DOC, Document of Compliance

A Document of Compliance (DOC) is the ISM Code certificate issued to the COMPANY, not the ship, confirming its safety management system meets the Code for the ship types it operates. The matching ship-level certificate is the Safety Management Certificate (SMC). The DOC is valid up to five years, subject to annual verification, and a copy must be kept on board each ship. The ISM Code is mandatory under SOLAS Chapter IX (Reg.4 requires both the DOC and the SMC). Loss or non-renewal of the DOC invalidates the SMCs issued under it.