The MCA follows the ILO Guidelines on Flag State Inspections, but incorporating the MLC amendments 2014. In summary, each ship, regardless of whether she is required to have a Maritime Labour Certificate or not, will be surveyed or inspected twice in every five years, with the intermediate survey or inspection being carried out between the second and third years, following the normal pattern of international Convention certificates. To achieve cost-efficiency and minimise inconvenience, MLC surveys should be carried out at the same time as International Safety Management (ISM) Code audits of individual ship Safety Management Certificates (SMC).