Ocean Time Marine has developed a Safety Management System (SMS) Software / Template to assist commercial vessel operators in writing a SMS. The requirement currently in force states that all Australian Commercial vessels used for commercial purposes shall have a Safety Management System. This requirement is stated in the Commonwealth enacted legislation the Marine Safety (Domestic Commercial Vessel National Law) Act 2012.

The owner must provide and maintain the vessel so that the vessel is, so far as reasonably practicable, safe. The owner must implement and maintain a safety management system that ensures that the vessel and the operations of the vessel are, so far as reasonably practicable. The owner must provide, so far as reasonably practicable, such information, instruction, training or supervision to people on board the vessel as is necessary to ensure their safety.

The master must so far as reasonably practicable, implement and comply with the safety management system for the vessel and the operations of the vessel. The vessel operators shall ensure that a Safety Management System which can be documented and is established, implemented and developed in the company’s name and on the individual vessels in order to identify and control the risks and also to ensure compliance with requirements laid down in the NSCV Part E. The contents, scope and documentation of the Safety Management System shall be adapted to the needs of the vessel, crew and its activities. When do I need to get a Certificate of Operation? If your operation does not currently hold a certificate, you must obtain a Certificate of Operation before 30 June 2016. If you wish to change your current operations, or change where you operate, you will need to apply for a Certificate of Operation before making these changes.

From 1 July 2016 the requirement for a certificate of operation will be made applicable. How to get started with Ocean Time Marine safety management Vessel safety management made simple. Introducing the vessel Safety Management System template software for Mac and PC. Featuring an easy-to-use and intuitive process to help you take control of your safety systems, write your own SMS and keep all your safety documents organised.

The system is designed for commercial fishing, shipping, fishing charter, work-boats, ferries, commercial yachts and charter yachts. Now you can easily produce a Fully-functional and regulatory-compliant safety management system for your maritime operation without the need for expensive consultants. Everyone on board has to be given the opportunity to participate actively in the development of a safety management system. It is also important that everyone on board and in the company assumes responsibility for keeping the system alive, so that the documentation reflects how work is conducted on board and in the company. Knowledge and competence has to be kept up-to-date, so that the work related to health, environment and safety is ongoing at all times. We get the best results by working continuously with improvements so that we avoid making all-out efforts. Do the job properly the first time, it will pay off. Taking shortcuts and risks is often bad for business in the long run.

Remember that it is better and cheaper to prevent than to repair. It is important that the system is functional and adapted to the operation on board. In principle, there is no requirement for electronic systems in order to operate a safety system, but it may sometimes be effective to use available electronic aids to avoid losing oversight. When purchasing ready-made systems, it is important to remember that the system still has to be adapted to your vessel; the job is not done simply by purchasing a system. You have to start using the system, and get the people working on board to take ownership of the system by participating actively. Ocean Time Marine does provide a consultancy service, however we believe that you the operator best understands your own operation. Below you will find some simple guidelines on how you can get started creating a safety management system, if you still haven't begun. The most important thing is to get started! See how many other vessel operators have found Ocean Time Marine the most effective way to manage their safety. When all hazards have been identified, you can start assessing the measures which are necessary in order to eliminate the hazard or to make the task/equipment safer. Check for existing routines for health, safety and safety, and consider whether other measures are necessary in order to improve the safety and work environment. Check that equipment and work methods are in accordance with the regulatory requirements for safe operation.

Ocean Time Marine emails you a risk assessment template as well as some completed examples to give you guidance and some prompts to create your own risk assessment. Make sure that the measures are followed up and implemented within the deadline. Feel free to use the Ocean Time Marine tool for carrying out risk assessment.

Be sure to consult your crew when completing a risk assessment. Based on the routine and emergency duties to be performed on board, and equipment to be operated, it should be assessed whether the crew has the necessary training. Create an overview of the courses and competences that the crew should have, and tick the box for completed / not completed. For the areas where the crew is lacking competence, a deadline for training should be set. Update the overview continuously. This way the training will be documented, while at the same time providing an overview of the need for training. Such tables can easily be created in Excel or Word. Emergency preparedness Using the identification, risk assessment and action plan you will get an overview of the emergency situations, which may arise on board or in connection with the vessel. Based on this, you have to make plans for how to handle an emergency should it arise. What can be done in order to avoid the situation and to minimise any damage? This will in turn constitute the foundation for drills that you have to carry out regularly.

Follow-up of incidents – If an accident, near-accident or breach of procedure or other incidents should occur, you should ensure that lessons are learnt from the incidents, and that the conditions that caused the incidents are rectified. It is often easy to blame it on human error, but there are usually other causes for misactions. Factors such as training, organisation, use of overtime and non-compliance with rest periods are often underlying causes for an incident. Establish a written procedure for noting down incidents that occur on board, and log measures in the follow-up of the incidents.

Designate a responsible person for the execution of the measure(s) and a deadline for completion. This way a continuous improvement is achieved, and misactions and deficiencies are not repeated. Maintenance plan Non-scheduled shutdowns most often involve direct costs for repairs and loss of income, not to mention considerable irritation. Creating a plan for the maintenance will therefore be profitable in the long run. You can choose to use IT-based maintenance systems or to create your own system for the follow-up of components and equipment on board.

You have to start by identifying the objects to maintain and then decide the maintenance method best suited for each object: preventive, condition-based or corrective maintenance. Documentation Get an overview of relevant acts and regulations for your vessel, and systemise the documentation. An electronic system is not necessary, it is possible to start out with binders and binder dividers. The most important thing is that you and your crew are in control and have an overview.

Continuous improvement – Look at the challenges in the operation, and ask the following questions: What are we good at? What are we not so good at? Rally everyone in the company and on board the vessel to participate in the improvement effort, and give everyone the opportunity to make suggestions. No improvement is too small to be implemented!

Create good routines for reviewing systems and work processes on board in order to find areas for improvement. Be safe at sea.