following strict safety policies implemented under the ISM code not only
helps in ensuring the safety of life and environment but also benefits the shipping
company in a variety of ways.
The type of procedures adopted for a ship under the ISM code depends on
the type of the ship and the shipping company.
The International Management Code for the Safe Operation of Ships and for
Pollution Prevention (ISM Code) is a management systems model designed to
encourage safety and pollution prevention. Compliance is mandatory for passenger
ships and other ships of 500 gross tonnage and upwards engaged on international
voyages, although individual flag administrations may add to these minimum
requirements.
In general terms, the Code requires that safeguards be established against
the safety and pollution risks involved in shipboard operations. Responsibility for this
is placed firmly on the companies charged with the ships management.
Requirements
The ISM Code requires every Company to develop, implement and maintain a
safety management system (SMS) which includes these functional requirements:
 A safety and environmental protection policy;
 Instructions and procedures to ensure safe operation of ships, and protection
of the environment, in compliance with relevant international and flag State
legislation;
 Defined levels of authority and lines of communication between, and amongst,
shore and shipboard personnel;
 Procedures for reporting accidents and non-conformities with the provisions of
this Code;
 Procedures to prepare and respond to emergency situations; and
 Procedures for internal audits and management reviews
Systematic planning and implementation of activities and operations can lead
to improved management control. Implementation of the ISM Code helps you to
achieve greater operational efficiency and can lead to a reduction in losses arising
from accidents and pollution incidents. Compliance with the Code encourages the
establishment of processes to ensure continual improvement. It leads to confidence
on the part of regulators, charterers, employees, managers and others that the
company and its ships comply with requirements.