A DPA who answers.
Day and night.
Full externalisation of the Designated Person Ashore function: 24/7 duty line, Safety Management System oversight, ISM audit preparation, flag liaison. A mandate declared to the flag authority, held by a Master Mariner who already carries the role.
What the ISM Code requires.
The ISM Code requires every Company operating a certified vessel to maintain one precise link between the ship and its management: the Designated Person Ashore. Part A, section 4 of the Code defines it without ambiguity:
“To ensure the safe operation of each ship and to provide a link between the Company and those on board, every Company, as appropriate, should designate a person or persons ashore having direct access to the highest level of management. The responsibility and authority of the designated person or persons should include monitoring the safety and pollution prevention aspects of the operation of each ship and ensuring that adequate resources and shore-based support are applied, as required.” ISM Code, Part A, section 4 — Designated person(s)
Three requirements follow, and none of them is optional:
- —“Ashore” — on land, not on board. The DPA is not the captain: the DPA is the vessel's shore-side counterpart.
- —“Direct access to the highest level of management” — no intermediate hierarchy filtering the line.
- —“Responsibility and authority” — not an advisory role: the DPA monitors safety and pollution prevention, and secures the resources required.
For a superyacht held through a holding structure or a family office, the consequence is simple: the function must be carried by someone, at all times. A vacant DPA role, or a name on an organisation chart with no real availability, is a major non-conformity in waiting — with the possible suspension of the Safety Management Certificate at the end of it. That is precisely the mandate Cursorio takes on.
Six responsibilities.
One single point of contact.
24/7 duty line
A dedicated direct line between the captain and the DPA — no switchboard, no intermediary, day or night. Every call is logged, every decision traced: a history the auditor can ask for on the day.
Ship–shore point of contact
The DPA embodies the link between the vessel and the highest level of the Company: unfiltered escalation of safety and pollution-prevention matters, documented feedback on decisions and resources allocated.
SMS and non-conformity follow-up
Periodic review of the Safety Management System, follow-up of non-conformities through to closure, near-miss handling with root-cause analysis, feeding of the continuous improvement cycle.
Registers and management review
Master's review, annual management review, drill registers: maintained to the standard the auditor expects, archived in Cursorio Manager, one-click export for the inspector.
ISM audit preparation
Internal pre-audit ahead of every deadline (annual, intermediate, renewal), briefing of the captain and crew on the auditor's typical questions, possible on-board presence the day of the official audit.
Flag liaison
Declarations to the flag administration, monitoring of applicable circulars and amendments, follow-up of DOC and SMC validity, timely responses to the registry's requests.
“The captain retains full authority on board. The DPA brings the shore-side back office, regulatory access, and independence of judgement on the sensitive matters.”
A role that cannot be improvised.
In circular MSC-MEPC.7/Circ.6 (19 October 2007), the IMO set out the qualifications, training and experience expected of the Designated Person: higher education in a relevant field — or officer certification combined with seagoing experience —, training in the requirements of the ISM Code, the related mandatory rules and assessment and audit techniques, and genuine experience of safety management. Flag administrations verify these elements when the DPA is registered, all the more so when the role is externalised.
Master Mariner STCW II/2 unlimited
The mandate is held by Jean Pousthomis, Master Mariner (STCW II/2 unlimited) and founder of Cursorio. Bridge-level legitimacy: the DPA speaks to the captain as a peer, and understands the constraints on board before judging a record.
Active DPA mandate
Cursorio currently acts as externalised DPA for a 499 GT vessel under Marshall Islands flag, declared to the Marshall Islands Maritime Administrator. Not a theoretical service: a function carried in real conditions, near-misses and audits included.
IMO-registered Company
Cursorio is registered with the IMO under unique company identifier 6391845 — a prerequisite for recognition by classification societies and for holding a DPA role declared to the flag.
Two models.
One criterion: your configuration.
Right for a fleet.
From roughly five vessels under the same Company, or in intensive commercial charter, the fixed cost of a salaried DPA — in the region of €120,000 to €200,000 a year including charges for a serious profile — pays for itself, and internal operational consistency matters more. The structural question of continuity remains: leave, illness, resignation. The role does not tolerate a vacancy.
- —Fixed cost amortised over 5 vessels or more
- —In-house presence for intensive charter
- —Continuity to organise during absences
Right for one or two yachts.
For the owner of one or two yachts, or a family office, externalisation offers a cost proportionate to the actual workload, contractual continuity twelve months a year, and preserved confidentiality — no additional employee with access to the ownership structure. Under strict conditions: written contract, declaration to the flag, independence, direct access to the highest level of management.
- —Cost aligned with the vessel's actual workload
- —Year-round service guarantee, no vacancy
- —Discretion: strict NDA, no new reporting line
We have set out this trade-off in detail — figures, limits and field experience from our own mandate — in a dedicated analysis:
Outsourcing your DPA: advantages, limitations and field experienceThe DPA in four questions.
01 What is a DPA (Designated Person Ashore)?
What is a DPA (Designated Person Ashore)?
The Designated Person Ashore is the person ashore required by Part A, section 4 of the ISM Code: a person with direct access to the highest level of the Company's management, responsible for monitoring the safety and pollution-prevention aspects of the operation of each ship and for ensuring that adequate resources and shore-based support are applied. The role has been mandatory for every ISM-certified vessel since SOLAS chapter IX entered into force in 1998, extended in 2002 to other cargo ships of 500 GT and above. The DPA is not the captain: the DPA is ashore, and constitutes the link between the vessel and management.
02 Can the DPA role be outsourced?
Can the DPA role be outsourced?
Yes. The ISM Code does not require the DPA to be an employee of the Company, and flag administrations accept the practice under strict conditions: a written contract describing the DPA's duties, authority and response times; a formal declaration to the flag administration; direct, documented access to the highest level of management; independence from the vessel's suppliers; and 24/7 availability. Cursorio holds this role today for a vessel under Marshall Islands flag — an active mandate, declared and tested through audit.
03 How many vessels can one DPA follow?
How many vessels can one DPA follow?
The ISM Code sets no numerical ceiling: the test is the DPA's actual capacity to know each vessel, its SMS and its crew, and to answer at any hour. A DPA following dozens of vessels can no longer keep that promise — and some flag administrations raise it at registration. That is one of the reasons Cursorio keeps a deliberately small portfolio: every DPA mandate must remain a function actually carried, not a line in a spreadsheet.
04 Who do we call in an emergency on board?
Who do we call in an emergency on board?
In immediate distress, the vessel's emergency procedures come first: MRCC and GMDSS means before anything else. The DPA acts in parallel as the Company's shore contact: the captain calls the 24/7 duty line, the DPA documents the event, mobilises shore-based resources and informs the highest level of the Company. Under a Cursorio mandate, that line is dedicated and regularly tested — not a generic switchboard that goes silent at weekends.
Let's talk about your DPA function.
A one-hour conversation is enough to clarify your configuration — vacant role, announced departure, function carried by default by the captain — and to frame a mandate that meets your flag's expectations. Confidential, no commitment.
Get in touch