A new in-depth examination of IMCA’s (International Marine Contractors Association) industry vessel inspection programmes, eCMID (Common Marine Inspection Document) and eMISW (Common Marine Inspection Document for Small Workboats) revealed constant concerns about technical inspections, managed entry into confined spaces, cyber safety, and errors in life-saving appliances.
The IMCA eCMID System Annual Report examined the 1,539 reports on vessel inspections completed and uploaded to the eCMID database between April 2022 and April 2023, identifying common themes and areas of special concern.
Approximately 10% of the 761 eCMID inspections did not include a technical inspection performed by the vessel operator, 9% did not have enclosed space access sufficiently managed, 13% had no defined cyber security incident response plan, and 7% had flaws noted on their life-saving equipment.
In the same areas, 77% of the 778 eMISW inspections for smaller vessels did not address dangers within the machinery space, 6% did not have the requisite number/type of lifebuoys, and 6% did not have a scheduled maintenance programme.
“The high number of ISM non-conformances revealed in this analysis demonstrates very clearly why the eCMID and eMISW are credible and justifiable vessel inspection tools which allow us to identify, monitor and drive down unsafe practices for vessel owners and operators which have the potential for accidents and safety incidents,” stated Mark Ford, Marine & Quality manager at IMCA.
