USCG 2021 Flag State Control Domestic Annual Report

USCG announced the publication of the 2021 Flag State Control Domestic Annual Report. This report highlights U.S. domestic fleet deficiencies, inspection, and marine casualty statistics.

Key findings of the report are below:

In 2021, the U.S. Flag fleet contained 18,967 vessels subject to inspection, with Coast Guard Marine Inspectors (MI) conducting 19,474 inspections.
There were 1,880 reportable marine casualties reported in 2021 involving 2,196 inspected vessels.
In 2021, there were 71 Flag State detentions.

Overview

In 2021, the U.S. Flag fleet contained 18,967 vessels subject to inspection, with Coast Guard Marine Inspectors (MI) conducting 19,474 inspections.

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The overall U.S. Flag fleet inspection total increased this year by 6%. Additionally, the number of deficiencies issued also increased by more than 15% from the 2020 calendar year report.

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USCG 2021 Flag State Control Domestic Annual Report — Credit: USCG

Of the 19,474 inspections conducted by MIs, 31,200 deficiencies were identified on the 18,967 active vessels in the U.S. fleet of responsibility. The most inspections and deficiencies regarded passenger ships with 11,007 inspections and 20,545 deficiencies. The towing sector come second with 3,336 inspections and 5,871 deficiencies, while barges reported 3,295 inspections and 1,481 deficiencies.

Marine Casualties

There were 1,880 reportable marine casualties reported in 2021 involving 2,196 inspected vessels. More specifically, towing vessels reported the most reportable marine casualties with 1,146. In second, passengers ships had 529 reportable marine casualties and barges had 267 reportable marine casualties.

Flag State Detentions

In 2021, there were 71 Flag State Detentions. Action code “30 – Ship Detained” is a control action that may be imposed on any inspected vessel type, including Small Passenger Vessels and Barges, and is selected when technical or operational-related deficiencies exist that individually or collectively indicate a serious failure, or lack of effectiveness, of the implementation of the Safety Management System (SMS).

For vessels that do not have an SMS, “30 – Ship Detained” is assigned when objective evidence indicates that a serious substandard condition is not being proactively managed by the company, vessel owner, and/ or operator. Flag State detentions increased from 63 (2020) to 71 (2021), a increase of 13%.