The International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) has introduced significant updates to its eCMID (electronic Common Marine Inspection Document) system, reinforcing its commitment to improving safety, efficiency, and standardisation in vessel inspections. These enhancements, developed by the cross-industry eCMID Committee in consultation with users, include improvements to risk categorisation, inspector guidance, and the analytics hub, alongside updates to inspection templates.
What is the eCMID system?
The eCMID system provides a standardised framework for vessel inspections, carried out by Accredited Vessel Inspectors (AVIs). These inspections support vessel safety and operational efficiency by offering detailed reports that help vessel operators, charterers, and stakeholders assess compliance with industry best practices.
Key system improvements
- Risk categorisation in reports and analytics hub – IMCA has introduced automated risk categorisation for inspection findings, helping prioritise critical safety issues. Identified high-risk findings are listed first in reports and can be analysed on an industry-wide or fleet-wide basis using the analytics hub. This enhancement ensures that urgent safety concerns receive the necessary attention and action.
- Updated guidance for inspectors – Revised instructions now provide clearer details on assessment criteria, photographic evidence, and necessary comments.
- Reader notes – The PDF reports now include simplified notes, helping stakeholders quickly understand key inspection findings.
- Closing meetings – Improvements to the inspection app interface support better documentation of closing meetings between inspectors and vessel masters.
- Vessel particulars – We have improved the app and website interfaces to make it easier to record good quality data. A new ‘not applicable’ option makes clear that an item has been reviewed, where previously this would have been indicated by leaving the field blank.
- Required supplements – Vessel operators can now mandate the completion of relevant supplements, such as ‘DP’ or ‘heavy lift’, which will then link to the relevant inspector accreditation requirements.
New inspection template names
To streamline branding and accommodate future system expansion, IMCA has standardised the names of its inspection templates:
- IMCA M149 Issue 14: eCMID Vessel Inspection (≥500gt) (previously the Common Marine Inspection Document)
- IMCA M189 Issue 7: eCMID Small Vessel Inspection (<500gt) (previously eMISW, applicable to small workboats)
- The updated IMCA M167 Rev. 5 – Guidance on the IMCA eCMID System is also now available, detailing the latest changes to procedures and guidance.
Action required for vessel operators
Vessel operators are encouraged to complete vessel particulars via the ‘vessel setup’ screens in the database. From 1 May 2025, a finding will be recorded in inspection reports if this data has not been pre-populated, ensuring inspectors can focus on safety-critical aspects rather than basic data entry.
Continued investment in system improvements
The eCMID system is continuously evolving, with improvements funded by user upload fees. These fees are reinvested to maintain and enhance the system, incorporating user feedback and guidance from the cross-industry eCMID Committee. Ongoing developments include cybersecurity enhancements, API access to selected data, and new inspection templates for ROVs (remote operated vehicles) and USVs (unmanned surface vehicles).
IMCA invites stakeholders to share feedback on these updates and help shape the future of the eCMID system. For further details, visit www.ecmid.com.
