International Convention On Load Lines, 1966.
International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), 1974, as amended.
International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, 1973, as amended 1978 (MARPOL 73/78).
- Annex I, Annex II, and IBC code [ Chapter 17 ] were revised by IMO in October 2004
- Annex VI: "Regulations for the Prevention of Air Pollution from Ships", May 19, 2005. Revised Oct. 2008. Links to additional information.
International Convention on Standards for Training, Certification and Watch keeping for Seafarers, 1978, as amended (STCW-95)
Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREG), 1972, as amended.
International Convention on Tonnage Measurement of Ships, 1969.
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 ( MLC ) requires a Marine Labour Certificate and will in the near future cover also large yachts - both private and commercial. A preliminary guide to the Maritime Labour Convention 2006. Once the Convention is in force all ships which trade internationally must meet its requirements, whether their flag States have ratified it or not, ships will be subject to inspection. Inspectors' powers are the same as those under ISM or MARPOL, including the power to detain ships that do not comply.

It was expected the Labour Convention would come into force in 2011 or early 2012 but it seems to be delayed until April 2012. One of the most important issues is in particular the structural requirements for seafarer accommodation. The Convention also has a comprehensive definition of a seafarer that expands the types of workers on ships that are covered, which poses a challenge for the cruise ship sector that employ a large number of seafarers in connection with passenger related services such as hotel and catering services.

The Convention establishes a comprehensive enforcement and compliance system based on cooperation among all ratifying States that will ensure that decent working conditions, once certified by a flag State, are continuously maintained, no matter where the ship travels.
International Management Code for Safe Operation of Ships and Pollution Prevention, as adopted by SOLAS, resolution A 741 (18) (IMO) ( ISM-code text ). IMO's background information about ISM.
International Convention on the Control of Harmful Anti-fouling Systems on Ships, 2001.

Paris Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control including 31^st amendment

.

Download for free Port State Control Code

[ 670 KB ].

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. Paris MoU Annual Report for 2009 is expected in July 2010. The poorest performing flags in 2009 were Rep. Korea, Libya, Togo, Bolivia, Albania and Sierra Leone. US is on the "Gray" list, which means average performance. Highest performance [ smallest number of detentions ] were by Bermuda, China and Denmark.

PSC has been 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.

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 stick their noses into these matters.

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.

The European Maritime Safety Agency ( EMSA ) 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 currently 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.

EMSA has ( December 2008 ) published a note about "RuleCheck Port State Control System", a computerized rules directory for PSC Officers / Surveyors to find all rules applicable for a certain kind of skip built at a certain date.

Paris MOU and Tokyo MOU member countries are doing a concentrated inspection campaign during September 01 to November 30, 2011, covering compliance with structural safety requirements and the Load Line Convention. States party to the Viña del Mar, Indian Ocean, Mediterranean and Black Sea MOUs will also be focusing on structural safety and load line compliance during Port State Control inspections while the campaign is running.

The South American Agreement on Port State Control (PSC), the Vina del Mar MoU has advised that a Concentrated Inspection Campaign (CIC) will be carried out from 1 April 2010 to 30 June 2010. The campaign is intended to promote standards of safety and environmental protection with a view to ensuring:

Compliance with requirements related to structure, subdivision and stability
Provision to the Master and Officers of damage information concerning cargo and stability
Proper familiarization of crew members with the steering system and the main and emergency electrical supply systems among others.

Get Viña del Mar's PSC officers' checklist.

US Coast Guard has distributed a "Letter" USCG CG 543 Policy Letter 09-01

with instructions for US port state control officers / surveyors to control documentary compliance on US and foreign flagged vessels.

US Coast Guard has implemented a new system ( as of Oct. 2010 ) to ban substandard vessels from entering US ports. The ban will be applied to vessels of non US flag with 3 detentions within a 12 month period. Vessels must comply with all international IMO and US regional requirements. Also the vessels must be able to prove they have an effective ISM and that they do not represent a potential security threat.
US Coast Guard basic document: Policy for Banning of Foreign Vessels From Entry into United States Ports

A serious question arises: How to prove something does not exist ? In Continental Law it has been since Roman times normal to ask for positive proof only.

