The Call at 0200
Your chief officer knocks on your cabin door. The vessel's main generator has developed a serious oil leak; the engineer has isolated it and is requesting permission to run on the standby generator indefinitely. He adds: "Don't worry, skip — I'll sort it. No need to log anything major." You are the Master. You own this decision, and you own the record.
This is precisely the situation the ISM Code was designed for.
Purpose of the ISM Code
The International Safety Management Code exists to create a structured, documented safety management system (SMS) ashore and afloat. Its two headline objectives are:
- To ensure safety at sea and prevention of human injury or loss of life.
- To avoid damage to the environment and to property.
The Code recognises that most casualties result from human and organisational failures, not equipment failure alone. It addresses this by requiring a management system, not just a checklist.
The ISM Code is given mandatory force under SOLAS Chapter IX.
Application to Yachts
For large yachts under the Red Ensign Group Yacht Code (REG YC Part A, which superseded LY3), ISM applies once a yacht reaches the threshold where SOLAS Chapter IX is engaged. Candidates must be clear: the Code applies to the company (the entity with responsibility for the ship's operation — defined in ISM as the shipowner or any person who has assumed responsibility) and to each individual ship.
The SMS must address, as a minimum:
- A safety and environmental protection policy.
- Instructions and procedures to ensure safe operation and environmental protection.
- Defined levels of authority and lines of communication between shore and ship.
- Procedures for reporting accidents, hazardous situations, and non-conformities.
- Procedures for preparing for and responding to emergencies.
- Procedures for internal audits and management reviews.
The Master's Specific Position Under ISM
The Code places explicit duties on the Master that cannot be delegated:
- Authority and responsibility: the Master has overriding authority to make decisions in the interest of safety and environmental protection. This must be clearly stated in the SMS.
- Implementing the SMS: the Master is responsible for ensuring the SMS is followed by all on board.
- Reporting: the Master must report deficiencies, non-conformities, accidents, and near-misses to shore management through the SMS. The Chief Officer's suggestion to say nothing would be a direct breach.
Certification: Who Holds What
- Document of Compliance (DOC): issued to the company. Valid up to 5 years, with annual verification (±3 months of each anniversary). The Master keeps a copy on board.
- Safety Management Certificate (SMC): issued to the ship. Valid up to 5 years, with an intermediate verification between the 2nd and 3rd anniversaries. The original is carried on board.
Back to your cabin door: you log the defect through the SMS, notify the DPA ashore, implement the contingency, and record everything. That is command-level ISM in practice.