The International Safety Management (ISM) Code, made mandatory in 1998, dictates the implementation of a Safety Management System (SMS) on every vessel engaged in international shipping. This international standard provides a loose framework around which SMS procedures are required to be written, placing implementation of safety management into the hands of individual companies. In this thesis, vessel safety management systems are viewed through the lens of systems engineering, complete with requirements, user roles, and standards of failure. Furthermore, this thesis analyzes the risks of improperly implemented safety management systems onboard commercial vessels utilizing a hybrid of the Barrier-BowTie Model and Potential Problem Analysis Integration. Additionally, the risk analysis in this thesis stems from trends associated with international (non-United States flagged) vessel detentions in U.S. ports and the related detention-related deficiencies found during U.S. Coast Guard Port State examinations. Lastly, an extensive literature review into similar studies is included.