SMS – Officer of the Watch

Lessons from the Deepwater Horizon Incident

February 14, 2013 by Officer of the Watch Leave a Comment

The following article was initially published in SAFETY4SEA by Apostolos Belokas Managing Editor of SAFETY4SEA. On January the 3rd of 2006 the US Authorities released the investigation report of the M/T Bow Mariner investigation. It was a shocking thing to read throughout the report and realize that many items were found to be out of order. Let aside the key finding : Root cause of the incident was the failure of the operator to properly implement SMS. Five years later, same day the US Authorities released the preliminary report of the findings of the investigation of the Deepwater Horizon Incident.

Lifeboat Arrangements Related Deficiencies

August 22, 2012 by Officer of the Watch Leave a Comment

According to statistic data of PSC inspections for ships classed with ClassNK in 2011, a frequency of PSC pointing-out deficiencies with the lifeboat arrangements had once decreased in 2010, however, it was increased again in 2011 to the top frequency (277 deficiencies pointed out / 78 detentions).

ISM Code & ISO 9001 Onboard Ships

May 26, 2012 by Stavros Kairis 1 Comment

The International Safety Management Code for the Safe Operation of Ships and for Pollution Prevention (ISM Code) is an international standard for the safe management and operation of ships focusing towards the protection of the environment and the safety of the crew as well as equipment. The ISM Code is mandatory for all vessels of more than 500 gross tonnages including mobile offshore drilling units.

ISO 9001:2008 specifies requirements for a quality management system which ensures that a company provides products/services that meet customer as well as any applicable statutory and regulatory requirements. Moreover, ISO 9001 aims to enhance customer satisfaction.

Both ISO 9001 and the ISM Code specify a systematic approach to management by those responsible for management of ships. ISM Code with ISO 9001 provides a basis for ensuring management systems are also driven by customer needs for the continued success of a shipping company.