ISM Code Lead Auditor and DPA Practice Course

Advanced ship-shore assurance for safety management auditors, designated persons, superintendents, and senior officers.
ISM Code Lead Auditor and DPA Practice Course

At a glance

Duration
5 days
Format
Classroom
Cities
Nairobi, Munich, Rome, Frankfurt, Madrid, Jakarta and more
Next session
18 – 22 October 2026, Nairobi
Average fee
7,550 €

Overview

The ISM Code Lead Auditor and DPA Practice Course is a five-day advanced course for designated persons, ship managers, superintendents, SMS auditors, compliance functions, and senior officers who leave with an ISM Safety Management Assurance Plan. The course integrates ISM governance, DPA oversight, ship-shore controls, audit evidence, corrective action, emergency interfaces, and management review. Agile Leaders Training Center delivers this course on ISM Code audit leadership and DPA practice.

Who Should Attend

  • Shore management functions responsible for safety management system governance and resources
  • Designated person functions responsible for ship-shore communication, monitoring, and escalation
  • Marine assurance functions responsible for audit planning, evidence, findings, and follow-up
  • Fleet technical and operational functions responsible for procedures, maintenance, and risk controls
  • Shipboard leadership functions responsible for implementation, reporting, drills, and review

The course assumes participants contribute to maritime safety management or assurance and leaves out flag authorization, classification decisions, and certification approval.

Departments and Industries

The course supports ISM assurance decisions across vessel operations and shore management.

  • Marine operations and fleet management departments
  • Safety, quality, risk, and compliance functions
  • Technical management and vessel maintenance teams
  • Shipping, offshore support, and passenger vessel operations
  • Port services and maritime logistics organizations

Learning Objectives

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

  • Analyze ISM Code responsibilities across ship and shore
  • Evaluate SMS operational, risk, and emergency controls
  • Build a risk-based management system audit plan
  • Apply evidence, interview, sampling, and finding methods
  • Diagnose nonconformities and evaluate corrective actions
  • Create an ISM Safety Management Assurance Plan

Course Agenda

Day 1: ISM Governance and DPA Oversight

  • ISM Code Purpose Objective and Requirement Map
  • Company Master and DPA Responsibility Matrix
  • Safety Management System Document Hierarchy
  • Ship-Shore Communication and Escalation Protocol
  • ISM Risk and Control Register

Day 2: Operational Safety Management Controls

  • Critical Shipboard Operation Procedure Map
  • Vessel Maintenance Defect and Reporting Workflow
  • Emergency Preparedness Drill and Response Matrix
  • Incident Hazard and Nonconformity Reporting Flow
  • Operational Control Effectiveness Review Checklist

Day 3: Lead Audit Planning and Evidence

  • ISO 19011:2026 Audit Principle Application Guide
  • Risk-Based SMS Audit Program and Scope Plan
  • Audit Criteria Sampling and Trail Selection Matrix
  • Interview Observation and Document Evidence Triangulation
  • Audit Finding and Evidence Traceability Record

Day 4: Corrective Action and Management Review

  • Nonconformity Classification and Root Cause Method
  • Corrective Action Ownership and Effectiveness Test
  • DPA Trend Monitoring and Escalation Dashboard
  • Safety Management Review Input and Decision Pack
  • Ship-Shore Assurance Reporting and Follow-Up Protocol

Day 5: ISM Assurance Practice

  • Suggested Exercise: ISM Responsibility and Control Mapping
  • Suggested Exercise: SMS Audit Plan and Evidence Challenge
  • Suggested Exercise: Interview Finding and Nonconformity Simulation
  • Suggested Exercise: Corrective Action and Management Review Test
  • Capstone Exercise: ISM Safety Management Assurance Plan

Practical Exercises

The course includes suggested activities for applying ISM audit and DPA decisions across ship and shore operations.

  • Suggested activity: map company, master, and DPA responsibilities to controls, records, and escalation routes.
  • Suggested activity: build an SMS audit trail and test evidence from operational and emergency scenarios.
  • Suggested activity: draft a nonconformity, analyze its cause, and evaluate a corrective action.
  • Suggested activity: present an ISM Safety Management Assurance Plan with review and follow-up decisions.

