Maritime Quality Management System evaluation and Its Impact on Merchant Vessels
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.61236/utcprospectivas.v9i2.1351Keywords:
ISO 9001:2015, quality management on board, crew trainingAbstract
The objective of this study is to assess the application of the ISO 9001:2015 quality management system (QMS) on board merchant vessels through a survey administered to participants in the 2024/2025 Venezuelan Merchant Marine Officers Course. One of the key elements of maritime activity, from a management perspective, is the implementation of a reliable quality management system. In this regard, there is an extensive body of literature based on more than 50 years of implementation and continuous improvement. A questionnaire was administered to 20 Venezuelan merchant marine officers enrolled in a postgraduate programme for promotion to Captain and Chief Engineer at the Higher School of Merchant Marine Studies. All participants had more than 15 years of sailing experience and provided information based on their most recent contracts. This was a quantitative, non-experimental, and descriptive study. The findings indicate that QMS practices are widely applied in maritime operations; however, deficiencies were reported in the provision of quality manuals, prior training, internal auditing, and the communication and follow-up of corrective actions. These results highlight the need to strengthen crew training, audit planning, process monitoring, and the timely communication of corrective measures by shipowners and charter operators. This study seeks to contribute to the improvement of quality management processes on board merchant vessels.
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