Safety inspections of ships are a crucial and mandatory part of maritime operations, ensuring compliance with international regulations and safeguarding crew, cargo, vessels and the environment. Understanding how the process of safety inspections of ships is undertaken and maintaining readiness is essential to avoid deficiencies and ensure smooth operations. A well-prepared master plays a vital role in ensuring successful safety inspections. Masters should conduct regular self-inspections to identify and rectify potential deficiencies, maintain an updated checklist covering all inspection areas, and train crew members on emergency procedures and regulatory requirements. They should also communicate with port authorities and classification societies for guidance and keep all records well-organized and readily available for inspection.
Key guidance for safety inspections of ships and what’s required:
- Documents, certificates, and publications referred to in the inspection form must be readily available, preferably in a central location, for examination and verification by the inspector.
- Publications obviously not applicable to a vessel need not be produced; e.g., dry cargo vessels need not obtain tanker safety publications, but OBO type ships should obtain them.
- The following should be made ready for the inspector: a) The official Minimum Safe Manning Certificate, b) The original National Certificate of Competence (C.O.C) and Endorsement or Certificate of Receipt of Application for same for each officer, c) For each crewmember: a Seafarers Identification Record Book with appropriate Special Qualification Stickers, d) In the case of passenger ships, the certificates of all survival craft/rescue boat crewmen in particular, and e) A copy of the current crew list and the ships emergency station bill.
- Navigation records, publications, charts, log books, oil record book, cargo record book, ballast water record book, training records (to include fire and abandon ship drills, weekly safety training exercises, and security drills), and all similar material must be available for inspection, preferably in one location, such as the chart room.
- Inspectors have the authority and have been instructed accordingly to make a spot check of lifesaving, fire-fighting, and general safety conditions covered by the SOLAS Certificate. The Master will be instructed to call in the Classification Society for examination and/or verification as may be necessary.
- The Master should have lifeboats uncovered and the vessels firefighting equipment and appliances in their normally stowed positions ready for the inspectors examination. Sufficient crew will ned to be on board and should be prepared to conduct such emergency drills as circumstances may dictate and permit.
- The engine room must be clean and free of oil leaks before any inspection. Additionally, documentation such as the Statement of Compliance for the Consumption of Oil, the SEEMP, BDNs, and records related to the energy efficiency of the ship must be up to date.
- The pilot ladder and associated gear such as gunwale steps, lights, manropes and so on should be accessible and in conformance with the latest requirements in SOLAS Regulation V/23.
- To facilitate the efficient conduct of safety inspections of ships, one of the vessels staff shall be available to accompany the inspector at all times during the process.
- If safe to do so, the inspector will take at least the following photographs of the ship: a) From the shore: bow, quarter, and stern, b) On board: bridge/wheel house, weather deck from both the bow and bridge, lifeboats and launching apparatus, and any damage, defect, or areas of concern.
