Management systems
ISM safety management systems, built to be used and to pass audit
Fastnet develops safety management systems for shipping companies and managed vessels, from defining the operating model through to implementation and audit preparation. We also review existing systems when ownership, management arrangements, vessel scope or trading profile change.
The aim is a system people can actually use, ashore and on board, with clear responsibilities, controlled documentation, and evidence that the procedures are being applied.
When we can help
You may be establishing a ship management company, bringing vessels into management, replacing fragmented documentation, or preparing for an external audit.
The trigger is usually one of four: a new DOC application, an expanding fleet, a failed or deferred audit, or a client assurance finding the system cannot answer.
What the assignment can include
- Operating model review: who decides what, who reports to whom, and where shore authority ends and the master’s begins
- Gap assessment of the existing system against the ISM Code, flag, class and client requirements
- Document hierarchy and master document register, sized to the fleet and the trade
- Shore and shipboard manuals, procedures, forms and registers, written as one coordinated suite
- Emergency preparedness, operational controls, maintenance interfaces and reporting arrangements
- Document control, controlled issue, rollout planning and familiarisation
- Internal audit, corrective action tracking and verification that findings are genuinely closed
- Audit readiness review against the ISM Code, flag and client requirements
Where ISPS, MLC or other arrangements overlap the SMS, we address the interfaces so instructions, records and responsibilities stay consistent rather than contradicting each other.
How we deliver the work
We begin with the organisation and the operating profile, then assess what documentation and evidence already exist. The agreed scope identifies what will be developed, what we need from you, and who reviews and approves each deliverable.
During development we check consistency between manuals, procedures and records. Implementation support focuses on controlled issue, familiarisation and evidence of use — a system is not implemented when it is issued, it is implemented when people use it. The final readiness review identifies what remains open and what that means for the audit programme.
Every deliverable is reviewed by a competent person other than its author before it is issued.
What you receive
- An SMS gap assessment, where an existing system is being reviewed
- Safety management system manual and controlled procedures, in editable source format
- Document hierarchy and master document register
- Defined responsibilities and authorities, shore and shipboard
- Internal audit programme, checklists and reports
- A findings and corrective action register, with findings closed and verified
- An audit readiness action register
- Familiarisation and training material for shore and shipboard personnel
Evidence
Fastnet has built an entire company safety management system from the ground up, supported its implementation across the shore and shipboard organisations, and carried it through the external audit process to the award of a full Document of Compliance.
That is the complete journey described on this page, delivered end to end.
What is not included
Fastnet does not issue Documents of Compliance, Safety Management Certificates or any statutory certificate, and is not a classification society or recognised organisation. Audits performed by Fastnet are internal or second party. Submissions to flag and class remain under your control throughout. Where a requirement depends on certification Fastnet does not hold, we say so at enquiry stage.
Common questions
Can you improve our existing SMS rather than replace it?
Yes. We review and update an existing system, remove duplication and resolve inconsistencies while retaining the procedures and operational knowledge that are working. Rebuilding from scratch is rarely the right answer and is always the expensive one.
Can you support implementation on board?
Yes. That can include familiarisation, rollout planning, verification of records and follow-up of findings, with attendance agreed around the fleet and the programme.
Does the engagement include DOC certification?
No. Fastnet supports development, implementation and audit readiness. Certification and the issue of the Document of Compliance remain with the flag Administration or its recognised organisation.
How long does it take?
It depends on the fleet, the trade and how much usable documentation already exists. The gap assessment at the start establishes that, and the programme is agreed before development begins rather than estimated in advance of knowing the answer.
Start with your operating model
Tell us what you are working with.
Tell us whether this is a new system or an existing one, the vessel types and flags involved, the number of shore and shipboard personnel, your last audit position and any open findings, and the date you need to be ready. We can then define a practical scope.