Bulletin No.: 05/2002

PDF Version


RDIMS No.: 126514
Date (Y-M-D): 2002-06-03

 

Subject: International Management Code for the Safe Operation of Ships and for Pollution Prevention

The purpose of this Ship Safety Bulletin is to advise owners and operators of Canadian and Foreign registered ships with respect to compliance with the International Management Code for the Safe Operation of Ships and for Pollution Prevention.

The International Management Code for the Safe Operation of Ships and for Pollution Prevention, also known as the International Safety Management ( ISM ) Code, was adopted by the International Maritime Organization ( IMO ) on the 4 November 1993. The ISM Code is a requisite document regarding safety and pollution prevention management of marine companies, covering both vessel and shoreside operations. The document includes thirteen required elements, one of which is the establishment of a Safety Management System ( SMS ).

In May 1994, the International Maritime Organization adopted a resolution amending the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea ( SOLAS ) to adopt the International Safety Management Code as a new Chapter IX of SOLAS . This amendment to the SOLAS Convention requires certain shipowners of Convention vessels to comply with the ISM Code according to a specified timetable:

  • All passenger ships, including passenger high speed craft, are to comply not later than the 1 July 1998.
  • Oil tankers, chemical tankers, gas carriers, bulk carriers and cargo high speed craft of 500 tons gross tonnage and over are to comply not later than the 1 July 1998.
  • Other cargo ships and mobile offshore drilling units ( MODUs ) of 500 tons gross tonnage and over are to comply not later than the 1 July 2002.

IMO recommended that all national Administrations adopt earlier deadlines than those specified above for the implementation of the ISM Code, in recognition of the significant lead time required for shipowners/operators to establish and document the Safety Management System required by the Code.

The International Maritime Organization, in a separate resolution, also strongly urged marine administrations to implement the ISM  Code on a national basis for non-Convention ships to the greatest extent possible.

It is the policy of Transport Canada Marine Safety to promote the adoption of the ISM Code by the owners and operators of all ships operating in Canadian waters. Transport Canada Marine Safety will promote the adoption of the ISM Code on a voluntary basis for the owners and operators of all Canadian registered vessels not subject to mandatory compliance. In order to facilitate the adoption of the ISM Code, Transport Canada Marine Safety accepts Documents of Compliance and Safety Management Certificates issued by the following Classification Societies:

  1. American Bureau of Shipping
  2. Bureau Veritas
  3. Det Norske Veritas
  4. Germanischer Lloyd
  5. Lloyds Register

Only documents issued by the above Classification Societies, all of whom have offices in Canada, will be accepted by Transport Canada Marine Safety as evidence of compliance with the Code. This does not preclude the use of other agencies, but shipowners and operators should be aware that, if the Code becomes mandatory for their particular vessels, only documents issued by the above agencies would be considered valid.

Canadian ships entering foreign ports and foreign ships entering Canadian ports may be subject to a Port State Control inspection. A concentrated inspection campaign on ISM will be conducted by the Paris and Tokyo MOU from July 1st to September 30th, 2002.

Requests for further information or comments with respect to the above issues should be addressed to:

Mr. Richard Day
Director, Ships and Operations Standards
Transport Canada Marine Safety (AMSE)
330 Sparks Street, 11th Floor
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0N8
Tel: 613-991-3131
Fax: 613-993-8196

 

 

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International Management Code for the Safe Operation of Ships and for Pollution Prevention (17 KB) 

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Keywords:                                  Questions concerning this bulletin should be addressed to:

1.  International Safety Management
2.  SOLAS
3.  ISM
AMSEA
Said Nassif
613-998-0641
Transport Canada
Marine Safety
Tower C, Place de Ville
11th Floor, 330 Sparks Street
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0N8
 
 

To add or change your address, contact us at: marinesafety@tc.gc.ca

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