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Port State News

02 Feb 2024

ICS Publishes Flag State Performance Table

© Paulrommer / Adobe Stock

A new table published by the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) indicates continuing positive performance by the vast majority of the maritime industry's flag states.Merchant ships are required to register under a flag state, which determines the vessel's nationality and gives jurisdiction under which to operate. Flag states have the authority and responsibility to enforce regulations over vessels registered under their flag, including those relating to inspection, certification…

06 Dec 2023

Paris MoU Trials New Inspection Strategy

Source: Paris MoU

From July 10 to August 9, 2023, the Paris Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Port State Control conducted a Focused Inspection Campaign on pilot transfer arrangements.The campaign was part of a trial of an alternative approach to the regular Concentrated Inspection Campaigns by conducting several short, targeted inspection campaigns referred to as Focused Inspection Campaigns. In the coming months more such campaigns are scheduled. After completion of the trials, the results…

30 Nov 2023

IMO and Korea Agree to Boost SMART-C Program

Source: IMO

The IMO and the Republic of Korea have signed a suite of agreements to formally establish and boost the IMO-Republic of Korea Sustainable Maritime Transport Cooperation (SMART-C) program.The goal of the KRW 25.5 billion (approximately $20 million) SMART-C program is to promote sustainable maritime transport systems and a sustainable marine environment by building knowledge and developing technical capacity in developing countries via long-term thematic projects.This Official Development Assistance (ODA) funding will ensure long-term programming of several technical cooperation projects.

15 Nov 2023

Digitalization: Maritime Charts its Course

Data collaboration among maritime players will be vital to facilitate more efficient ship performance as operations become more digitalised. Photo: Shutterstock

Maritime players plotting pathways to data collaboration with digital projects in line with new BV-backed research study.Digital technologies are increasingly being leveraged by shipping players to facilitate data collaboration among different actors in areas like ship design, vessel performance and port calls as a new Thetius research study backed by Bureau Veritas (BV) shows this will be vital to drive decarbonization, an OrbitMI-hosted panel heard at the recent Shipping Insight event in the US.“Data-powered…

03 Oct 2023

Australia Bans Second Offender for 90 Days

Source: AMSA

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) has banned the Marshall Island-flagged container ship Big Lilly from Australian waters for 90 days, for serious safety and maintenance issues.Prior to this ban, the ship was detained in Melbourne, after an AMSA Port State control (PSC) inspection identified serious defects with the watertight integrity of the ship’s cargo hatches, main engine and safety equipment.AMSA inspectors identified a long list of defects, and while the seafarers onboard had taken steps to maintain the ship…

13 Sep 2023

AEGIR-Marine and UPE Conduct Major Stern Tube and Propeller Repair Job

When on route to the Gulf of Mexico area, a fully laden bulker hit a buoy off the coast of Colombia damaging the propeller blades and aft seal assembly. A close detailed inspection revealed a missing rope guard, the entire seal box being distorted and dislocated from the stern tube and all five propelled blades damaged.Trained and certified UPE-dive technicians were mobilized, together with special habitat and relevant equipment, from AEGIR-Marine’s Panama branch.A complete new split type seal assembly was ordered and transferred, from stock, to location.

29 Aug 2023

CIC on Fire Safety Starts September 1

Source: Paris MoU

Lloyd’s Register has reminded the industry that the Member Authorities of the Paris and Tokyo Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) on Port State Control (PSC) are launching a joint Concentrated Inspection Campaign (CIC) on fire safety from September 1 to November 30, 2023.The Member Authorities of the Black Sea Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control and the Member Authorities of the Acuerdo Vina Del Mar 1992 are concurrently also launching a CIC.The purpose of the campaign…

28 Aug 2023

14th Annual Maritime Risk Symposium to be Held Nov. 14-16 at SUNY Maritime

The 2023 Maritime Risk Symposium (MRS) will be held Nov. 14-16, 2023, as an in-person event, hosted by Maritime College, State University of New York (SUNY) at the Maritime Academic Center. The theme of the 14th annual event is â€śManaging Impacts of Supply Chain Disruptors, Renewable Energy, Emerging Technology on the Maritime Transportation System (MTS)” with a focus on offshore infrastructure risk and disruptors. Founded in 1874, Maritime College is the oldest maritime college in the United States, providing mariner training for 150 years.

