ISM – The Role of the DPA

ISALOS Forum
Despina Moustaka DPA-Maran Gas Maritime Inc.
Stavros Hatzigrigoris Managing Director-Maran Gas Maritime Inc.
• The idea of a Code related to safety management was
in the agenda of the maritime industry since the
middle of the Eighties, however the concept of the
Designated Person Ashore appeared only after the
accident of HERALD OF FREE ENTERPRISE (HOFE) on
6.3.87 while she was sailing from ZEEBRUGGE. The
accident caused the loss of 188 human lives.
• Deeply influenced by the investigation following the
accident, the British introduced the Designated
Person term.

• The DPA is an addition to the normal staff of a

traditional shipping company; a person especially
designated to ensure a reliable connection between
History
the management and the personnel on board and to The Concept of the Designated Person
supervise the operations of their ships. Ashore (DPA).

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New Role Why? 80’s – 90’s
The first idea of a DPA .

The Management of Townsend-Thoresen, was held accountable for the failure

in the management of safety of its ferries and it was estimated that a person
particularly designated to deal with the problems of safety in the company was
needed.
This failure was regarded as one of the causes of the accident. This was
perhaps the case in this company, but in the majority of the other shipping
companies, a marine superintendent – with assistant for large companies - was
traditionally the "Safety Officer" in charge of all the problems related to the
safety of ships and to safe operations.
The General Management of TOWNSEND THORESEN reorganized its
management structure after the trial and named an Operation manager as
DPA.

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 Why? Another Incident
The birth of the ISM CODE

• The concept of the Designated Person Ashore presented by

Scandinavian Star Fire Incident : the British had problems to integrate in the successive
• M any people probably did not hear the alarm s due to distance
between their cabins and the alarm s, and due to ordinary resolutions of IMO on the management of safety.
m echanical noise of the ship system s.
• Once again it is a dramatic accident, the fire on board
• Som e people probably could not find their way out because of
“SCANDINAVIAN STAR” in April 90 with 158 casualties, which
thick sm oke obscuring the exit routes and signage.
• Burning m elam ine panels in the hallways produced rushed towards passing Resolution A 680 in 1991 followed by
poisonous hydrogen cyanide and carbon m onoxide, causing Resolution A 741 in 1993 which led to the birth of the ISM
rapid unconsciousness and death. Code as we know it.
• Num erous Portuguese crew m em bers did not speak or
understand Norwegian, Danish or English, were unfam iliar with • The concept of the Designated Person Ashore was supported
the ship, and had never practiced a fire drill. by the British and was finally presented and agreed in its
• Only a few crew m em bers even thought to put on breathing current form by the working group on the ISM then by the
m asks before entering sm oke filled corridors. MSC and finally by the 17th assembly of IMO in 93.
• On Deck 5, where m ost passenger deaths occurred, the
hallways were arranged in a layout that contained dead-ends • The ISM Code entered into force on July 1st 1998.
and did not otherwise logically lead to em ergency exits.

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 ISMCode as incorporated inChapter IX of Solas
• CONTENTS OF THE ISM CODE
• General – Definitions – Objectives – Functional
Requirements
• Safety and Environmental Protection Policy
• Company Responsibilities and Authority
• Designated Person
• Master’s Responsibility and Authority
• Resources and Personnel
• Shipboard Operations
• Emergency Preparedness
• Reports and Analysis of Non-Conformities, Accidents and
Hazardous Occurrences
• Maintenance of the Ship and Equipment
• Documentation
• Company Verification, Review and Evaluation

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 DPA-Task No. 1
Designated Person Ashore ….the link
.

• To ensure the safe operation of each ship and to provide a

link between the company and those on board, every
company, as appropriate, should designate a person or persons ashore having
direct access to the highest level of management.
…by highest management we include the decisional level and in particular the
financial level and when we speak about those on board we think of all the crew members
because if not, the Code could have assigned this to the master of the ships.

This lack of connection was clarified by the court in the accident of HOFE and specifies
in its “attendus”: "the need for… maintenance of proper channels of communication
between Ship and Shore for the receipt and dissemination of information"

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DPA -Task No.2
…. ensuring that adequate resources and shore-based support are
applied, as required

The practice of the HOFE’s and other ferries’ Captain which had taken their responsibility in these unacceptable
practices with a unique commercial aim (departure before the scheduled time, arrival on time, maximizing
passengers and freight) were not granted but did not receive any answer or even a verbal refusal !
They asked for:
• Warning lamps for the opening of the front doors (doors were invisible from the bridge), request which made the
"directors“ laugh … They even acknowledged it in front of the court!
• Replacement of the ballast pump by a more powerful one to accelerate the correction of trim after the departure
• Request for calculation of stability in this significant negative trim situation (abnormal situation not studied in the
stability booklet)
These requests from the captains were blocked at “management" level by one or more of the non-competent
persons in the management company.

A qualified person ashore having these managerial skills and taking care of these requests could have intervened and at
least ensured an answer to the Captain.

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 DPA – How?
The responsibilities and the minimum authority of the DPA
(Designated Person Ashore) are found here:
.
• Often forgotten, this responsibility of the Designated Person is not simple to ensure.
• How can the DPA supervise the operations of each ship concerning safety and environmental protection
from his/her base on shore?

Risky practices followed by the crew of TOWNSEND

THORESEN (several ships were concerned) to leave the
port with ship’s doors open and/or with a negative trim of
almost 1m, would have perhaps been corrected if a person,
responsible to supervise the operations, had informed the
highest level of the management of these bad practices!