FAQs

Who suits the ISM Code Lead Auditor and DPA Practice Course?

Designated persons, marine managers, superintendents, SMS auditors, compliance functions, and senior officers suit the course; it assumes involvement in safety management implementation or assurance.

How does ISM lead auditor practice differ from general maritime safety training?

ISM lead auditor practice evaluates a documented management system through criteria, evidence, findings, corrective action, and follow-up rather than focusing only on individual safety procedures.

What evidence supports an ISM safety management system audit?

ISM audit evidence can include controlled procedures, operational records, maintenance and defect reports, drill records, incident reports, interviews, observations, previous findings, corrective actions, and management review decisions.

How does a DPA support ISM assurance?

A DPA supports ISM assurance by monitoring safety and pollution-prevention activities, maintaining ship-shore communication, identifying resource and support needs, escalating concerns, reviewing trends, and following corrective actions.

What belongs in an ISM Safety Management Assurance Plan?

An ISM Safety Management Assurance Plan links responsibilities, risks, operational controls, audit scope, evidence trails, findings, corrective actions, DPA monitoring, escalation, management review, and follow-up.

Conclusion

Participants leave with an ISM Safety Management Assurance Plan connecting ship-shore responsibilities, operational controls, audit evidence, corrective action, and management review. The work product turns assurance expectations into defined activities, owners, records, and escalation points. It supports traceable oversight and consistent improvement decisions across the safety management system.

credits: 5 credit per day

Course Mode: full-time

Provider: Agile Leaders Training Center

Showing 21-40 of 58 events
Image Location Dates Duration Mode Price Actions
Dubai Dubai Week 09, 2027
1 – 5 March 2027
5 Days Onsite €6,500
Milan Milan Week 10, 2027
8 – 12 March 2027
5 Days Onsite €7,000
Paris Paris Week 11, 2027
15 – 19 March 2027
5 Days Onsite €6,500
Langkawi Langkawi Week 12, 2027
28 March – 1 April 2027
5 Days Onsite €8,000
Nice Nice Week 14, 2027
5 – 9 April 2027
5 Days Onsite €8,000
London London Week 15, 2027
12 – 16 April 2027
5 Days Onsite €6,500
Al Jubail Al Jubail Week 15, 2027
18 – 22 April 2027
5 Days Onsite €7,500
Kuwait Kuwait Week 16, 2027
25 – 29 April 2027
5 Days Onsite €7,000
Tokyo Tokyo Week 18, 2027
3 – 7 May 2027
5 Days Onsite €12,000
Phuket Phuket Week 18, 2027
9 – 13 May 2027
5 Days Onsite €8,000
Barcelona Barcelona Week 20, 2027
17 – 21 May 2027
5 Days Onsite €6,500
Cairo Cairo Week 21, 2027
24 – 28 May 2027
5 Days Onsite €5,200
Manama Manama Week 21, 2027
30 May – 3 June 2027
5 Days Onsite €6,500
Johannesburg Johannesburg Week 22, 2027
6 – 10 June 2027
5 Days Onsite €6,000
Toronto Toronto Week 23, 2027
13 – 17 June 2027
5 Days Onsite €16,000
Seoul Seoul Week 24, 2027
14 – 18 June 2027
5 Days Onsite €12,000
Vienna Vienna Week 25, 2027
21 – 25 June 2027
5 Days Onsite €7,500
Chicago Chicago Week 25, 2027
27 June – 1 July 2027
5 Days Onsite €16,000
New York New York Week 26, 2027
28 June – 2 July 2027
5 Days Onsite €16,000
Geneva Geneva Week 26, 2027
4 – 8 July 2027
5 Days Onsite €8,000

Frequently asked questions

What does this course cover?

OverviewThe ISM Code Lead Auditor and DPA Practice Course is a five-day advanced course for designated persons, ship managers, superintendents, SMS auditors, compliance functions, and senior officers who leave with an ISM Safety Management Assurance Plan. The course integrates ISM governance, DPA oversight, ship-shore controls, audit evidence, corrective…

Are training dates available?

Yes. Available dates and destinations are listed in the course dates section on this page.

How can I register?

Choose an available date on this page and complete the registration form, or send a programme enquiry.

Can I download the course brochure?

Yes. Use the brochure download link provided on this page.

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