IMO Audit (IMSAS)

The IMO Member State Audit Scheme became mandatory on 1 January 2016, when SOLAS, MARPOL, Load Lines, STCW, Tonnage, and COLREGs were amended to require it. It audits how a state meets its obligations as flag, port, and coastal state against the III Code, the Code for the Implementation of IMO Instruments. Each member is audited on a roughly seven-year cycle; the audit is a structured review, not an inspection of ships, and its findings drive corrective-action plans rather than penalties.