Maritime Management: ISM Code Development and Human Contribution in Ship Safety

Running head: MARITIME MANAGEMENT 1
Maritime Management
Name
Institutional Affiliation

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Maritime Management
There has been some development on the ISM code which includes coming up with
other bodies ISPS code which in the year 2004 and the recent one being the Maritime Labor
Convention (MLC) (2006) (Berg, Storgård & Lappalainen, 2013). There are other initiatives,
besides the development of the code of conduct that is mandatory, taken by ship owners and
stakeholders in the shipping industry as well as marine insures, chatters and more specifically
Protection Indemnity Clubs Association and other bodies who are fostering marine
environment protection as well as safer operations of ships (Berg, Storgård & Lappalainen,
2013). Pressure arose from the oil majors, and these are the Oil Companies International
Marine Forum and Ship Inspection Report from which resulted to the vetting inspections
introduced. (Celik, 2009).
ISM Code Development
There is an unveiling of the Tanker Management Self-Assessment to boost safety and
quality assurance. This made the P&I clubs to conduct their own "conditional surveys" more
vigorously (Hänninen, Banda & Kujala, 2014). Where deficiencies were identified, the P& I
clubs imposed restrictions and at times refused to provide insurance covers. This was to
reduce and prevent loses and accidents. This initiative was also developed actively by the
clubs to assist their members with operational risk management which will, therefore, reduce
these accidents and claims (Hänninen, Banda & Kujala, 2014). Industry bodies were
developing initiatives and projects to encourage the safer operation of ships and risk
reduction. These bodies are International Association Of Ship Manager (INTERMANAGER)
IFS, the Baltic and International Maritime Council, the International Association Of
Independent Tank Owners, the International Association of Dry Cargo Ship Owners and the
International Chamber Of Shipping. (Celik, 2009)

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These bodies proceeded to develop countless projects and initiative majorly on
practical subjects which assist in ensuring the safety of the ship. The inspection of foreign
vessels intensified and became more sophisticated when visiting its ports; this was aimed at
identifying deficiencies and assisting international conventions with the implementation of
compliance (Hänninen, Banda & Kujala, 2014).
The Role of Organizations
Intergovernmental organizations and the government were actively coming up with a
variety of maritime safety. ISM code had an excellent chance of contributing to significant
progress protecting the marine environment and more importantly upon collaborating with
some safety and risk management responsibilities taking place in other places of the world at
that time. (Celik, 2009). However, ISM code was never meant to bring about new interparty
dependencies. Basing on the better –known disasters which occurred in the late 1980s and to
the 1990s, the catastrophes triggered of the origin of ISM code. This was attributed to a
formal investigation that was carried out to look into the crushing of the MV Herald of Free
Enterprise(ferry) in March 1987 (Praetorius, Lundh & Lützhöft, 2011). This was carried out
by Sheen J. This capsizing led to the death of 193 passengers and crew members. Not only
did this incident shook the shipping industry together with the marine insurance provider, but
also the measure of this setback was rising to the world media triggering need to emanate and
depend on national governments without excluding politicians to act (Hänninen, Banda &
Kujala, 2014).
Human Contribution in Ship Safety
The findings of the report of Sheen Jehu reports about the aforesaid errors of omission
that led to the disaster was the fault of the Master, Chief Officer, and his assistant (Praetorius,
Lundh & Lützhöft, 2011). The captain failed to issue and also was unable to enforce orders.
This resulted in the report concluding that the crucial faults lay in the Company. Failure of

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assuming responsibility for the safe management of ships by the Board of Directors. In other
words, the directors did not comprehend their duties properly (Hänninen, Banda & Kujala,
2014). All of the administration from top to bottom was guilty of the failure of management
in so far as sharing responsibilities are concerned. This chain of control involved the Board of
Directors all the way down to junior superintendents. The management and the corporate
body were sloppy. This was proved by the person who was the Operations Director and the
one who was the Technical Director (Praetorius, Lundh & Lützhöft, 2011). These two failed
to share management and to give proper directions, therefore, contributing to the disaster. The
court was unimpressed with both gentlemen. In July 1986, the Government issued M Notice
1188. This was as a result of the publication of a report that was investigating the loss of MV
Grainville (Andersen, 2018).
The notice was entitled ‘Good Ship Management.' This probed the ICS and the ISF to
come jointly and produced a publication entitled “Code of Good Management Practice in
Safe Ship Operations.” A section from M notice 1188 which was titled ‘Good Ship
Management' avails some knowledge which eventually evolved in the process into the ISM
code (Bhattacharya, S. 2012). The loss of MV Herald of Free Enterprise, in the UK, in
March 1967 was tragic a led to the introduction of Operations (Kristiansen, 2013). .
These regulations were laid before the Parliament and came into action in December
1988 as a Statutory Instrument. These rules and regulations apply to passenger ships in the
UK (Héritier, Knill & Mingers, 2011). These ships should be on short sea trade. The controls
are developed in two classes. Class II and Class IIA, which in turn were established in two
central tenets. The tenets are as follows; every ship is required to carry an ‘Operation book'
for efficient and safe operations. Owners of the ship are required to appoint a designated
person to oversee the activities and the operations of their ships. The designated person will
ensure that the requirements of the book (Operation Book) are strictly followed. In October