Document of Compliance

The Document of Compliance is a certificate issued by the flag state or a recognised organisation — typically a classification society — to a shipping company confirming that its Safety Management System has been audited and found to comply with the requirements of the ISM Code as mandated by SOLAS Chapter IX. The DOC covers the ship types operated by the company and must be renewed every five years, with annual verification audits conducted ashore. For a shipping company's designated person ashore and fleet managers, the DOC is the cornerstone of the company's statutory compliance framework. Without a valid DOC, no ship managed by the company may be issued a Safety Management Certificate and no ship may trade internationally. The DOC audit examines the company's procedures, how it manages safety and environmental protection, how non-conformities are reported and closed, and how the company responds to incidents on board. Masters and officers should be familiar with the scope of the company's DOC, particularly the ship types covered. If the company begins operating a new ship type not covered by the existing DOC, an amendment must be sought before the vessel trades. Port state control inspectors verify that both the DOC and the ship's SMC are current and cover the vessel type. Expired documentation or a mismatch between the ship type operated and the DOC scope is a detainable deficiency.