MoUs Announce Fire Safety Inspection 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 campaign will examine specific areas related to fire safety in conjunction with the regular Port State Control inspection.

A ship will be subject to only one inspection under this CIC during the period of the campaign. Port State Control Officers (PSCOs) will use a pre-defined questionnaire to assess that fire-fighting systems and equipment comply with the relevant requirements, that the master and crew members are familiar with operations relating to fire safety, and that equipment is properly maintained and functioning.

If deficiencies are found, actions by the port State may vary from recording a deficiency and instructing the master to rectify it within a certain period of time to detaining the ship until the serious deficiencies have been rectified. In the case of detention, details will be published on the monthly detention lists of the Tokyo and Paris MoU websites.

The results of the campaign will be analysed and findings will be presented to the governing bodies of both MoUs for possible submission to the IMO.