Port State Control Inspections News

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…

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)…

Australian officials will implement a set of extra safety checks for livestock shipping after a string of recent incidents thrust the sector into the international spotlight.From March 1 to August 31, 2021, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) will undertake a focused inspection campaign (FIC) on livestock ships departing Australian ports to ascertain the level of compliance with the maintenance and repair requirements of international conventions. The campaign, to be performed in conjunction with normal port state control inspections…

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said it launched eight new patrol vessels to help ensure navigational safety and enhance the protection of the marine environment in the Port of Singapore.Six new 17-meter vessels replace the existing fleet of patrol craft, which had been in service since 2012, plus two new 15-meter patrol launches have been acquired for flag and port state control inspections, to conduct checks on bunkering and private wharves activities, and…

The Isle of Man Ship Registry has retained its place within the United States Coast Guard’s QUALSHIP 21 program, designed to recognize foreign-flagged vessels that maintain the highest safety and quality standards.Isle of Man Ship Registry director Cameron Mitchell said continued inclusion in the scheme through to July 2021 was great news for the registry and its clients, representing further independent verification of the quality of the Manx fleet.Entry into the program is based on data gathered during Port State Control inspections in the United States.

Britain has suspended checks on ships for compliance with low sulphur fuel regulations as part of wider measures that cut back on inspections to reduce the impact of the coronavirus outbreak on supply chains, the coastguard authority said on Friday.The coronavirus has created growing logistical problems for freight as countries try to keep goods moving despite lockdown in many parts of the world.At the start of the year, regulations came into effect - known as MARPOL Annex VI - that make it mandatory for ships to use fuel with a sulphur content of 0.5%…

What are the barriers to implementing the International Maritime Organization (IMO) regulations to cut emissions from ships and how can these be overcome?These were key questions explored during an IMO regional workshop on effective ratification and implementation of MARPOL Annex VI and the  initial IMO strategy on reduction of GHG emissions from ships, held in Viña del Mar, Chile (30 September-2 October).Participants identified existing barriers preventing ratification of MARPOL Annex VI, such as concerns about associated costs for the refinery industry and ship owners, and identified ways to overcome these barriers, building on the…

Singapore and Panama have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen their maritime relations.Dr Lam Pin Min, Senior Minister of State for Transport and Senior Minister of State for Health of the Republic of Singapore led the first high-level delegation from Singapore to Panama under the new government of Panama.Dr Lam met with several ministers of the government of Panama, as well as leaders of the business community. He was accompanied by Mrs Mary Seet-Cheng, Non-Resident Ambassador of Singapore to Panama, as well as officials from the Ministry of Transport, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and Enterprise Singapore.During the visit…

The two major Port State Control regimes – Paris MoU and Tokyo MoU – will focus especially on navigational safety in a so-called Concentrated Inspection Campaign (CIC) is being taken place from 1 September until 30 November 2017, said Danish Maritime Authority. The inspection campaign (CIC) will be carried out over a period of three months as part of routine Port State Control inspections. Thus, all Danish ships that are routinely inspected under the Tokyo MoU and Paris MoU should expect to be covered by the campaign. In 2016, Danish ships were inspected more than 600 times under the Paris MoU and Tokyo MoU. In Denmark, 400-500 foreign ships calling at Danish ports are subjected to Port State Control inspections annually.

The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) has awarded Qualship 21 status to 30 bulk carriers owned and operated by Star Bulk Carriers Corp., the largest U.S. listed dry bulk operator. The Qualship 21 program rewards high quality ships sailing under qualifying flags. In a letter to Star Bulk, Rear Admiral Paul Thomas of the USCG stated, “Less than 10 percent of all [non-U.S. flagged] ships that operate in the [U.S.] meet the eligibility requirements of this program, putting [Star Bulk's] qualified vessels in an elite class.

Every year, the Danish Maritime Authority (DMA) performs flag State inspections of ships abroad that are flying the Danish flag. In 2017, the number of control inspections will be increased to 60. Just before the 2016 Christmas and New Year's holidays, the Danish Maritime Authority carried out a two-week campaign in the USA to promote Danish quality shipping. The campaign took place in Houston and New York, respectively. The purpose of the campaign was to promote quality shipping under the Danish flag, inter alia to create good relations with the Port State Control authorities in the USA and with other players who are in contact with Danish shipping. The campaign also covered surveys of Danish ships calling at the two port areas during the said period.

With the accession by Finland to the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments, 2004 (better known as the Ballast Water Management or BWM Convention), there are now sufficient ratifications for the Convention to enter into force. Entry into force will occur on 8 September 2017. It has been an agonizingly slow process for a convention that was adopted with such high hopes. Starting in the late 1970s as vessels became larger and faster…

The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) notes Finland’s significant announcement that it has acceded to the IMO Ballast Water Management Convention. This suggests that this new regime, to protect local ecosystems from the impacts of invasive species, will enter into force worldwide during September 2017. ICS therefore reiterates that it is now more vital than ever that IMO Member States finalise the revision of the G8 Type Approval Guidelines for treatment systems at the next session of the IMO Marine Environment Protection Committee this October. ICS Chairman, Esben Poulsson said: “We must ensure that shipowners can have absolute…

Aiming to provide niche control over managed/owned vessels, Indian maritime based software provider Orion Marine Concepts has released a strategic intelligence software suite approved by DNV GL. Orion Marine along with Chembulk Tankers, USA has taken the lead in developing this quality assurance and fleet performance management suite, named Q-Strata. Q-Strata is a comprehensive web-based tool for efficient management of quality health and safety and environmental aspects of the fleet operations, Orion Marine said. Correctly utilized, the information resources will enable quick analysis of the information with regards to the operational and management health of the organization. Capt.

