Compliance manual

A compliance manual is the company document that aligns shipboard and shore operations with regulatory and management-system requirements, principally the ISM Code under SOLAS Chapter IX. It sets out company policy, the responsibilities of the Designated Person Ashore, procedures for safe operation, reporting of accidents and nonconformities, internal audits, and the link between the Document of Compliance and each ship’s Safety Management Certificate. In an integrated management system it is read alongside the quality manual (ISO 9001) and the environmental procedures (ISO 14001). Port state control and class auditors check that shipboard practice matches the manual.