Port State Control News

The Paris Memorandum of Understanding (Paris MoU) on Port State Control held its 52nd Committee meeting in St. Petersburg, the Russian Federation, from 13-17 May 2019, chaired by Brian Hogan.The meeting was opened by Yuri Kostin, Director of Department on State Policy on Maritime and River Transport, Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation.The Committee reviewed the work of the Paris MoU of the last year, also taking into account the declaration of the 3rd Joint Ministerial Conference…

Palau International Ship Registry (PISR) reports it has recorded a zero percentage detention record with the United States Coast Guard (USCG) in the latest figures issued for 2016-2018 Port State Control examinations.The USCG targets flags for additional Port State Control examinations if their detention ratio scores are higher than the three-year rolling average detention record. In the latest figures, PISR recorded an  overall 0.00% detention record with zero detentions for safety playing a major part in this.In the two year period recorded…

V.Group has urged shipowners and operators to take a proactive approach to 2020 compliance. With the global sulphur cap less than nine months away, V.Group is seeing growing numbers of shipowners and operators developing Ship Implementation Plans (SIPs) to mitigate risks and minimize disruption.It is predicted that most ships will burn ultra low sulphur fuel oils (ULSFOs) to comply with the suplhur cap legislation, switching from high sulphur fuel oil (HFO) to ULSFOs with a sulphur content at, or below, 0.50%, unless equipped with scrubbers.

The 157th Annual Meeting Hears How Safety Leadership is Driving Sustainability in Maritime. ABS held its 157th Annual Meeting on Tuesday, detailing the organization’s performance and future focus to its members. “In 2018, we delivered solid, top-tier performance. We maintained leading positions with owners and builders, held our 70-year-strong top position in the offshore market, and led the industry for safety, port state control, and the global orderbook to grow our classed fleet to 260MT,” said ABS Chairman, President and CEO Christopher J.

On 24 January, the IMO issued updated guidelines on fatigue. This is just another in a long series of band aids that attempt to cover over the problem without providing a solution. Fatigue is a long-standing weakness in the maritime industry. It is recognized as a major or contributing causal factor in the majority of maritime casualties. As is well-known, fatigue is caused by a lack of sleep and relaxation. These, in turn, are the result of too few people being tasked with too much work. Guidance on how to recognize and manage fatigue is meaningless.

The Bahamas Maritime Authority (BMA) announces the appointment of Captain Dwain E. Hutchinson as its Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer. Captain Hutchinson succeeds Commodore Davy F. Rolle, who stepped down as Director last year.Captain Hutchinson is a proud Bahamian from Nassau, New Providence island, where he completed his tertiary education before commencing his maritime studies in Scotland at Glasgow College of Nautical Studies. Qualified with a UK Master Mariner (Unlimited) STCW Certificate of Competency…

Maritime NZ brought charges against Jianxi Chen, Captain of the Panama-flagged bulk carrier Spinnaker SW on Friday, March 29, 2019.Captain Chen was charged with permitting dangerous activity involving ships or maritime products under section 65(2) of the Maritime Transport Act 1994.Captain Chen permitted crew to load a cargo of logs onto the Spinnaker SW, without the use of personal protective equipment or systems to prevent falls from height, which caused unnecessary danger or…

The Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) has been recognized on the United States Coast Guard's (USCG's) QUALSHIP 21 roster for 2019-2020. The USCG program rewards vessels for commitment to safety and quality when calling at ports in the United States (US).Only flag States which maintain a port State control (PSC) detention ratio of 1.00% or less over a three-year period and also meet a stringent set of judgement criteria are eligible for the program.A vessel registered in a…

The Hong Kong Marine Department issued a Marine Notice stating that a master was prosecuted and sentenced to four months imprisonment for bribing a Marine Department surveyor during a port state control inspection. (Source: Bryant's Maritime Blog)

ABS National Committee has met recently in Germany to explores pathways to 2050, automation and digital with German maritime leaders and offered insight on key challenges.Vessel automation, demystifying digital technologies and pathways to 2050 compliance led the debate at the ABS German National Committee, said a press note from the global provider of classification and technical advisory services to the marine and offshore industries.“ABS is committed to the German market and we have relocated European management to Hamburg to further enhance our deep relationships with German ship owners.

The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) has published the latest update of its Flag State Performance Table, which can be downloaded free of charge via the ICS website.The annual update, which is also supported by the Asian Shipowners’ Association (ASA) and the European Community Shipowners’ Associations (ECSA), provides an indication of the performance of individual flag administrations, using information available in the public domain. Since the Table was launched 15 years ago, ICS says it has been pleased by the ongoing improvement which the data has helped to demonstrate.

