Section 5(8) in The Merchant Shipping (Management for the Safe Operation of Ships) Rules, 2000
(8)A Safety Management Certificate (SMC) shall be issued by the Central Government to a ship after an initial verification of compliance with the requirements of the International Safety Management Code as follows and for this purpose-(a)the Auditor shall verify the establishment and implementation of Safety Management System on board the ship, which includes the verification that the Document of Compliance for the Company responsible for the operation of the ship is applicable to that particular type of ship;(b)there is an objective evidence demonstrating that the Company's Safety Management System has been functioning effectively for at least three months on board the ship, including inter alia, records from the internal audits carried out on the ship.(c)the Auditor shall, where a satisfactory Safety Management System is in operation, present a declaration to that effect to the Central Government for issuance of a Safety Management Certificate to the ship.
