European Commission wants to extend ISM Code to all ships

European Commission wants to extend ISM Code to all ships    The European Commission will ask the European Parliament and Council to extend the application of the International Safety Management (ISM) Code to cover all vessels.
   “In practice, this means that member states of the European Union will be able to deny access to, or refuse the departure of, any ship not in possession of ISM certificates,” the commission said in a statement.
   The European Community has previously made application of the ISM Code mandatory only for roll-on/roll-off passenger ferries.
   The ISM Code is part of the 1974 International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), adopted by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in 1993.