• Maritime Labour Convention of Feb. 23, 2006, a new seafarers' convention by ILO - replaces all older conventions as flag states ratify the new convention.
  
  The new Maritime Labour Convention requires a Marine Labour Certificate and will in the near future cover also large yachts - both private and commercial.
  
  
• International Management Code for Safe Operation of Ships and Pollution Prevention, as adopted by SOLAS, resolution A 741 (18) (IMO) (ISM-code).

A summary of Status of Conventions and a list of latest conventions is available.

IMO list of certificates to be kept onboard (pdf format).

Port State Control plays a strong role in international shipping as a ship safety control system.

PSC will be expanded to include a system of survey certification and control to ensure that ships' security measures are implemented. PSC inspections will not normally extend to examination of the ship security plan itself, except in specific circumstances.

Links to PSC Authorities in different regions. By studying the reasons for detention you can avoid to have authorities stopping your ship.

Please Note

The International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships Ballast Water and Sediments was adopted on Feb. 13, 2004, in London. See Don Pedro's summary of the Ballast Water Convention.

Ships are required to be surveyed and certified, and may be inspected by Port State Control officers/surveyors who can:
- inspect the Ballast Water Record Book, and/or
- sample the ballast water.

The ship can be prevented from discharging its ballast if it's deemed to present a threat to the environment, without the ship thereby being unduly detained or delayed.

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The European Maritime Safety Agency is monitoring Port State Control (Directive 95/21) inside EU. In this respect EMSA is having the same function in the European Union as US Coast Guard has in USA. See list of ships banned in European Union.

According to European Union Green Paper (2006) it can be expected port state control standards will in the near future cover labour standards applied on all ships calling at European Union ports, regardless of flag and seafarer's nationality.

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India has tightened PSC by imposing stringent measures and has strengthened its detention practice for non-compliance with the ISM code, (pdf, 0.5 MB, 11/2007).

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In Oct. 2006 BIMCO published a booklet on how and what to do when PSC surveyor comes onboard (PDF format, 0.6 MB). It's made in cartoon form, although it's not a funny matter at all if a seaman lies to the surveyor.

European Union has in 2007 drafted a Directive proposing ships flying a flag which has not yet been subject to the IMO audit may be penalized with additional targeting by PSC surveyors More information on this in Shiptalk Newsletter: Luxury Yacht Industry, July 2007.

It is recommended that, whenever you do anything that is regulated by SOLAS or MARPOL, do make a note in the ship's logbook; When, Where, What and Who? The PSC surveyors are bound to get more "nosey" about these.