{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/merchant-shipping-international-safety-management-ism-code-regulations-2026/regulation-16",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/merchant-shipping-international-safety-management-ism-code-regulations-2026/regulation-16.json",
  "legislation": "uksi/2026/194",
  "legislation_title": "The Merchant Shipping (International Safety Management (ISM) Code) Regulations 2026",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/merchant-shipping-international-safety-management-ism-code-regulations-2026",
  "path": "regulation/16",
  "kind": "regulation",
  "number": "16",
  "heading": "Verification and Safety Management Certificate requirements in respect of United Kingdom ships",
  "text": "(1) Subject to payment of any prescribed fee, a Certifying Authority must, on being notified by a surveyor of the matters specified in paragraph (2), issue a Safety Management Certificate in respect of a United Kingdom ship to which these Regulations apply.\n(2) The matters referred to in paragraph (1) are that the surveyor—\n(a) is satisfied that a valid Document of Compliance has been issued to the ISM company which owns or has assumed responsibility for the operation of that ship;\n(b) has carried out an initial ship verification or a renewal ship verification in respect of that ship; and\n(c) is satisfied at the date of completion of that verification that the ship complies with each requirement of the ISM Code applicable to it.\n(3) Subject to payment of any prescribed fee, a Certifying Authority must, on being notified by a surveyor of the matters specified in paragraph (4), endorse a Safety Management Certificate which has been issued in respect of a United Kingdom ship pursuant to paragraph (1).\n(4) The matters referred to in paragraph (3) are that the surveyor—\n(a) has carried out an intermediate ship verification in respect of that ship; and\n(b) is satisfied at the date of completion of that verification that the ship complies with each requirement of the ISM Code applicable to it.\n(5) A Certifying Authority may at any time require that a United Kingdom ship is subjected to an additional ship verification.\n(6) A Safety Management Certificate issued pursuant to this regulation, and any endorsement of it, must be in a form corresponding to the model given in the Appendix to the ISM Code.\n(7) A Safety Management Certificate issued in respect of a ship pursuant to this regulation must be—\n(a) held on board that ship; and\n(b) readily available for inspection at all times.\n(8) For the purposes of paragraph (2)—\n(a) an initial ship verification must take place—\n(i) before the ship is put into operation; or\n(ii) where the ship has been issued with a valid Interim Safety Management Certificate, before the expiry of that certificate;\n(b) subject to regulation 18(9) and (10), a renewal ship verification must take place before the expiry of an existing Safety Management Certificate.\n(9) For the purposes of paragraph (4), an intermediate ship verification must take place during the period beginning with the day after the second anniversary date of the ship’s Safety Management Certificate and ending with the third anniversary date of that Certificate.\n(10) In these Regulations—\n“additional ship verification” means a verification other than an initial ship verification, intermediate ship verification, or renewal ship verification and comprises the matters specified in the Annex to Marine Guidance Note 708 (M);\n“initial ship verification ” means the verification of that description referred to in paragraph 13.7 of the ISM Code and comprises the matters specified in the Annex to Marine Guidance Note 708 (M);\n“intermediate ship verification” means the verification of that description referred to in paragraph 13.8 of the ISM Code and comprises the matters specified in the Annex to Marine Guidance Note 708 (M);\n“renewal ship verification” means the verification of that description referred to in paragraphs 13.10 to 13.13 of the ISM Code relating to renewal of a Safety Management Certificate which comprises the matters specified in the Annex to Marine Guidance Note 708 (M).",
  "extent": null,
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2026/194/regulation/16",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-28T21:05:24.789877+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}