Operations Manual

F5. The Reference Layer: Glossary, Units, Signals and Information Sources

Definition

Statutory ISM-mandated documentation onboard.

An operations manual is the documented set of procedures a ship follows for routine and emergency operations, forming part of the safety management system the ISM Code requires. ISM Code paragraph 7 requires the company to establish procedures, plans, and instructions for key shipboard operations affecting safety and pollution prevention; paragraph 8 covers emergency preparedness. The manual sits in the SMS document hierarchy below the company policy and above specific checklists, and it must be controlled (paragraph 11), with current versions on board and obsolete documents withdrawn.

Source: ISM Code paras 7 (shipboard operations), 8 (emergency preparedness), 11 (documentation).