Port State Control Officers 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…

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…

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.

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…

A 738-foot bulk carrier that ran aground near Sewell’s Point in Norfolk, Va. was refloated during high tide on Friday morning, the U.S. Coast Guard said.It took seven tugs to refloat the Panamanian flagged Hong Dai, which grounded late Wednesday night with 22 crewmembers aboard. The ship was said to be carrying a cargo of coal, as well as 188,000 gallons of low sulfur fuel oil, diesel and lube oil, collectively. No injuries, pollution or flooding concerns were reported.The refloated…

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, especially for the tramp sector, to ensure an effective implementation process for the 2020 Sulphur Cap regulation."The MEPC agreed to consider at its next sessions…

A new mentorship scheme to encourage the next generation of women into the maritime sector has been launched at the annual conference of the Women in Maritime Association, Caribbean (WiMAC), which is being held in Belize City, Belize (October 16-19).This type of scheme is consistent with  International Maritime Organization (IMO)'s Women in Maritime program, which supports the participation of women in both shore-based and sea-going posts, in line with the goals outlined under the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 5: "Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls".The mentorship model will be used as a blueprint throughout the IMO-supported regional Women in Maritime Associations.The WiMAC meeting also discussed ways to increase the visibility of the network…

Inspection training for Port State Control Officers in South and Central America is underway at an International Maritime Organization (IMO) workshop in Buenos Aires, Argentina (6-8 November). There are participants from: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama and Uruguay. Port State Control is the process, supported by IMO, by which officials in ports can board visiting foreign-flagged vessels to verify compliance with international safety and pollution standards. The Buenos Aires workshop is specifically focused on training officers to inspect and enforce both air pollution and energy-efficiency provisions in IMO’s MARPOL Annex VI treaty.

International Registries, Inc. and its affiliates (IRI), which provide administrative and technical support to the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) Maritime and Corporate Registries, has appointed a new Technical Officer in its Imabari office, strengthening its support and services for the Japanese ship owning market. “We now have more than 400 employees in our 27 offices worldwide and by hiring an extremely experienced technical officer in Imabari, who understands every aspect of vessel safety and day-to-day operations, we are upgrading our service commitment to our growing number of Japanese owners and operators,” said Bill Gallagher, President, IRI.

ERMA FIRST, leading Ballast Water Treatment System manufacturer and award-winning Bactest, producers of the only fully integrated ballast water testing solution have announced their partnership. This promising partnership enables ERMA FIRST to sell Bactest’s rapid IMO-D2 compliance testing toolkit “Speedy Breedy SeaSure” along with ERMA FIRST BWTS FIT. “ERMA FIRST has always been committed to deliver total ballast water solutions for all types and sizes of vessels. In an effort to satisfy our customers’ needs we established this cooperation with Bactest. We are honoured to be working with such a well-known company. The implementation…

The Maritime Authorities of the Tokyo and the Paris Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) on Port State Control will launch a joint Concentrated Inspection Campaign (CIC) on safety of navigation. The aim of the CIC is to check compliance with the applicable requirements of the SOLAS Convention, the overall status of the vessel’s navigation safety, and the competency of crew involved in navigation operations. This inspection campaign will be held for three months, commencing from September 1, 2017 and ending November 30, 2017.

Aiming to verify that the minimum standards for working and living conditions have been implemented for crews working on board commercial vessels, as well as generate more awareness, Port State Control Officers in the Paris MoU region have carried out a Concentrated Inspection Campaign (CIC) on Maritime Labour Convention (MLC), 2006. A total of 3,674 questionnaires for the CIC have been completed during regular inspections over a period from September 1 to November 30, 2016. The campaign resulted in 42 detentions (1.1 percent) directly linked to the MLC, 2006 requirements.

Biofouling was a backburner issue until 5 March 2017. On that day the Government of New Zealand ordered the bulk carrier DL MARIGOLD out of NZ waters after the vessel’s hull was determined to be excessively fouled with potentially invasive organisms including barnacles and tube worms. The bulker was not allowed back until it showed that the underwater surfaces had been thoroughly cleaned. This was the first known instance of a vessel expulsion due to biofouling. It was also significant…

​Practical training on board ships for port State control officers, supported by class-based lectures, has boosted knowledge amongst participants from eight countries during a training course in Muscat and Sohar, Oman (19 February -2 March). The course was hosted by the Riyadh Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control in the Gulf Region (Riyadh MoU) and  jointly organized by International Maritime Organization (IMO), the Tokyo MoU, the Riyadh MoU and the Ministry of Transport of Oman. The focus of the course was on port State control procedures and the latest revisions to relevant IMO conventions, specifically the SOLAS, MARPOL, Load Lines and STCW treaties.