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 SMS connection
Designated Person Ashore ….the link
.
Consequently, the Safety Management System (SMS) of the company must envisage the operation of
this connection :
§ Reality of the possibility for the designated person to contact the CEO for a problem which can
not be solved at the lower management level;
§ Proof of evidence of transmission (E mail/recording/letter);
§ The name and the role of DPA are known to all persons on board; moreover small posters on the
bridge and in crew accommodations provide additional information;
§ The designated person (or substitute) should be contactable 24/7 by telephone or E mail;
§ The SMS will specify the responsibilities for DPA in this transmission.
In the event of an accident, the court looking for the cause, will seek to find who did not ensure "due
diligence".
The responsibility for the designated person could be required if by misfortune, he / she did not transmit
to the head of company, as it is his/her duty according to the ISM Code, significant information related to
a possible cause of accident.

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 SMS -Departments connection
Links within the organization
Management
§ Direct Access to Company’s management

Designated
Person Ashore

Company Functions § Monitoring safety and pollution prevention aspects

- Technical Dept. § Requesting resources and shore-based support
- Operations Dept. § Contact point for all safety and pollution prevention matters
- Crew Dept.
- Legal Dept.
- Other Depts.

!! All ship’s crew must have direct access to the DPA

Fleet
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 Monitoring Safety - How
It is practically impossible to ensure the monitoring of safety of the
operations of each ship.

The DPA “tools” to ensure part of the monitoring of safety:

• via visits/inspections on board during calls or trips,

• the follow-up of shipboard recordings as safety drills reports,
• familiarisation recordings,
• maintenance and periodic tests of all ship’s equipment,
• safety and training meetings,
• orders for repairs or spare parts,
• captains reviews and
• of course the internal audits.... But this is only a control measure.

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Monitoring Safety
It is practically impossible to ensure the monitoring of safety of
the operations of each ship.
.
So do we need a representative of the designated person on board, a controller in situ in charge of supervising… the
work of the others?

The responsibilities of the Captain include that he should "verify that specified requirements are observed " (ISM Code §
5.1.4) ie he must supervise:

• that all ship’s operations, all activities are carried as it should be,
• that the ship must be in a state such as it has been envisaged by rules and regulations and ….the SMS
• etc.

… the Captain is thus the natural representative of the designated person on board !
The relations between the DPA and the Captain are thus privileged relations corresponding to the § 4 of the ISM Code.

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Duties & Responsibilities of the DPA

Monitoring & Supervision Development & Maintenance

o Adherance to Policy o Development of the SMS
o Performance of the SMS o Maintenance of the Safety Management Manual
o Follow-up SMS developments with the management o Implementation of the SMS
o Evaluation of internal audits o Performance of Internal Audits
o Evaluation of Masters’ Review o Organization of external audits
o Evaluation corrective actions o Preparation of management review
o Evaluation of near miss, incidents & accidents o Defining corrective actions
o Monitoring legal and technological developments and o Organization of safety training and contingency exercises
information of management and vessels
o Safety Administration
o Communication with management and vessel

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Internal Audit Findings | 2018

Pe
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M le
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Aver age

2
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M na
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2

Ul
Management Review

ys
se
1

01 . G ener al I nfo rm at io n

02. Cer t if ic at i onan d

Do cume nt ati on

03. Cr ew M anagem ent

0.0% 0.0% 0.0%

04. Navi gat io n

48.5%

05. Saf et y M anagem ent

24.2%

06. Pol lut i on Pr event ion

15.2%

07. St ru ctur al Co ndit i on

0.0%

08. Car go and Ball ast Syst em s

09. M oor in g

1 0.C om mu nic at io ns and

3.0% 3.0% 3.0%

El ectr on ic s
VIQ Chapters Categorization | 2018

1 1 .Eng ine Room and Ste eri ng

15.2%

Gea r
1 2.G ener al App eara nceand
3.0%

Con dit io n
Pollution|2%
Implication|3%

Equipment
Operational
problem|25%
Cargo Operation
Fire/Explosion|8%
Navigational Accident|4%
Near M iss Potential Category|2018

Equipment
Damage|26%
Injury|33%

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 Personal Qualities and Skills

• Act as an advisor and supporter, not a policeman DPA qualifications, training and experience as set out in MSC
• Ability to assess, judge and motivate MEPC.7/Circ. 6

• Independent Educational Background

• Precise and thorough
To be able to carry out the assigned responsibilities effectively, an
• Prepared to take challenges individual must have a proper educational background, wherein
he/she will be able to gain knowledge of health and safety
• Remain calm in a crisis regulations.
This can be done by acquiring qualifications
• Sensitive to different cultures 1.from a tertiary institution recognized by the Administration or by
• Recognize the crew’s limitations the recognized organization, within a relevant field of management,
engineering or physical science, or
• Create a sense of community-teamplayer .2 qualifications and seagoing experience as a certified ship officer,
or
• Time Management and organization skills .3 other formal education combined with not less than three years
• Integrity practical senior level experience in ship management operations.

• Manage changes , stay abreast with the professional trend 15

The DPA in the 21st Century
1998…2018
Integrated
Management
OHSAS System (IMS)
MLC 18001

ISPS ISM Code ISO 9001

VIQ
ISO 14001 TMSA
ISO 50001 ISO 26001

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ThankYou
MARAN GAS MARITIME
[email protected]
www. marangas.com

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