Controlling the Operation of the Ship and Care for Persons on Board
Safety management
The ISM Code requires a Safety Management System with documented procedures and defined responsibility, aimed at safety at sea, prevention of human injury, and avoidance of damage to the environment and property. Risk assessment, permit to work for hot work and enclosed space entry, PPE, toolbox talks and near-miss reporting are its practical face. Audits, non-conformities and the Document of Compliance and Safety Management Certificate complete the picture.
People
STCW rest hours: at least 10 hours in any 24 and 77 hours in any 7 days, the 10 hours in no more than two periods, one of at least 6 hours. MLC 2006 covers accommodation, food, medical care, repatriation and complaint procedures. Familiarisation before duty, drills, the muster list and the safety committee are all examinable.
Environment and port interface
MARPOL Annex V garbage record book and placards, Annex I Oil Record Book entries, ballast water management, SOPEP and sewage. The ISPS Code security levels and ship security plan sit alongside the safety plan, and port State control inspections test the record keeping as much as the hardware.
Trap: confusing MLC rest entitlements with STCW limits, and treating a familiarisation checklist as a substitute for drills.
Rule of thumb: count rest over both windows - a watchkeeper who satisfies 10 in 24 can still fail 77 in 7.