WHAT IS THE ISM CODE ?

International Safety Management (ISM) Code means the International Management

Code for the Safe Operation of Ships and for Pollution Prevention.
The purpose of ISM Code is:
To ensure Safety at Sea
To prevent human injury or loss of life
To avoid damage to the environment and to the ship.
SOLAS adopted the ISM Code in 1994 and incorporated it into chapter IX. By 1998
much of the commercial shipping community was required to be in compliance with
the ISM code
Document of Compliance means a document issued to a Company which complies
with the requirements of this Code.
An Interim Document of Compliance may be issued to facilitate initial
implementation of this Code when:

.1 a Company is newly established; or
.2 new ship types are to be added to an existing Document of Compliance,

The Safety Management Certificate should be issued to a ship for a period which
should not exceed five years.
The Safety Management Certificate should be issued after verifying that the
Company and its shipboard management operate in accordance with the approved
safety management system.
Such a Certificate should be accepted as evidence that the ship is complying with the
requirements of this Code.

An Interim Safety Management Certificate may be issued:

.1 to new ships on delivery;
.2 when a Company takes on responsibility for the operation of a ship which is new
to the Company; or
.3 when a ship changes flag.

Such an Interim Safety Management Certificate should be issued for a period not
exceeding 6 months




In order to comply with the ISM Code, each ship class must have a working Safety
Management System (SMS). Each SMS consists of the following elements:
Commitment from top management
A Top Tier Policy Manual
A Procedures Manual that documents what is done on board the ship, during
normal operations and in emergency situations
Procedures for conducting both internal and external audits to ensure the
ship is doing what is documented in the Procedures Manual
A Designated Person Ashore to serve as the link between the ships and shore
staff and to verify the SMS implementation
A system for identifying where actual practices do not meet those that are
documented and for implementing associated corrective action
Regular management reviews
There are two parts in the ISM code namely Part A and Part B

Elements of Part A Implementation
1. GENERAL
2. SAFETY AND ENVIRONMENTAL-PROTECTION POLICY
3. COMPANY RESPONSIBILITIES AND AUTHORITY
4. DESIGNATED PERSON(S)
5. MASTERS RESPONSIBILITY AND AUTHORITY
6. RESOURCES AND PERSONNEL
7. SHIPBOARD OPERATIONS
8. EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS
9. REPORTS AND ANALYSIS OF NON-CONFORMITIES, ACCIDENTS AND HAZARDOUS
OCCURRENCES
10. MAINTENANCE OF THE SHIP AND EQUIPMENT
11. DOCUMENTATION
12. COMPANY VERIFICATION, REVIEW AND EVALUATION

Elemements of Part B - CERTIFICATION AND VERIFICATION
1. CERTIFICATION AND PERIODICAL VERIFICATION
2. INTERIM CERTIFICATION
3. VERIFICATION
4. FORMS OF CERTIFICATES

Amendments to the ISM Code adopted on 4 December 2008 vide
MSC/Resolution 273(85) Under tacit acceptance criteria*, amendments were
deemed as accepted on 1 January 2010

Entry into force: 1 July 2010

Definition of major non-conformity revised
Internal audits at intervals not exceeding 12 months
Introduces the need for some form of assessment of risks
Company to periodically review the effectiveness of SMS
Introduces the need for preventive action
Clarifies that internal audits be completed within 3 months of interim audit
Clarifies the intent to identify critical standby systems

Breief history of STCW convention.

Adoption: 7 July 1978; Entry into force: 28 April 1984; Major revisions in 1995 and
2010

The 1978 STCW Convention was the first to establish basic requirements on training,
certification and watchkeeping for seafarers on an international level. Previously the
standards of training, certification and watchkeeping of officers and ratings were
established by individual governments, usually without reference to practices in
other countries. As a result standards and procedures varied widely, even though
shipping is the most international of all industries.

The 1995 amendments, adopted by a Conference, represented a major revision of
the Convention, in response to a recognized need to bring the Convention up to date

The 1995 amendments entered into force on 1 February 1997. One of the major
features of the revision was the division of the technical annex into regulations,
divided into Chapters as before, and a new STCW Code, to which many technical
regulations were transferred. Part A of the Code is mandatory while Part B is
recommended.

STCW Convention chapters
Chapter I: General provisions
Chapter II: Master and deck department
Chapter III: Engine department
Chapter IV: Radiocommunication and radio personnel
Chapter V: Special training requirements for personnel on certain types of ships
Chapter VI: Emergency, occupational safety, medical care and survival functions
Chapter VII: Alternative certification
Chapter VIII: Watchkeeping

The Manila amendments to the STCW Convention and Code were adopted on 25
June 2010, marking a major revision of the STCW Convention and Code. The 2010
amendments are set to enter into force on 1 January 2012
The most significant amendments are:
New rest hours for seafarers
New grades of certificates of competence for Able seaman in both deck and
engine
New and updated training, refreshing requirements
Mandatory security training
Additional medical standards
Specific Alcohol limits in blood or breath.
New requirements relating to training in modern technology such as
electronic charts and information systems (ECDIS)
STATE THE REASON FOR FREEBOARD REQUIRMENTS.

Freeboard is the distance from the waterline to the top of the deck plating at the
side of the freeboard deck amidships.

The freeboard deck is the uppermost continuous deck having means of closing all
openings in its weather portion.

The minimum freeboard is based on providing a volume of reserve buoyancy which
may be regarded as safe, depending upon the conditions of service of the ship.

In deep sea ships, sufficient reserve buoyancy must be provided to enable the vessel
to rise when shipping heavy seas.

Explain the term "Condition of Assignment"

If the conditions listed below for the reasons for freeboard requirements are to be
achieved which are:-
1. To ensure that ship cannot be loaded beyond her strength.
2. To provide her with adequate reserve buoyancy
3. To keep the decks high enough from the water to enable the crew to navigate and
handle her in all weathers.

it is important to that all openings in the freeboard deck should be properly
protected and closed and that provision should be made to allow the ship to free
quickly of water which may come in upon the decks.

To ensure that this done, the ship is required to comply with certain "Conditions of
Assignment".

These are conditions which must be met before freeboards are assigned to a ship
and a LOAD LINE CERTIFICATE issued, which enables the load lines and mark to be
graved in and painted on the side of the ship.

Items that may be examined during related survey

The conditions are concerned with water tight integrity of the hull and state
requirements for the strength, height of coamings,

closing arrangements of items such as super-structure and bulkheads, hatchways,
machinery space openings,

openings in freeboard & superstructure decks ventilators, air pipes, cargo ports,
freeing ports, side scuttles, scuppers, inlet and discharges.

Also means provided for protection of crew.