ISM/MLC Readiness Checklist for Superyacht Managers
PSC inspections and flag state audits can arrive with little warning. Use this checklist to verify your vessels are audit-ready across ISM and MLC requirements — before an inspector does it for you.
5 min read·Yacht Managers & DPAs
Port State Control officers and flag state auditors do not announce their arrival on a convenient schedule. For management companies and Designated Persons Ashore (DPAs), the only reliable strategy is continuous readiness. This checklist covers the six areas most commonly scrutinised during ISM and MLC inspections — from Safety Management System documentation through to your internal audit trail. Work through it with your captain or purser ahead of any port call in a high-activity PSC region.
1. SMS Documentation
The Safety Management System is the backbone of any ISM audit. Inspectors will check that a valid, vessel-specific SMS is on board, that crew can locate it, and that it reflects current operations — not a generic template from three owners ago.
Company safety and environmental protection policy statement is signed, dated, and current — and posted or accessible to all crew.
SMS manual version number and revision date are recorded; the master copy held ashore matches the on-board copy.
Emergency procedures for fire, flooding, grounding, collision, and abandon-ship are documented and vessel-specific (not generic).
Responsibilities and authority matrix is up to date and reflects the current management company, DPA, and master.
All crew can locate and navigate the SMS — confirm during embarkation familiarisation and log it.
Environmental management procedures (garbage, sewage, oil record book) are included and current with applicable MARPOL annexes.
Crew familiarisation records are on file for every crew member, including documentation of system-specific training.
2. Certificate Management
A single expired certificate can trigger a PSC deficiency or, in the worst case, a detention order. The vessel certificates below must all be current, correctly endorsed for the flag state, and physically on board (or e-certified where the flag accepts it).
Safety Management Certificate (SMC) is valid and the flag-state issuing authority is consistent with current flag registration.
Document of Compliance (DOC) held by the management company is current; a certified copy is on board.
Declaration of Maritime Labour Compliance (DMLC) Parts I and II are on board, signed, and match current crew complement and trading area.
Maritime Labour Certificate (MLC Certificate) is valid — note the intermediate inspection due date and confirm it was completed.
Class certificate, Tonnage certificate, Load Line certificate, and Safety Equipment certificate are all within their validity windows.
Flag state registration certificate and radio licence are on board and current.
Confirm no outstanding flag state conditions of class or conditions of survey that are past their resolution date.
3. Drill & Training Records
Drills are only valuable if they are recorded — and records are only useful if they are accurate, signed, and retrievable in under two minutes during an inspection. PSC officers routinely ask to see the last three entries for any given drill type.
Fire drill records include date, muster station confirmation, firefighting team roles, and the name of the officer who conducted the debrief.
Abandon-ship drill records show participation by name, liferaft/lifeboat deployment procedure reviewed, and any debrief actions noted.
Man-overboard drill records include recovery procedure practised, equipment deployed, and timing where possible.
Medical emergency drill records are on file — confirm the designated medical officer role is assigned and documented.
SOPEP (Shipboard Oil Pollution Emergency Plan) drill conducted and recorded within the required interval.
All drill records are signed by the master and stored in a format that can be retrieved immediately — not buried in a folder stack.
Crew changes since the last drill are noted; new crew have completed their muster/familiarisation before the vessel departs.
4. MLC Crew Welfare
MLC 2006 compliance is inspected separately from ISM and covers seafarer employment, wages, rest hours, and welfare. These items are checked both by PSC officers and during flag state MLC audits. Non-compliance in this area can result in significant port delays and reputational damage.
Seafarer Employment Agreements (SEAs) are on file for every crew member currently on board — signed, dated, and compliant with flag state requirements.
Crew wage accounts are documented; crew can access their wage records on request.
Hours of Rest (HoR) records are maintained per MLC Regulation 2.3 — individual logs for each crew member, up to date, and signed at the required interval.
Rest hour records reflect actual working patterns — confirm no systematic override of minimum rest requirements without proper exception documentation.
Seafarer complaint procedure is posted in a visible location accessible to all crew, in the working language of the vessel.
Repatriation entitlements and procedures are documented and understood by crew.
Recruitment and placement records confirm no fees were charged to seafarers in breach of MLC Standard A1.4.
5. Maintenance & Deficiency Records
A well-maintained vessel is the clearest signal of a competent SMS in practice. Inspectors look beyond the paperwork to the physical condition of safety-critical equipment — and they will check whether your records match what they find on deck.
Deficiency log is current — all open deficiencies are recorded with a responsible party, target resolution date, and status.
No overdue critical or safety-critical maintenance items in the Planned Maintenance System (PMS).
Liferaft service certificates, EPIRB battery/hydrostatic release, and pyrotechnic expiry dates are all current.
Fire detection system, fixed suppression systems, and portable extinguisher service records are within their inspection intervals.
Navigation and communication equipment (including GMDSS) is serviceable; any known defects are in the deficiency log with an action plan.
Engineering log confirms critical equipment (steering, bilge, fire pump) was tested on schedule.
Any class-required surveys or thickness measurements due in the next 90 days are identified and booked.
6. Internal Audit Trail
The ISM Code requires management companies to conduct internal audits of their SMS at defined intervals. The audit trail — non-conformities raised, corrective actions taken, and closure verification — is one of the strongest indicators of a functioning safety culture, and PSC officers know it.
Date of the last internal ISM audit is recorded; it falls within the required annual interval (or more frequently per your SMS).
All non-conformities (NCs) raised during the last audit have a documented corrective action with a responsible person and target date.
Closed NCs have a verified closure record — not just a note that action was taken, but evidence it was effective.
Observations from the last audit that were not raised as formal NCs are tracked and reviewed.
DPA has reviewed the internal audit report and signed off on the corrective action plan.
Next scheduled internal audit date is confirmed in the calendar and resources allocated.
Audit records are retained for the period required by your flag state and SMS (typically a minimum of three years).
How MMV supports this
ManageMyVessel is built around the reality that ISM and MLC compliance is an ongoing operational discipline, not a periodic scramble. Rather than assembling evidence from email threads and shared drives at inspection time, MMV keeps your compliance posture visible and up to date as part of normal day-to-day vessel operations.
Safety Manuals — maintain a live, version-controlled digital SMS accessible to crew on board and to the DPA ashore, with revision history always on record.
Documents module — track every vessel certificate with expiry dates and configurable alert windows, so renewals are actioned before they become deficiencies.
Forms — standardised digital drill records and deficiency logs that are signed, timestamped, and stored against the vessel — ready to show an inspector in seconds.
Hours of Rest — MLC-compliant HoR records maintained per crew member, with summary views that flag potential violations before they become PSC findings.
Smart Workflows — automated escalation for overdue items ensures nothing falls through the cracks between vessel and office, with full audit visibility for the DPA.
Compliance dashboard — fleet-wide view of certificate status, open non-conformities, and overdue maintenance items, giving management companies real-time visibility across every vessel they manage.