Tag: PSC

Tokyo MoU with almost 40,000 inspection per year forms the biggest regime of PSC worldwide. Large countries such as China, Australia and Japan are members of Tokyo MoU and contribute to safety inspections.

During 2017, Paris MoU conducted 17,920 PSC inspections which led to 685 detentions (detention rate 3.82%). 40,414 deficiencies were reported from which 3,680 led to a detention (9.11% of total).

Australia region is the second most common trade destination in Tokyo MoU, following China, in which AMSA is responsible for conducting inspections. The detainable items are not only recorded in detailed inspections but also in typical/ initial inspections.

In general, tankers have a better PSC performance than bulk carriers but what about their age? Although it is usually common to compare vessels as per their vessel type, when considering ship performance other parameters, such as age, may result to interesting findings as well.

After a successful refloating of the Russian bulk carrier 'Kuzma Minin' last week off Cornwell, UK MCA Surveyors conducted a PSC Inspection in the early evening of 18 December and confirmed a breach in one of the fuel tanks. Tank readings indicate the tank has filled with water as a consequence of the grounding, however no pollution has been reported. 

The Maritime Authorities of the Paris MoU and the Tokyo MoU on Port State Control will start issuing a letter of warning from 1st January 2019 on the sulphur content of marine fuels during inspections in order to increase awareness of and to encourage timely compliance with the new requirements.

Mr. Richard Dias, Regional Technical Manager for International Registries (Far East) Limited, which provides administrative and technical support to the Marshall Islands Registry, talked about port State control (PSC) from a flag State perspective, noting that there is a balance between the flag State’s role of providing service and enforcing regulations.

USCG issued its Domestic Vessel Annual Report, collating data from the USCG’s Marine Information Safety and Law Enforcement database regarding vessel population, inspections conducted, and deficiencies issued for the 2017 calendar year. Of the 18,424 inspections conducted in 2017, 21,629 deficiencies were identified on the 12,189 active vessels in the US fleet of responsibility.

The Paris MoU has decided to restrict access to its PSC data, from 1 January 2019, which means that the data will no longer be available to download - a basic requirement to enable various types of risk modelling. Additionally, other MoUs may follow. In this regard, Maritime risks insights firm Winward argued that this poses a serious threat to maritime safety and security. 

Review of PSC performance is a useful benchmarking tool for ship operators as it provides the background and the history of each port and reveals key areas of attention in order vessels to be prepared for successful inspections. Data from ten key ports, from Asia and Europe, are presented to demonstrate the PSC performance of world’s busiest ports. In 2017, PSC authorities conducted a total of 7,326 inspections which resulted to 202 detentions.