ISPS Code Study Guide

PolarisApp2025

About this app

IMPORTANT: This app is an independent, unofficial study aid. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, authorised by or connected to the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA), or any government or intergovernmental body. It does not represent a government entity and does not provide or facilitate any government service.

OFFICIAL SOURCES
The regulatory material summarised in this app comes from the following official sources. Always rely on these, not on this app, for the authoritative text:
- International Maritime Organization (IMO), publisher of the ISPS Code and SOLAS: https://www.imo.org
- IMO maritime security, including the ISPS Code: https://www.imo.org/en/OurWork/Security/Pages/Default.aspx
- IMO publications and current editions: https://www.imo.org/en/publications/Pages/Home.aspx
- UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA): https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/maritime-and-coastguard-agency
- MCA Merchant Shipping Notices (MSN, MGN, MIN): https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/ships-and-cargoes-guidance-and-bulletins

The International Ship and Port Facility Security Code in one app, built for the MCA oral examination and for anyone who holds security duties on board. Everything works offline.

READ THE CODE
Part A (mandatory) and Part B (guidance) of the ISPS Code, section by section, with a clause index that gives every Part A clause in one line and the lowest rank expected to know it. SOLAS chapter XI-2, which makes the Code mandatory, is explained and reproduced alongside. The Code text is scanned from the IMO Guide to Maritime Security and the ISPS Code (2021 edition); the app says so and tells you to check the printed edition before quoting a clause number.

KNOWLEDGE BASE
17 topics: origins, legal status and the meaning of "taken into account", definitions, the three security levels, the CSO, SSO and PFSO, the ship security assessment and plan, the Declaration of Security, records, audits and reviews, training, drills and exercises, the ISSC and interim ISSC, control and compliance measures, SSAS, AIS and LRIT, the port facility interface, cyber security, and ISPS against ISM. Each topic is tagged by rank.

ORAL PRACTICE
185 questions in four ranks (cadet and rating, Officer of the Watch, Chief Mate as the usual SSO, Master), each answered in three parts: the requirement, what it looks like on board, and the evidence it is working. Practise in shuffled sessions, reveal the model answer and mark yourself. 25 scenarios test what you would do when the level changes, a visitor has no identification, or the PSC officer asks to see the plan.

MISCONCEPTIONS DRILL
51 things candidates say in the oral that are wrong, including the classic confusions between the ISM and ISPS Codes. Read the wrong version, say what is wrong with it, then check the correction.

ALSO
The ISSC, interim ISSC and Declaration of Security forms. Search across everything. An amendment history and a list of known gaps.

For study only. This app is a private revision aid and is not a substitute for the official texts. Always consult the current IMO edition of the ISPS Code, SOLAS chapter XI-2, your flag State's requirements and your own ship security plan.

Created by Anindya Banerjee. Website: https://www.anindyabanerjee.co.uk

What’s new

App renamed to ISPS Code Study Guide to make clear it is an independent study aid. Study content unchanged: ISPS Code Parts A and B, shipboard security roles, questions and scenarios.