In the past, clients and prospective clients have requested individual audits of vessels that they wished to contract. These audits can be both time-consuming and expensive; and many operators were struggling with the demands placed upon them. The Common Marine Inspection Document (CMID) aims to reduce the number of audits carried out on individual marine vessels through the adoption of a common auditing standard for the offshore industry

A competent and independent third party should complete the audit, enabling subsequent clients or prospective clients to consider their results rather than simply requiring full re-inspections.

As a 'living' document, the CMID can be kept updated onboard, so that the time required for an audit can be reduced.

Latest Updates

The CMID is regularly reviewed and updated in the light of regulatory and technical developments. Issue 7 has been prepared by a cross-industry workgroup with input provided by contractors (vessel operators), charterers (oil companies through their trade association OGP), consultants and other interested parties at dedicated workshops in Amsterdam and Kuala Lumpur.

The document has been thoroughly reviewed and rewritten, with a clearer structure, removing previous subjectivity in the questions and incorporating updates to reflect technological, operational and regulatory developments. Additional guidance is provided on inspector competence. Finally, vessel-type-specific appendices have been removed.

Future Developments

A new electronic format - the 'e-CMID' is planned together with a secure online database, both intended to further enhance the consistent completion and availability of completed CMID reports. News on these developments will be made available on this page.

Guidance on Use of the CMID (IMCA M 167) has been withdrawn and a new version is to be prepared, providing full guidance on the use of the CMID with notes to assist auditors in completing the document The guidance will provide a worked example and will also identifies sections for which vessel personnel can prepare by assembling appropriate documentation prior to the auditor's arrival.