By IJ Arora, Ph.D.
Editor’s note: This is the first of a two-part article examining the lessons to be learned from the ongoing war in the Middle East. Part two will be appearing next week.
This military conflict currently underway in the Middle East, with significant human and economic losses in and near the Strait of Hormuz, has brought the function of the merchant mariner into sharp focus. For centuries, these individuals have sailed the oceans, perhaps for their livelihood, perhaps for adventure, or perhaps for reasons of their own. Christopher Columbus, Ferdinand Magellan, James Cook, and countless others changed the world.
In dangerous times like those of today, sailing through a war zone to meet the basic needs of the world brings challenges. Without merchant ships, tankers, bulk carriers, and container vessels, the global supply chain stops. Doesn’t the world owe these mariners all due safety and security?
I am a former seafarer who commanded submarines in the Indian navy and then continued my career as a Master in the merchant marine. Today, I am a subject matter expert in issues related to maritime safety and security. Given this background, I feel compelled to analyze what I hear and read about this dangerous theater of war and provide a structure whereby the merchant marine industry might better prepare themselves for working within it. The International Safety Management (ISM) Code, the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW), and ISO 9001 all provide process-based approaches that can be used by those in this industry for planning and risk mitigation.
Most of us do not have to deal with life-and-death decisions such as whether to risk transiting the Strait of Hormuz. However, for those who must traverse these waters, there are guidelines they can use. As one example, the ISM Code provides some lessons into anticipating the unexpected and planning for these risks in a systematic manner.
In this article I will touch on how portions of the ISM Code might connect to elements of ISO 9001 and provide inputs that might be useful to maritime leadership in ensuring quality assurance and conformity assessment based on risk and considering context in which these organizations operate.
The sinking of the IRIS Dena
Let us start by considering the sinking of the IRIS Dena. On March 4, 2026, this Iranian Navy frigate was torpedoed and sunk by a U.S. Navy submarine in the Indian Ocean near the southern coast of Sri Lanka. The vessel sank within minutes after being struck, leaving at least 87 sailors dead and dozens missing, with just 32 survivors rescued by the Sri Lankan Navy. The attack was particularly notable for naval historians. It was reportedly the first time since the Second World War that a U.S. submarine had sunk an enemy surface warship with a torpedo.
What makes the incident significant for this discussion is not the geopolitics, but the reminder of how quickly circumstances can change at sea. The Dena had recently taken part in multinational naval exercises hosted by India and was sailing in international waters near Sri Lanka when the strike occurred. For professional mariners, the lesson is familiar: Conditions that appear routine can change without warning. The ISM Code is not applicable to the military, but is there harm in understanding the principles? After all, this is precisely why the ISM Code emphasizes preparedness for emergencies and abnormal situations.
Section 8.1 of the ISM Code requires the organization to establish procedures to identify, describe, and respond to potential emergency situations aboard the ship. Navies have their own doctrine. One wonders if risks that are systematically appreciated can allow better decisions to be made. In other words, the ISM Code requires organizations to plan not only for technical failures or weather hazards, but also for security risks and unexpected external threats. Sure, a navy may call it an operational assessment, but (in Shakespearean language) a risk by any other name would still be a risk. ISO 9001 expresses a comparable idea through the requirement for risk-based thinking. As emphasized in clause 6.1.1, the organization shall determine the risks and opportunities that need to be addressed to give assurance that the quality management system can achieve its intended results.
From a management systems perspective, the broader lesson is clear: Organizations must plan for situations that may appear unlikely until they occur. For a ship’s captain, that planning may involve security drills, contingency routing, and coordination with naval authorities. For a quality manager or organizational leader, it may involve supply chain disruption, cybersecurity incidents, or geopolitical shocks. Ultimately, the decision on whether to sail should be based on a proper risk assessment. Events at sea sometimes remind us, in stark terms, why disciplined safety and command systems matter. What makes an incident significant in the context of this discussion is not the geopolitics, but the reminder of how just quickly circumstances can change at sea—as they did for the Dena.
