The Synopsis of Ocean Grow’s International Safety Management

Shipping business is technical and complicated. The laws of the flag states and the codes established by international organizations affect a ship greatly. Aside from a captain's direct responsibility for the ship, that of a ship's management and safety falls on ship-owner or the organization/people entrusted by the ship-owner.

90% of accidents are caused by human effect. The act and negligence of people are the most common reasons of each accident; surely there are also reasons of structure or equipment failures.

Most ship companies face the problem of how to reduce pollution and accidents caused by improper human decisions to a minimum. The major target is to make sure all members are well informed and fitted, so the ship can achieve its business goals.

IMO, the International Maritime Organization, makes the regulation of International Safety Management Code for Safe Operation of Ships and for Pollution Prevention (ISM Code) in accordance with SOLAS Convention (International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea) for the purpose of the safety management above. Establishing the international standard of ships’ safety management and operation, the ISM Code is the standard for companies and ships that operate safety management system and preventing environmental pollution.

The SMS, a safety management system, is established and maintained by the company. It is written in both Chinese and English, the same as the main language used when working on board. The communication link between the authority of the system and everyone managed under the system is the keystone of operating SMS. Once the SMS is produced in documentation, all activities concerning safety and environmental protection would be the core of the SMS.

According to the SMS, a company should document all management procedures, to ensure no matter on shore or on the vessel, any events, activities, or operations which may concern safety or environmental issues should be taken under the regulation and company rules.

Within the scope of the allowable improvement, the SMS is able to identify and correct the deficiencies, and measures its effectiveness through the document system.

A well-structured SMS should keep the company to enhance its management and the SOP for emergency response. If ship companies establishes it SMS successfully and its ships are operated under the SMS effectively, it can reduce accidents of people injured, environmental pollution, damage of the equipment, and financial loss.

Assist Ships in Executing the Safety Management System (SMS)

Ocean Grow is responsible for offering all of the documents, records, and checklists for the SMS (Safety Management System) and the SSP (Ship Security Plan) in accordance with the requirements of the ISM (International Safety Management) Code and ISPS (International Ship and Port Facility Security) Code to ships. The entire crew members on board have to conform to the standard of STCW Code. We cooperate fully with them to get SMC and ISSC.

Guide and Assist Ships to Get SMC/ISSC/MLC

Ocean Grow always do our best to provide the most integrated service to help ship-owners and guide the crew to get the SMC, ISSC, and MLC as soon as possible, so ship-owners can develop their business without misgiving, and their ships will sail all over the world without obstruction.
1. Safety Management Certificate (SMC)
2. International Ship Security Certificate (ISSC)
3. Maritime Labour Certificate (MLC)

The Execution and Drill of the Emergency Response Plan

To assist the safety operations of ships in emergency situation disposal, emergency response team should be established in maintaining a link between the Company and ships. The members of emergency response team shall establish emergency response plans for each ship. It should be executed immediately and carry out drill program periodically.

When it comes to ships' security, environmental pollution, accidents, and other emergency cases, the response team may respond effectively to emergencies. A good emergency response plan would minimize the effect that created by accidents. Furthermore, it reduces the damage to the ships and the crews, prevents accident from deteriorating, and greatly reduces the loss of ship-owners.

The Necessary Safety Training and Education Required on Board

Crews are the most important element of ship management, and the quality of the workers on board is the key to success. Ocean Grow training objectives are to ensure all management and marine crew receive the necessary training and enable them to:
1. Obtain the relevant knowledge and skills to perform their duty to the highest standards and to develop their potential ability.
2. Update and maintain personnel according to statutory industry training requirements.
3. Implement appropriate training programs.
4. Maintain overall efficiency and to make every seafarer on board achieve the required safety standards of SOLAS Convention (International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea) and STCW Code (International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers).
5. To build awareness of risk assessment concepts

The Audit of the Ships and the Company

The internal audit for both the Company and the ship shall be undertaken at regular intervals not exceeding twelve months. The leader of the auditing group designated by the D.P.A. (Designated Person Ashore) shall propose the auditing plan, receive the approval of the D.P.A., and notify the departments/ships to be audited. We will carry on regular inspections to ensure the safety management system in accordance with the Safety Management System Manual, and assist ship-owners to manage and coach their ships to conform to the ISM Code’s requirements.

Assist Ship-Owner in Checking the Demand for Onboard Supplies

Ocean Grow offers assistance for ship-owners to check the item /quantity of the ship supplies, for example, fitting, materiel and supplies, lube oil, etc., and gives the ship-owner advice on procurement.

Routine Maintenance of Ship and Equipment

In order to keep ship in good condition and operation, Ocean Grow is in charge of assisting ships in carrying out routine and occasional maintenance. The maintenance program of navigation and communication equipment is also based on the SMS Manual. Non-conformity parts should be recorded, and implementation of corrective actions should be provided.

Ocean Grow can assist ship-owner to process the ship register with several flag states, and we are experienced in managing ships of various flag states.

Ocean Grow has received the DOCs (Documents of Compliance) issued by classification societies such as ClassNK, Class NU, Class CR, Class PMDS, etc, and we can assist ship-owners in implementing ship management business, so that ships meet the relevant requirements of the international safety management regulations.

● Dry-docking Planning

According to the requirements of the ship bottom inspection, we arrange the dry-docking and class inspection at the appropriate time and place based on the vessel’s sailing schedule, and effectively use the time and budget to reduce the cost for the ship-owner.

● Ship Inspection

We regularly check the hull, equipment, and crew operations to ensure that the ship operates in accordance with international conventions, reduce accidents, and reduce the risk of ship detention.

● Pre-Purchase / Pre-Sale Inspections

We find suitable ships in the ships trading market according to the ship-owner’s needs, check the ships value through pre-sale ship surveys, and estimate the cost before entering the operation.

● Regulatory Services

We provide the updates of the latest international conventions and flag state regulations and interpretations, and assist in developing plans to meet regulatory requirements.

● Technical support

We provide technical support for maintenance or repair of marine equipment and machinery, and developmaintenance plans in accordance with manufacturers specifications and classification society requirements.