PSC Readiness Live
Preparing for Port State Control inspections: checklists, required documentation, Ship Risk Profile, deficiencies, detention/banning, Concentrated Inspection Campaigns, USCG Port State Control, Tokyo MOU, Black Sea MOU, Indian Ocean MOU and Mediterranean MOU specifics, appeal management, Flag State-PSC coordination, PSC risk profile for bulk carriers, fraudulent certificates and registrations.
Each topic below brings together, in a single place: an operational explanation, the regulatory reference, scope of application, procedure, practical example, real cases, common mistakes, PSC observations, operational tips, a checklist and FAQ — regulations verified as of July 2026.
Pre-PSC Checklist
Practical preparation in the hours and days before a Port State Control inspection: what to check, in what order, and why doing it well in advance changes the outcome.
Documentation Required on Board
The complete map of certificates and records a PSCO may request: what must be on board, in what form, and the deadlines most often forgotten.
Ship Risk Profile and New Inspection Regime (NIR)
How the Paris MOU decides which ship to inspect and when: the factors that determine the risk profile and why it pays to know them on board too.
Communicating with the PSCO
How to behave during the inspection: the crew's rights and duties, the right tone in interviews, and why transparency reduces (not increases) the risk of deficiencies.
Managing Deficiencies
From detection during the inspection to formal closure: how to manage a PSC deficiency without letting it become a recurring problem.
Detention and Banning
What happens when a ship is detained, how to get out of a detention, and the often-underestimated rules that lead to a port access ban (banning).
Concentrated Inspection Campaigns (CIC)
Thematic campaigns of reinforced inspection: how to know in advance what PSCOs will focus on over the coming months, and prepare accordingly.
USCG Port State Control
A regime of its own, parallel to the Paris and Tokyo MOUs: the frequency of USCG checks depends largely on a single factor — the compliance history of the flag and the ship.
Tokyo MOU: Regional Specificities
Same principle as the Paris MOU, different numbers: in 2025 the Tokyo MOU conducted a record number of inspections, with a lower but still significant detention rate.
Black Sea MOU: Regional Specificities
The detention rate in the Black Sea MOU region reached 6.78% in 2025, the highest level since 2007: a regional regime with its own priorities and dynamics, distinct from the Paris and Tokyo MOUs.
Indian Ocean MOU: Regional Specificities
The Indian Ocean MOU regime, active since 1999 with member States from Australia to Iran, recorded almost 6,000 inspections in 2025 and a detention rate of 4.38%: a regime often less familiar to Western operators.
Managing an Appeal against a Detention
Filing an appeal does not suspend the detention: the ship remains held until the deficiencies are corrected, regardless of the outcome of the appeal procedure.
Coordination between Flag State and PSC
The 2025 revision of PSC procedures introduces Duly Authorized Officers and a new Appendix 20 dedicated to security: a signal of the growing formalisation of the relationship between flag State and port authority.
Mediterranean MOU: Regional Specificities
Thirteen member States from 2026, with France and Albania just joined: the Mediterranean PSC regime is expanding just as detentions record a 20% increase.
Bulk Carriers: PSC Risk Profile and Recurring Deficiencies
Container ships, bulk carriers and general cargo ships together accounted for 83% of detentions in the first quarter of 2026: it is not the ship's structure that most often comes under PSC scrutiny, but ISM management and maintenance.
Fraudulent Certificates and Registrations: the New Paris MOU Guidance
It is no longer just a problem linked to the sanctioned shadow fleet: the Paris MOU is flagging a growing number of ships with fraudulent registrations and certificates, and is preparing, for the first time, a harmonised practical guide for handling them.