Auditing body lauds NMP for ‘exceptional performance’

THE National Maritime Polytechnic (NMP) was recently lauded by auditors of the Socotec Certification International Philippines for its exceptional performance, identified during its 2nd Surveillance Audit last March 27 to 28 which the maritime training and research center passed.

The audit report, received by NMP on May 9, 2023, revealed no non-conformances.

Auditors of Socotec said NMP had zero discrepancies in the updated inventory of its property, plant, equipment and supplies. It also commended NMP for the excellent monitoring and preventive maintenance of its training equipment, as well as for its compliance with the standards set by the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina).

The auditing team affirmed that NMP has exceeded its targets in most areas.

NMP presented plans for improving collaboration with international stakeholders such as the International Labor Organization (ILO), Antwerp Maritime Academy of the Kingdom of Belgium, and International Seafarers Welfare and Assistance Network (Iswan)-Philippines.

“As an Agency that commits to continuous enhancement of seafarers, maintaining ISO Certification of its Quality Management Systems (QMS) confirms [our] relevance in carrying out our mandate of upgrading the qualifications of Filipino seafarers and providing maritime industry research,” it said in a statement.

The ISO 9001:2015 audit was conducted by Jose Emmanuel Thomas Diel and Capt. Nicanor Altares. They reviewed NMP’s quality procedures, manuals and other systems documentation against the requirements set by the ISO 9001:2015 standard.

Using the 3P Methodology (People, Paper and Physical Environment), the team evaluated NMP’s compliance with the Quality Management System through interviews with process owners and internal auditors, a review of documented information, and inspection of facilities and equipment.