A PSC officer asks to see your security certificate. What certificate do you produce, who issues it, and how long is it valid?

A. The International Ship Security Certificate (ISSC) is issued by the flag state or a recognised security organisation on its behalf. It confirms the ship has been verified as complying with the ISPS Code. Valid for a maximum of 5 years. An Interim ISSC can be issued for 6 months when a ship is newly built, changed flag, or changed company.

B. The ISSC is issued by the port state control authority at the first port after vessel commissioning. It is valid for 12 months and must be renewed annually.

C. There is no specific ISPS certificate. Security compliance is confirmed by a note on the Safety Management Certificate (SMC) and the DOC.

D. The ISSC is issued by the CSO personally and is kept ashore at the company office. The master holds only a letter of authority from the CSO.

A. The International Safety Management Code is a mandatory international standard for the safe management and operation of ships. It is given mandatory effect by SOLAS Chapter IX, which requires companies and ships of 500 GT and above on international voyages to hold a Document of Compliance (DOC) and Safety Management Certificate (SMC).

B. The ISM Code is a voluntary industry guideline published by the ICS that sets out best practice for ship safety management. Compliance is required for ships over 3,000 GT only.

C. The ISM Code is an MCA statutory requirement published under the Merchant Shipping Act 1995. It applies to all UK-flagged vessels regardless of size.

D. The ISM Code is mandatory under MARPOL Annex VI for vessels in emission control areas and requires a Safety Management System to be in place covering pollution prevention.

A. The Document of Compliance (DOC) is issued to the company by the flag state or a recognised organisation on its behalf, confirming the company's SMS meets ISM Code requirements. The Safety Management Certificate (SMC) is issued to each individual ship, confirming the ship's SMS operates in conformity with the approved DOC.

B. The DOC is issued to the master personally confirming the master is competent to manage the ship's SMS. The SMC is issued to the company for all its ships collectively.

C. Both the DOC and the SMC are issued to the ship by the port state control authority after a PSC inspection. They are valid for the port in which the inspection took place.

D. The DOC covers environmental management under MARPOL and the SMC covers safety management under SOLAS. Both are issued to the ship owner.