Scribd
Upload
45 views2 pages

Module 1 Development of ISM Code For The Safe Operation of Ships and For Pollution Prevention

The ISM Code provides international standards for safe ship operation and pollution prevention. It was developed in response to serious shipping accidents in the 1980s caused by human error and management failures. The ISM Code was adopted by the IMO in 1993 and incorporated into the SOLAS convention in 1994, becoming mandatory for certain ship types from 1998. The Code's objectives are to ensure safety at sea and prevent human injury, loss of life, and environmental damage.

Uploaded by

Jomer Pascua
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
45 views2 pages

Module 1 Development of ISM Code For The Safe Operation of Ships and For Pollution Prevention

The ISM Code provides international standards for safe ship operation and pollution prevention. It was developed in response to serious shipping accidents in the 1980s caused by human error and management failures. The ISM Code was adopted by the IMO in 1993 and incorporated into the SOLAS convention in 1994, becoming mandatory for certain ship types from 1998. The Code's objectives are to ensure safety at sea and prevent human injury, loss of life, and environmental damage.

Uploaded by

Jomer Pascua
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 2

Module 1 Development of ISM Code for the Safe Operation of

Ships and for Pollution Prevention

Introduction :

The International Safety Management (ISM) Code


The purpose of the ISM Code is to provide an international standard for the safe
management and operation of ships and for pollution prevention. It safeguards the
shipmaster in the proper discharge of his responsibilities with regard to maritime safety and
the protection of the marine environment.
Recognizing that no two shipping companies or shipowners are the same and that ships
operate under a wide range of different conditions, the Code is based on general principles
and objectives, which include assessment of all identified risks to one Company’s ships,
personnel and the environment and establishment of appropriate safeguards.

Background
The ISM code was born out of a series of serious shipping accidents in the 1980s, the worst
of which was the roll-on roll-off ferry Herald of Free Enterprise which capsized at Zeebrugge
in March 1987, killing 193 of its 539 passengers and crew. The cause of these accidents
was a combination of human error on board and management failings on shore. The Herald
of Free Enterprise public enquiry report concluded that ‘From top to bottom the body
corporate was infected with the disease of sloppiness’.

Development of ISM Code

In October 1989, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) adopted new Guidelines on
Management for the Safe Operation of Ships and for Pollution Prevention giving operators a
‘framework for the proper development, implementation, and assessment of safety and
pollution prevention management in accordance with good practice’. Following industry
feedback, the guidelines became the ISM code in November 1993 and were incorporated in
a new chapter IX of the IMO’s 1974 International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea
(SOLAS) in May 1994, and became mandatory for companies operating certain types of
ships from 1 July 1998.

The Structure of the ISM


The Code is a two-part document (Part A and Part B) describing mandatory requirements
and guidance on safety management systems, for the safe operation of ships and pollution
prevention . Part A provides implementation requirements and Part B provides ISM
certification and verification requirements

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.

You might also like