# The Merchant Shipping (International Safety Management (ISM) Code) Regulations 2026, Regulation 20: Issue, endorsement, suspension or cancellation of relevant documents by another Convention country


The Secretary of State may request the government of another Convention country to—
(a) conduct a verification of an ISM company which owns or has assumed responsibility for the operation of a United Kingdom ship to verify compliance by that company with each requirement of the ISM Code applicable to that company;
(b) conduct a verification of a United Kingdom ship to verify compliance by that ship with each requirement of the ISM Code applicable to that ship;
(c) issue or endorse a Document of Compliance or an Interim Document of Compliance, if satisfied that an ISM company which owns or has assumed responsibility for the operation of a United Kingdom ship is complying with each requirement of the ISM Code applicable to that company;
(d) issue or endorse a Safety Management Certificate or an Interim Safety Management Certificate, if satisfied that a United Kingdom ship is complying with each requirement of the ISM Code applicable to that ship;
(e) include a statement in the relevant document that it has been issued by that government and has the same effect as if it had been issued by the Secretary of State;
(f) cancel or suspend a relevant document which that government has issued in relation to the operation of a United Kingdom ship, when notified by the Secretary of State that—
(i) in respect of a Document of Compliance, an application has not been made for the annual verification required by paragraph 13.4 of the ISM Code;
(ii) in respect of a Safety Management Certificate, an application has not been made for the intermediate verification required by paragraph 13.8 of the ISM Code; or
(iii) the Secretary of State has evidence of a major non-conformity.

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Source: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2026/194/regulation/20 (the official version)
Page: https://openlegislation.uk/merchant-shipping-international-safety-management-ism-code-regulations-2026/regulation-20
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives.