DNV aims to assist the industry in a smooth transition towards a safety and security culture in shipping companies and on board ships.
The certification process depends on the decisions made at IMOs Diplomatic Conference in December, but DNV has decided that its resources will be put to best use as a certification body in this process. DNV will not involve itself in security assessments or preparation of security plans, to avoid any conflict of interest.
The International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) code clearly states that an RSO (Recognised Security Organisation) cannot review and approve a security plan if it has been involved in performing the security assessment or the preparation of the plan.
The security assessments and assistance to develop security plans should be carried out by competent persons with skills to evaluate the security of a ship. There are, however, a couple of guides available on how to perform security assessments of a ship.
As an RSO, DNV is prepared to review and approve ship security plans. The review will be based on the security assessment and the ISPS code as well as any special flag state requirements.
When the plan is implemented on board, shipboard verification will be done by a DNV security surveyor. Both plan approval and shipboard verification will be performed by specially trained surveyors.
DNV will then issue the ship security certificate, provided the plan is in order and successfully implemented on board. The certificate is valid for five years, including one intermediate shipboard verification.
Date: 2002-12-15