ABOUT HODGES MARITIME COMPLIANCE, LLC

Practical Compliance Backed by Real-World Maritime Experience

Hodges Maritime Compliance, LLC was founded to provide maritime operators with straightforward, operationally grounded support for ISM and Subchapter M compliance. Our focus is on helping companies maintain safe, efficient operations while meeting the regulatory requirements that govern towing, offshore, and oil transportation vessels.

Compliance is not just documentation—it reflects how vessels are operated, crews are trained, and risks are managed on a daily basis. Our approach emphasizes accuracy, practicality, and realism, ensuring that safety management systems work in the real world, not just on paper.

Experience That Matches the Work

Hodges Maritime Compliance is led by Capt. Darby Hodges, a licensed Master with over two decades of experience in the maritime industry, including service aboard ocean-going tugs, ship-assist vessels, and petroleum transportation operations.

Credentials and experience include:

  • Master 1600 GRT / 3000 ITC Oceans

  • Master of Towing Vessels Oceans

  • ISO 9000/9001 Quality Managment Systems

  • International Safety Systems (IMS) Auditor Training

  • Subchapter M Auditing

  • Designated Person Ashore (DPA)

  • Extensive experience with towing, harbor assist, offshore, and oil transportation vessels

  • Direct operational involvement with ISM and Subchapter M compliance

  • Real-world experience dealing with USCG, ABS, and Foreign Port State inspections, audits, and operational challenges

This background allows us to approach audits and compliance reviews with an understanding of vessel operations, crew realities, and the commercial demands operators face.

Our Approach

We believe effective compliance should:

  • Improve safety without disrupting operations

  • Identify real risks, not just paperwork issues

  • Provide clear, actionable findings

  • Support continuous improvement rather than one-time fixes

Our audits and consulting services are conducted objectively, professionally, and without unnecessary complication. Operators receive clear guidance, accurate assessments, and practical recommendations tailored to their specific vessels and operations.

Who We Serve

We work with:

  • Towing vessel operators

  • Offshore and coastal operators

  • Oil and petroleum transportation companies

  • Small fleets and multi-vessel operations

Whether preparing for an audit, maintaining ongoing compliance, or strengthening a safety management system, our goal is to help operators meet regulatory requirements with confidence.

Commitment to Safety and Professionalism

At Hodges Maritime Compliance, safety, professionalism, and integrity guide every engagement. We understand the responsibility that comes with compliance work and treat every audit and review with the seriousness it deserves.

An Auditor Who Understands the Wheelhouse

We place a strong emphasis on working directly with vessel captains and crews to ensure they understand not just what is required, but why those requirements exist. Inspections and audits are most effective when they are approached as a shared responsibility for safety—not as an adversarial process. Understanding the background and intent of the ISO/ISM standards gives crews the context they need to implement them onboard and makes maintaining ISM compliance a more practical, manageable part of daily operations.

Having spent years on the other side of the inspection table, we understand what it is like to be the captain responsible for a vessel, a crew, and a schedule while undergoing regulatory scrutiny. We know the pressures involved, the concerns crews have, and the frustration that can come from inspections that feel disconnected from real-world operations.

Because we have been there, our audits are conducted with professionalism, respect, and clear communication. Captains can expect a fair, practical process focused on safety, compliance, and operational understanding—not unnecessary disruption or intimidation.

Our goal is to help captains and crews leave each inspection better informed, more confident in their safety management systems, and prepared to meet regulatory requirements in a way that makes sense onboard. Ultimately, we aim to help companies build, maintain, and promote a strong culture of safety.