Two Panama-flagged bulk carriers were detained in the U.S. on February 23, 2017, after substandard safety issues discovered during routine exams aboard the vessels along the Columbia and Willamette Rivers. The Atlantic Ruby, a 590-foot bulk carrier was boarded in Portland on February 23, after Port State Control Officers detected the SOLAS deficiencies. U.S. Coast Guard inspectors found the fixed fire extinguishing system was improperly serviced, with the time delays left disconnected. The time delay ensures personnel inside a room are able to escape before the fixed fire extinguishing agent is released. A separate Port State Control exam conducted in Kalama onboard the Amber L, a 609-foot bulk carrier, identified several safety discrepancies.

An International Maritime Organization (IMO) training in Malaysia has seen port State control officers practice inspecting air pollution and energy efficiency rules aboard a container ship in Johor Port. The participants from across Malaysia have been taking part in the three-day workshop (13-15 February) focusing on how to effectively enforce IMO’s MARPOL Annex VI regulations. The interactive workshop included class-based lectures and exercises, as well as practical training on board, in which relevant certificates and documentation, fuel tank arrangement and bunker fuel samples were inspected. It is the first time that onboard training has taken place under the GloMEEP project, which supports countries in addressing air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from ships.

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.

Work to implement International Maritime Organization (IMO)’s Ballast Water Management (BWM) Convention in developing countries is underway in Zagreb, Croatia this week, with two training activities under IMO’s GloBallast project. A seminar looking at risk assessment, and inventories of marine life in and around commercial ports – a concept also known as Port Biological Baseline Surveys – concluded November 17. Marine biologists, Port State Control Officers and maritime authorities from Croatia, Egypt, Ghana, Jordan and Nigeria are discussing issues including exemptions, ship targeting for compliance monitoring and enforcement and the development of decision support systems.

Ballast water management experts, meeting at the recent IMO-GloBallast R&D Forum in Canada, have showcased the latest developments in ballast water management and highlighted the areas where further research is needed, in order to prevent the spread of potentially harmful species in ballast water. Some 140 participants from IMO Member States, academia, private sector, testing facilities and the maritime technology industry were meeting at the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in Montreal, Canada, for the 6th Global Environment Facility (GEF)-United Nations Development Program (UNDP)-IMO GloBallast R&D Forum and Exhibition on Ballast Water Management (16-18 March 2016), under the banner “Ballast Water Management Convention – moving towards implementation”.

The Iranian Maritime Industry Knowledge Hub will be soon opened up and ready to use by public in the area of shipping and offshore industry. Reza Mohammad Alibeike, member of The Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology (IMarEST), said, "In order to promote culture and knowledge of common people and maritime activists with the maritime industry issues and related jobs, I decided to design and execute a simple, but smart and practical structure. The member of Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (SNAME) emphasized that in his software maritime industry is defined and its different segments are distinct. Due to absence of a scientific and reasonable definition of maritime industry and lack of unawareness of the authorities…

This year’s concentrated inspection campaigns (CICs) by port state authorities will focus on compliance with the Maritime Labour Convention and the vessel’s Cargo Securing Manual. Their CIC for 2016 is aimed at verifying compliance with relevant parts of the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 (MLC) and the campaign demonstrates the importance of decent working and living conditions onboard ships, as well as ensuring that seafarers’ rights are respected. The MLC entered into force on 20 August 2013 and sets out the obligations of shipowners and operators with respect to seafarers’ contractual arrangements, working hours, accommodation and recreational facilities, catering standards and their health and safety.

Spot sampling and analysis of a ship’s fuel is becoming increasingly common as a means for port state control officers to verify the actual sulphur content of the fuel in use. The shipping industry is facing increasingly stricter air emission limits all over the world. Ships berthed in EU ports have used marine fuel with a sulphur content not exceeding 0.10 per cent since 1 January 2010. Transport Canada (TC) started to rigorously monitor all ships operating within the Canadian jurisdiction of the North American Emission Control Area (NA-ECA) to ensure they are using fuel containing not more than 0.10 per cent sulphur by mass. A ship may be targeted for a sulphur inspection for various reasons, e.g.

The two major port State control regimes - Paris MoU and Tokyo MoU - will increase focus on the sulphur limit regulations. The decision has been made on the basis of a Danish/Dutch proposal. Port State control authorities across 45 countries and 5 continents – South America, North America, Europe, Asia and Australia – have agreed to carry out a so-called Concentrated Inspection Campaign (CIC) in 2018 focusing on air pollution from ships. Peter Krog-Meyer, Senior Adviser of the Danish Maritime Authority informed, ”We have achieved two important results. Firstly, all over the world there will be even more focus on whether ships meet the sulphur limits.