16 Aug 2023

New API Expected to Enhance Operational Efficiency for Shipowners

Source: NYK

RightShip, NYK, and Solverminds have announced their collaboration on a product that links NiBiKi, the NYK Group’s common platform for ship-management operations, with RightShip’s data platform, to transform the workloads of ship owners and managers.This new technology, Port State Control (PSC) Submission application programming interface (API), initially launched on RightShip’s e-commerce platform RightSTORE, is designed to share data across both RightShip’s and NYK’s platforms…

31 Jul 2023

MoUs Announce Fire Safety Inspection Campaign

© terskov / Adobe Stock

The Member Authorities of the Tokyo and the Paris Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) on Port State Control will launch a joint Concentrated Inspection Campaign (CIC) on Fire Safety in September.The purpose of the campaign is to create awareness among the ship’s crew and owners about the importance of fire safety measures and to verify that the ship complies with fire safety requirements under the relevant IMO instruments.This inspection campaign will be held for three months, commencing from September 1, 2023 and ending November 30, 2023.

31 Jul 2023

Ship Fires in the Crosshairs of Ship Inspection Campaign

By Igor Kardasov/AdobeStock

The Member Authorities of the Tokyo and the Paris Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) on Port State Control will launch a joint ConcentratedInspection Campaign (CIC) on Fire Safety to create awareness among the ship’s crew and owners about the importance of fire safety measures; and  to verify that the ship complies with fire safety requirements under the relevant IMO instruments.The three-month inspection campaign will commence September 1, 2023 and end November 30, 2023, and will…

18 Jul 2023

Op/Ed: Technology Manufacturers’ Input More Critical than ever for Effective Maritime Regulations

Dr Stelios Kyriacou, Chief Technology Officer, ERMA FIRST

Next year marks a crucial milestone for the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Ballast Water Management (BWM) Convention, with all ships required to meet the D2 standard for ballast water management by 8 September 2024. D2 specifies the maximum number of viable organisms allowed to be discharged. In most cases, it requires the installation of a ballast water management system (BWMS) on board the vessel.2024 will be a pivotal moment for the ballast water market and while it is true that the retrofit market will diminish and leave behind only a small newbuild market…

14 Jul 2023

Italy Impounds Migrant Charity's Rescue Vessel

(Photo: Anthony Jean / SOS Mediterranee)

Italian authorities said on Wednesday they had impounded a ship involved in migrant rescue operations in the central Mediterranean Sea, citing safety procedure irregularities.Under Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's right-wing government, installed last year, Italy has taken a tougher stance towards migrant rescue NGOs, accusing them of facilitating the work of people traffickers.The Ocean Viking ship was seized while docked in the port of Civitavecchia, northwest of Rome on the Mediterranean coast."In particular, some of the crew did not possess the necessary licenses to handle the life-saving e

12 Jul 2023

SeaARCTOS: New ECAs Need New Approach to Emissions Monitoring

Source: SeaARCTOS

Flag and port state control authorities will need new tools to monitor compliance within the next wave of Emissions Control Areas (ECAs) if compliance is to meet minimum standards, according to emissions management start-up SeaARCTOS.“There is a risk that as the industry focuses on carbon, that sulfur emissions fall into the background, but they continue to present a serious public health risk and a compliance challenge,” says Michael Kougellis, SeaARCTOS CEO. “Growth in the ECA network means that demand for emissions monitoring and compliance management will continue to increase…

10 Jul 2023

Australia Bans Cargo Ship Over Safety Issues

BBC Pearl (Photo: Australian Maritime Safety Authority)

An Antigua Barbuda-flagged general cargo ship has been banned from Australian waters over serious safety deficiencies. The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) said it issued a 180-day ban on the Briese Heavylift GmbH & Co vessel BBC Pearl as the agency works to crack down on unsafe and unseaworthy vessels.after inspectors found multiple failures of the safety management system as well as a defective emergency generator and defective fire dampers during a port State control…

10 Jul 2023

Panama Ship Registry - Member of the Qualship21 for First Time in 20 years

Image courtesy he Panama Maritime Authority (AMP)