Starting Jan. 01, 2011, Paris MoU ( Europe ) announces, a new inspection regime ( NIR ) goes into effect. The NIR introduces a 100-percent mandatory inspection of vessels, imposes more stringent requirements than the previous one as well to vessels calling at ports in Europe, as to the relevant shipping companies and flags of states.

High risk ships will be inspected every 5-6 months and ships with more that 3 detentions will be banned. for 3 months. Low risk ships will get up to 36 months between inspections.

Is there co-operation between US and Europe this time, with the goal of banning ALL sub-standard vessels ? Or will those ships start hiding in Asia ?

Continuously up-dated list of information sources on ISM (05/2008)

from the Maritime Knowledge Centre ( IMO ). With further links to the Code text and Code FAQ ( Frequently Asked Questions ).

India has tightened PSC by imposing stringent measures and has strengthened its detention practice for non-compliance with the ISM code,

(0.5 MB, 11/2007).

European Union 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.

Random inspections for asbestos in structure, equipment and ambient air onboard of ships are conducted in Dutch ports ( in 2010 ). These inspections are carried out during port state controls.

A specialized company has been contracted to verify that port state inspectors are not affected by hazardous materials. If high asbestos concentrations are found, it is highly likely that a ship is declared as "non-inspectable". This would lead to detention of the ship for an "indefinite" time. The ban of asbestos exists since a number of years under SOLAS and a total ban will come into effect as of January 1st 2011.

DNV has in August 2009 published two documents for Ships' Masters, Officers, and Crew to assist in preparing for PSC surveys:

Lloyd's Register and UK P & I Club has produced a checklist to help ship-operators and their crews reduce Port State Control detentions. The most common deficiencies noted by authorities in ISM-related detentions involve the maintenance of the ship and its equipment. The UK Club has found that Port State Control is focusing ever more closely on compliance with procedures. The checklist is intended to help crews to follow the procedures and so avoid costly detentions. The check list is available from http://www.webstore.lr.org/ or http://www.ukpandi.com/, unfortunately it isn't for free.

New Maritime Labour Convention
Maritime Labour Convention of 2006 - Frequently Asked Questions ( FAQ ) and answers.

An overview of the new Maritime Labour Convention, 2006. Get full text of the Convention, available also in

( Arabic ) ,

( Chinese ), Deutsch, Español, Français, Português, Pycckий.

At IMO conference at Manila (Philippines) in June 2010 the new Labour Convention caused an amendment to STCW, the minimum weekly rest hours for seafarers was increased from 70 to 77. The basic minimum hours of rest in any 24 hr period remains 10 hrs. Maximum 2 rest periods with an interval of no more than 14 hrs. Requirements do not apply in emergencies or in other overriding operational conditions. These conditions are limited and cannot be applied continuously. The new amendments will come into force beginning of 2012 and will be controlled by PSC Surveyors.
A computer program has been developed to track seafarers' working and rest hours, to do it by hand wouldn't be practical - the rules are too complicated for that.

US Department of Justice has released a report on a Hong Kong based ship management company has been indicted in Texas with obstruction of agency proceedings, making false statement and failing to keep accurate pollution control records. If convicted of the conspiracy charge, both face up to five years in prison and a fine of USD 250,000. If convicted of obstruction of justice, the ship superintendent faces up to 20 years in prison and a USD 250,000 fine.

The Econometric Institute at Erasmus University in Holland published in October 2009 a study of Port State Control regimes 1999-2004. By using a binary logistic regression [ "statistical correlation analysis" ] the study concludes the probability of detention of vessels does not depend on ships' age, size, flag,, classification society or owner but on differences in Port States ( Governments ). This confirms many seafarers' and ship owners' "gut feeling" that many Port States strictly follow Port State Control rules as they are intended while many others do not have any Port State Control at all.

Another study ( also 2009 ) was concerned with Differences in Treatment of Safety Inspections.

Port State Control (PSC) Summary

PSC is based on the following International conventions:

Please Note