Audit Scheme

The IMO Member State Audit Scheme (IMSAS) assesses how effectively a state discharges its duties as a flag, port, and coastal state under the mandatory IMO instruments it is party to. It ran as a voluntary scheme from 2006 and became a treaty obligation on 1 January 2016, when amendments institutionalizing it entered into force. The audit standard is the IMO Instruments Implementation Code (III Code), adopted by Assembly resolution A.1070(28). Each member is audited on a fixed cycle, and findings drive corrective-action plans monitored by the Secretariat. IMSAS is the IMO’s primary mechanism for verifying uniform implementation.