Make sure you know who is supplying your ship

Ship owners and managers should spend more time checking the validity and ability of suppliers servicing their ships and not just opt for the cheapest price, the President of the International Shipsuppliers & Services Association (ISSA) has warned.

Working only with quality assured ship suppliers can also guard against the supply of inadequately sourced supplies and pirated spare parts being sold on as the original, said Jens Olsen, ISSA President. “It can be difficult for owners and managers to determine who is a quality ship supplier and who isn’t, especially in these tough economic times,” he added.

That is why ISSA is insisting that all Association full members and every company seeking to become an associate member of ISSA undergo accreditation through the ISSA Quality Programme.

“Getting on for 200 ISSA ship supply companies worldwide have so far been audited and certified to the ISSA Quality Standard and more are in the pipeline. Work to upgrade the present Quality Standard is currently being considered, to add further attractions to the ship supply companies who hold this valuable certification,” he added.

Regarding the issue of pirated spare parts, Mr Olsen said: “In years gone by this was a major problem but ship suppliers and their customers, the ship owners and managers, soon wised up to the dangers of pirated spare parts and the consequent revenue loss, not to mention the dangers that using such spare parts caused.

“Our own ISSA Members Quality Standard has gone a long way towards eradicating this problem and only a fool would install a spare part on board his ship which did not have absolute provenance,” he said.