Expecting the unexpected
For professional mariners, the lessons are familiar: Conditions that appear routine can change without warning. Within ISO 9001, the context of the organization (clauses 4.1 and 4.2) leads to risk appreciation (clause 6.1). All of this must be integral parts of the maritime management system, at sea or ashore.
This is precisely why the ISM Code emphasizes preparedness for emergencies and abnormal situations as per section 8.1. From a management systems perspective, the broader lesson is clear. Organizations must plan for situations that may appear unlikely until they occur. Good organizations connect real maritime events with risk-based thinking. They understand that commercial interests must mesh with the emergency planning sections in the ISM Code. These are not theoretical; this understanding is reinforced by clause 6 (“Planning”) and clause 8 (“Operational control”) in ISO 9001.
My own appreciation for disciplined systems thinking was shaped long before the ISM Code was widely implemented in commercial shipping. During my years in the Indian Navy, I had the privilege of commanding submarines, first on F-class boats and later through service on a Charlie II-class submarine. Submarines operate in an environment where uncertainty is not theoretical and the margin for error is extremely small. Any failure in equipment, communication, or procedure can quickly become critical. What keeps submarines safe is not individual brilliance on the part of a captain or crew. That is part of it, of course, but even more important is the relentless adherence to procedures and constant preparation for contingencies. Before every patrol, the crew repeatedly rehearses emergency actions such as flooding drills, fire drills, loss of propulsion, and loss of power. Each crew member knows precisely where to go, what valve to operate, and what sequence of actions to follow. These procedures are not simply found in written manuals. They are practiced until they become instinctive.
At that time, we did not describe this discipline in terms of “process-based management systems,” but that is exactly what it was. The system existed to ensure that when the unexpected occurred, as it inevitably does at sea, the crew would not rely on improvisation alone. The response would already be embedded in the system and in themselves. Years later, when I sailed as Master in the merchant marine and then began to work with ISO management systems, I recognized the same principles expressed in a different language. ISO 9001 requires organizations to establish, implement, and maintain the processes needed for the quality management system and their interactions, as per clause 4.4 (“Quality Management System and its Processes”). The ISM Code, section 1.2, similarly requires organizations to ensure safe practices in ship operation and a safe working environment. Different industries, different terminology, but the underlying idea is identical: Safety, quality, and reliability are the result of preparation and training, not simply reacting well to emergencies.
I can confirm through my experience that this reflection is not merely theoretical. It comes from first-hand experience wherein I led teams and where preparation truly mattered. This background gives me a clear perspective on risk, command responsibility, and disciplined procedures under uncertainty. This perspective can make a very compelling bridge between maritime safety management (ISM/STCW) and organizational quality systems (ISO 9001).
As we consider the dangerous situations at sea, particularly at this time in the Strait of Hormuz, we can see what the ISM Code and ISO 9001 (as also other maritime and ISO standards) can teach us about risk in uncertain times. In today’s volatile world, commercial shipping once again finds itself navigating geopolitical tension. News headlines remind us that vessels may need to transit waters such as the Red Sea or the Strait of Hormuz where the risks are not merely commercial, but they can become matters of safety and survival. For those who have spent a career at sea, such circumstances are not entirely unfamiliar. The maritime profession has long recognized that uncertainty is inherent to operations. Ships sail through storms, equipment failures, and occasionally conflict zones. Yet despite these uncertainties, shipping remains one of the safest and most reliable global industries. This is not an accident. Much of that safety culture comes from the ISM Code, supported by training standards such as STCW. These frameworks provide reliable, structured guidance on how organizations anticipate risk, prepare crews, and maintain operational control.
In the next part of this two-part article, we will further discuss the framework of maritime systems and how they relate to risk and ISO 9001.
About the author
Inderjit (IJ) Arora, Ph.D., is the Chairman of QMII. He serves as a team leader for consulting, advising, auditing, and training regarding management systems. He has conducted many courses for the United States Coast Guard and is a popular speaker at several universities and forums on management systems. Arora is a Master Mariner who holds a Ph.D., a master’s degree, an MBA, and has a 35-year record of achievement in the military, mercantile marine, and civilian industry.