Welcome to VesselAuditor by Rares-Julian Simu

As an experienced Vessel Inspector, I will conduct audits of all types of vessels, as per my accreditation. Audits are conducted according to International Marine Contractor’s Association (IMCA) Common Marine Inspection Document (CMID) protocol. In special cases, for third party audits, I will use the commissioner audit forms or templates. In any case, a step-by-step procedure will be followed, as listed below:

• The auditor will evaluate the vessel and its management system against the criteria defined in the applicable protocol, and record any observations in the relevant part of the report template. The auditor will indicate where such observations represent a non-conformance with the criteria;
• The auditor reports to the commissioner of the audit.

Audits take place on board vessels in port or at sea. The auditor is responsible for:

• conducting an Opening Meeting with Master or their delegate to state the audit aims and plan the audit activity;
• conducting the audit in such a manner as to fulfil the criteria in the template;
• conducting a Closing Meeting with Master or their delegate to present initial observations, settle any disputed observations if possible and where asked by the crew, provide verbal guidance on how any non-conformities might be addressed;
• preparing the audit report using the relevant protocol;
• delivering the audit report to the commissioner of the audit within five days of leaving the vessel. 

The basic principles of the CMID Vessel Inspector Code of Conduite are:

• PROFESSIONALISM

• OBJECTIVITY

• INDEPENDENCE

• INTEGRITY

• CLIENT RELATIONS

• PROFESSIONAL RELATIONS

• NON-COMPLIANCE

• PERSONAL CONDUCT

• RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE CODE AND THE CMID INSPECTOR

IMCA is a trade association and exists for the benefit of its members across the offshore, marine and underwater engineering industry.

IMCA operates with a global focus via a structure of technical committees made up of experts elected from member companies, supported by a small, focused secretariat in London. They are a respected voice around the world promoting good practice, particularly in the areas of health, safety and environment, quality and efficiency, as well as providing technical guidance.

In common with other trade associations, IMCA provides its members with guidance, allowing them to ‘self-regulate’ rather than look to clients, or governments for setting rules and procedures. While governments legislate on a range of issues in the public interest, they cannot produce legislation for every part of an industry’s operations – nor may that be desirable. A key benefit of industry guidance is that it can be implemented and updated more quickly than legislation, which is vital in an industry with rapidly advancing technology.

As a trade association IMCA must also comply with international competition law (competition, antitrust and similar laws). IMCA uses strict guidelines to ensure compliance.