Nigel Smith, inaugural International Registrar of the London-headquartered St Kitts & Nevis International Ship Registry (SKANReg), is retiring in May after 47 years in the shipping industry. Smith, 62, is a former seagoing engineer officer, technical superintendent, shipyard agent and marine consultant. He has also served on various bodies of the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science & Technology, which includes being a member of the ruling Council since 2005. In the late 1990’s…

Maritime NZ detained the Panama-flagged bulk carrier Daiwan Justice on Saturday, March 2, 2019, at Lyttelton after a complaint the crews’ wages had not been paid for almost four months.Maritime NZ Southern Regional Compliance Manager Michael Vredenburg said, the detention was lifted later on Saturday after the ship’s operator, Taiwanese company, Wisdom Marine International Limited, paid the crew.Last year Daiwan Fortune, another Wisdom Marine International ship, was also detained.

The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) said that it supports the decision in principle by the UN body International Maritime Organization (IMO) that safety or operational concerns about the quality of low sulphur fuels may, in exceptional circumstances, be a valid reason for shipowners to be issued with a Fuel Oil Non Availability Report (FONAR) when the IMO global sulphur cap comes into full effect on 1 January 2020.However, ICS is warning shipowners that this decision by…

International Maritime Organization (IMO)'s Sub-Committee on Pollution Prevention and Response (PPR) meets this week (18-22 February) at IMO headquarters.According to the UN body, the meeting will focus on finalizing draft Guidelines on consistent implementation of the 0.50% sulphur limit under MARPOL Annex VI. The aim of the Guidelines is to assist in the preparations for and uniform implementation of the lower limit for sulphur content in ships’ fuel oil, which will take effect…

Signing a supply agreement with Hitachi High-Tech Analytical Science (Hitachi High-Tech), Wilhelmsen will supply Hitachi High-Tech’s industry-leading handheld XRF analyzers to the maritime market, enabling vessel crews to accurately and efficiently test the sulphur content of their fuel, on the spot.With the International Maritime Organization’s 0.50% global sulphur cap on marine fuels set to come into force on January 1, 2020 and discussions on enforcement strategies and potential penalties for non-compliance gathering pace…

International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) believes that the 2020 global sulphur cap will be the regulatory game changer of the decade with profound implications for the economics of shipping.However, there are even more profound changes to come. "We are rapidly moving into a multi-fuel future to be followed we hope, in the 2030s, by the arrival of commercially viable zero CO2 fuels suitable for global application,” says Esben Poulsson, Chairman of ICS.As the 1 January 2020 deadline for the sulphur cap approaches…

US Coast Guard and other federal agencies are operating at a reduced capacity following US government shutdown, said North of England Protecting and Indemnity Association (North P&I Club).Since 21 December 2018, the US Government has been in shutdown following the failure of Congress to agree federal funding. With no end in sight, it is the longest shutdown in US history, it said."We have not received any indications as yet that the shutdown is causing significant disruption to shipping," said a statement from North P&I Club.

The Danish Ministry of Industry, Business and Financial Affairs and the Indian Ministry of Shipping have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to strengthen the cooperation in the maritime sector between the two countries.With the conclusion of this agreement, the two countries’ mutual commitment and interest in cooperating to ensure good conditions for the maritime sector is underlined.Minister for Industry, Business and Financial Affairs, Rasmus Jarlov said: “India is a major growth economy that plays a key role in the global maritime sector.

On December 22, 2018, a continuing resolution passed by Congress to fund a portion of the U.S. Government into the 2019 fiscal year expired and was not renewed resulting in a partial federal government shutdown. Among the affected Executive Departments are the Department of Homeland Security (which includes the Coast Guard and Customs and Border Protection), the Department of Transportation (which includes the Maritime Administration), the Department of Interior (which includes the Bureau of Environment and Enforcement (BSEE) and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM))…

The Maritime Authorities of the Paris and the Tokyo Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) on Port State Control will start issuing a letter of warning from 1 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.According to a release from the Paris MoU, the requirement of maximum sulphur content of 0,50% m/m for marine fuel oil will enter into force on 1 January 2020, which…

Performing a vessel inspection is an important task. Inspections by flag and port States are key to keeping ship standards high and in turn reducing accidents and pollution to the maritime environment.To maintain a high level of safety in the region, a Regional Caribbean Ship Inspector Training course (CASIT) (29 October – 16 November) has been held in Trinidad and Tobago, said a press release from International Maritime Organization (IMO).The objective of the course is to prepare ship surveyors to be able to work in a Caribbean maritime administration.

In addition to progress made on a number of important issues, the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) at its recent Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 73) listened to the concerns raised by the International Association of Dry Cargo Shipowners (Intercargo) and others and offered a constructive way forward to potentially address them.The association of shipowners, managers and operators of dry cargo vessels and represent better this shipping sector said that it is critical…