The Panama Maritime Authority (AMP), the entity overseeing the Panama Ship Registry, received a letter of approval from the United States Coast Guard congratulating the country for its qualification to the Quality Shipping for the 21st Century Program (QUALSHIP21) and the flag's commitment to quality shipping, since the Panamanian fleet vessels arriving at US ports have achieved an excellent record of Port State Control.This is the first time that the Panama Ship Registry has…

19 Jun 2023

IMO to Review GHG Strategy and More at MEPC 80

MEPC 79 (Source: IMO)

The IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) - 80th session will meet at IMO Headquarters in London from July 3-7, and amongst key agenda items, the MEPC 80 session is expected to adopt an upgraded IMO greenhouse gas strategy.The revised IMO GHG Strategy will contain concrete greenhouse gas reduction targets for the sector and is expected to outline a range of technical and economic measures. Negotiations have been ongoing and will continue during the Intersessional Working Group on Reduction of GHG Emissions from Ships (ISWG-GHG 15)…

13 Jun 2023

INTERCARGO Members Perform Well on Deficiencies

Source: INTERCARGO

Despite a steady increase in port state control detention rates following the pandemic in all regions, INTERCARGO-entered vessels consistently outdid industry performance indicators in both deficiencies and detentions, as shown by the latest edition of its annual Benchmarking Report.Deficiencies per inspection (DPI) rates remain unchanged and in line with previous years’ Benchmarking Reports, the 11 leading Class Societies (IACS Members), which class over 95% of the bulk carrier market…

05 Jun 2023

Ports in China's Oil Hub Shandong Scrutinizing Old Tankers

© Nicola / Adobe Stock

Ports in China's Shandong province are demanding more detailed information about oil tankers that are more than 15 years old that call at their terminals, sources with knowledge of the matter said, potentially delaying the unloading of crude shipments in the world's biggest oil importer.Last week, the maritime safety administrations at Qingdao and Rizhao, which covers the oil terminals at the port of Lanshan, notified shipping agencies to submit details on their ships' age, where a ship is flagged…

01 Jun 2023

Singapore Detained Gatik Tanker in May Over Safety Issues

Singapore authorities detained one of the oil tankers from Gatik Ship Management's fleet, a major carrier of Russian oil to India, for three days last month over safety issues, according to port state control data from Tokyo MoU.The Gabon-flagged tanker Lefkada was detained on May 11 after several deficiencies were found, the report from the leading port body showed.They included maintenance of the ship and equipment, fire protection system and life-saving gear.The ship was released on May 13 after the safety issues were rectified, a source familiar with the matter said.The source added the inspection was part of random checks on ships.

25 Apr 2023

US Coast Guard: Latvia Records Highest Detention Ratio in 2022

© Alexander / Adobe Stock

The US Coast Guard’s Office of Commercial Vessel Compliance has released its U.S. Port State Control Annual Report for 2022, with Latvia noted as having the highest detention ratio, ahead of Bolivia.The report lists highest risk flag administrations based on their 2020-2022 detention ratio as: Latvia (57.14%), Bolivia (31.25%), Togo (7.69%), Curacao (4.88%), Italy (3.39%), Turkey (2.90%) and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (2.30%).Medium risk flag administrations were Cyprus…

18 Apr 2023

Abandoned Seafarers Repatriated After Five Months on Livestock Carrier

The Yangtze Harmony's crew at Singapore Changi Airport. Source: ITF

Thirteen Filipino seafarers, the last of 43 abandoned on two livestock carriers, have made it home after more than five months onboard the Yangtze Harmony.The International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) intervened after the ship’s owners abandoned the vessel and its crew in October 2022. At that time, the Singapore Sheriff court seized the Yangtze Harmony on behalf of Glander International Bunkering over an unpaid fuel bill. That began a legal process to sell the ship and pay off its debts…

30 Jan 2023

Flag States Increase Seafarer Reporting 25% - ICS

Copyright iQoncept/AdobeStock

The annual Shipping Industry Flag State Performance Table, published today from the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), highlights a 25% increase in flag states reporting on seafarer labor standards compared to last year. Each year flag states must report on labor standards as part of their ILO audit commitments. Some of the labor standards specific to seafarers include repatriation of seafarers, accommodation provision, health protection and medical care. This year 67.6% of flag states reported on their ILO audit commitments…

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