New mobile-friendly, interactive format makes it easy to define and address Port State Control compliance concerns to reduce detentions. (Houston)  ABS, a leading provider of classification and technical services to the global marine and offshore industries, has released an enhanced version of its Guidance for Reducing Port State Control Detention. The new Guidance provides the most updated information for maintaining compliance with current Port State Control laws in a mobile-friendly and interactive format. “ABS clients look to us to provide the most current information and advice regarding Port State Control interventions and detentions,” says ABS Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Tony Nassif.

A review of coastal navigation safety by Maritime NZ has found that there is a sound framework in place to manage the movement of ships around the New Zealand coast, with procedures in place to assess risk and adjust safety measures if required. Maritime NZ Director Keith Manch said the review, begun in April last year, was prompted by an anticipated increase in the number of ship visits to New Zealand, a trend toward larger ships, and technology changes in navigational aids. Consideration was also give to a Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) recommendation following the grounding of the Rena that Maritime NZ collect data on shipping movements around the New Zealand coast, and monitor and control the use of virtual aids to navigation around the New Zealand coast.

Norsafe has become the first lifeboat manufacturer to provide STCW and Norwegian Oil and Gas (NOROG) compliant training courses for seafarers. This means that the company is the only lifeboat manufacturer that offers production, servicing and certified training in the operation and maintenance of lifeboats and lifeboat crew. Gaining STCW approval is very timely for Norsafe as the Manila 2010 Amendments to the STCW-78 Convention stipulates that seafarers, who are qualified in the following areas, need to provide documentary proof they have recently undergone training or have been on a refresher course within the last five years by 1st January 2017.

The transitional period for the 2010 amendments to the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW 2010) comes to an end on 1 January 2017. To prevent last minute certification ‘logjams’, and potential difficulties during Port State Control inspections next year, it is important that maritime employers liaise closely with maritime administrations, says the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS). With less than a year to go before the end of this major transition, ICS and its member national associations are urging shipping companies to check that those maritime administrations responsible for issuing their seafarers’ STCW certification are fully prepared…

The IMO Convention for Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS Chapter V, Regulation 23) sets out the principal requirements for the rigging of pilot ladders. There is further detailed technical specification for pilot ladder in IMO Resolution A.1045 (27). Though above Regulation (SOLAS Regulation V/23) is applicable since 1 July 2012, deficiencies with regard to boarding arrangements and unsafe rigging of pilot ladders continue to be detected during port state control inspections, resulting in delays and financial penalties for the ship operator. Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) has now issued Marine Notice No. 19/2015 highlighting…

Maritime services group Global Navigation Solutions (GNS) will unveil its new Voyager suite of products that for the first time connects ship and shore through one e-navigation solution. Scheduled to debut at events in London, Singapore and Hamburg on June 17, 18 and 19, GNS’s new web-based Voyager Management Service now enables shore-based ship managers to check that vessels are always carrying required charts and publications, in either digital or paper format, and that all relevant corrections have been received onboard and applied, thereby helping prevent vessels from incurring penalties from chart-related issues arising with port-state control inspections.

HANSA HEAVY LIFT has been recognized with a DNV GL Excellence - Five Stars Award for the high quality of its management systems. The heavy lift and project shipping company, which is one of only nine lines to be recognized in this way, was presented with the certificate by DNV GL at a ceremony at its Hamburg headquarters last week. The award was given for the quality of its management systems including ISO 9001 (Quality), ISO 14001 (Environment), BS OHSAS 18001 (Health and Safety) and ISM (International Safety Management) / ISPS (International Ship and Port Facility Security) Code.

ICS notes that the IMO Secretary General has announced that the Ballast Water Management Convention will enter into force worldwide from 24 November 2016, following ratification by Indonesia (subject to IMO’s verification of the gross tonnage data relating to Indonesia’s registered fleet). ICS believes it is now incumbent upon IMO to finalise the revision of the G8 Type Approval Guidelines as soon as possible, in order to ensure that shipowners can have absolute confidence that the expensive equipment they will soon have to install will be effective in treating ballast water conditions normally encountered during worldwide operations and be regarded as fully compliant during Port State Control inspections.

An international information campaign on the new, stricter sulphur requirements and their enforcement will be launched in February and, at the same time, cooperation between the so-called SECA countries is further strengthened, Tthe Danish Maritime Authority (DMA) announced. In February, there will be increased focus on the stricter sulphur limits that took effect on January 1, 2015 in the 16 Sulphur Emission Control Areas (SECA countries). All these countries, which include Russia, the U.S.