A certificate issued to a ship confirming its Safety Management System is operating in accordance with the ISM Code.
In practice
For a master, the SMC is the ship-level validation of the ISM Code. It signals that the flag state has verified that the ship's procedures are in place, that the crew is familiar with them, and that the system is functioning. In practice, the intermediate verification — conducted aboard the ship by an auditor — examines whether drills are being conducted and documented, non-conformities are being reported and closed, and the master is exercising overriding authority appropriately.
Regulatory detail & full definition
The Safety Management Certificate is issued to a specific ship — not to the company — by the flag state or a recognised organisation after an initial audit confirming that the ship's Safety Management System is implemented effectively in accordance with the ISM Code. It must be renewed every five years, with an intermediate verification between the second and third year of the certificate's validity. The certificate must be kept on board at all times.
For a master, the SMC is the ship-level validation of the ISM Code. It signals that the flag state has verified that the ship's procedures are in place, that the crew is familiar with them, and that the system is functioning. In practice, the intermediate verification — conducted aboard the ship by an auditor — examines whether drills are being conducted and documented, non-conformities are being reported and closed, and the master is exercising overriding authority appropriately.
Port state control inspectors will check the SMC's validity and may conduct a detailed ISM Code assessment if the ship's record indicates systemic problems. Common findings include non-conformities that were opened but never closed, drill records that are missing or formulaic, and crew who are unable to explain the procedures relevant to their duties. A ship whose SMC is about to expire and for which the verification audit has not been scheduled is flagged as a compliance risk.