PSC documentary preparation — passenger / ro-ro ship
An operational bridge between general PSC documents, passenger-ship requirements, the ro-ro/HSC regime and evidence of validity and rectification.
This page organises the context and links between documents. The interactive route supports PSC preparation in eight steps. Check the regime first: cases outside PSC require the different applicable route.
Open the guided route in PSC Easy Maps →
Operational explanation
Documentary preparation for a passenger ship or ro-ro passenger ship is not the collection of a fixed list. First define the ship type, service, call and applicable inspection branch; then associate each requirement with the correct document, its version, validity, location and available supporting evidence.
The file should allow ship and shore staff to distinguish at least three layers: general PSC documents applicable to the ship; certificates, plans and records specific to passenger service; and evidence required by the particular inspection branch. The existence of a file does not by itself establish that it is current, applicable, consistent with the ship or readily available.
First decision: which regime is being prepared for?
The main scope is passenger ships and ro-ro passenger ships. Before collecting documents, record flag, departure and arrival ports, domestic or international voyage, ship type, regular service and, where relevant, class and sea area.
1. General PSC
Check that the ship and call fall under Directive 2009/16/EC. Article 13 and Annex IV govern the relevant documentary checks; expanded inspections follow Article 14, Annex VII and Regulation 428/2010 where the conditions are met.
2. Special PSC: ro-ro passenger ships / HSC in regular service
Where the ship falls under PSC and Article 14a, follow Annex XVII. Article 14a(4) disapplies Article 14 to ships inspected under this branch: do not automatically add the ordinary expanded inspection. Checks referenced by Annex XVII remain relevant, including Regulation 428/2010 where applicable.
3. Outside PSC: check Directive 2017/2110
Article 1 of Directive 2017/2110 covers ro-ro passenger ships and HSC on specified regular domestic services in Class A sea areas and services between a Member State and a third country where the ship flies that Member State's flag; national extensions to other sea areas are also possible. It excludes ships falling under the PSC Directive. If this is the applicable case, leave the PSC sequence and prepare the file under the relevant regime, including national provisions.
Version and national application. The linked consolidation is dated 5 January 2025. Directive 2024/3099 also amends Annex IV and requires transposition by 6 July 2027. Record the review date, State concerned, national legislation and provisions actually applicable: the consolidation date alone does not establish national application of every amendment.
Structure of the controlled file
| Block | What to record | Minimum check |
|---|---|---|
| Identity and scope | Ship, flag, type, tonnage, service, call and regime considered | Reasoned applicability and current source |
| Certificates and documents | Identity, number, issuer, validity, endorsement and location | Authentic, current document referring to the ship |
| Plans, manuals and records | Approved revision, required entries and responsibility for updates | Consistency between the onboard copy, SMS and actual configuration |
| PSC history | Previous reports, deficiencies, action taken and closure status | Evidence kept separate from a statement that correction is complete |
| Passenger / ro-ro evidence | Familiarisation, crowd management, passenger assistance, crisis management and other applicable evidence | People, roles, records and requirements linked without generalisation |
Specific documents and links
- Passenger Ship Safety Certificate: for ships subject to SOLAS Chapter I, link the certificate and relevant attachments to regulations I/7, I/12 and I/14. Distinguish a renewal survey from an annual survey; check validity and only those endorsements or extensions permitted and relevant to the case. Certificate, renewal and extensions.
- SAR Cooperation Plan — SOLAS V/7.3: for passenger ships subject to Chapter I, check the onboard plan, cooperation between ship, company and appropriate SAR services, and provisions for periodic exercises. Do not infer a universal annual interval. Scope and content of the SAR plan.
- Operational limitations — SOLAS V/30: identify the operational limitations document for passenger ships on international voyages and check consistency with service, configuration and certification. The document is appended to the Passenger Ship Safety Certificate and must also indicate when there are no limitations. A publicly accessible reference is MCA MGN 610, §§ 11, 37; distinguish the SOLAS requirement from UK national guidance.
- Training and familiarisation — STCW V/2 and A-V/2: associate people, duties and records. Distinguish emergency familiarisation, direct passenger assistance, crowd management, crisis management and, for relevant duties on ro-ro passenger ships, passenger safety, cargo safety and hull integrity. Crowd management: one part of the requirements.
- Ship-type checks: in the Annex to Regulation 428/2010, distinguish common section A, section F for passenger ships/HSC/ro-ro passenger ships and section G for ro-ro cargo ships. Ro-ro cargo ships are outside this page's passenger scope.
Illustrative documentary file
Fictional case: a conventional ro-ro passenger ship flying the flag of a Member State other than Italy, on an international regular service calling at an Italian port. For this example, applicability of Article 14a and SOLAS Chapter I is assumed to have been checked. In a real case, document the branch decision and national provisions before using the rows.
The documents, identifiers, dates and statuses below are simulated. These fields are a proposed organisational model, not a mandatory form.
| Requirement and applicability | Document and location | Owner, evidence and action |
|---|---|---|
| SOLAS I/7, I/12, I/14 Applicable in the assumed case | PSSC DEMO-01 and attachments; issued 1 June 2026, expires 31 May 2027; bridge certificate file | Master: identity, attachments and validity compared with simulated survey report SV-01. Status: checked in this example; next internal review 1 May 2027, not an additional statutory deadline. |
| SOLAS V/7.3 Passenger ship subject to Chapter I | SAR Plan DEMO-SAR, rev. 03; bridge SMS library and controlled shore copy | Ship/shore safety contact: revision index available; evidence that SAR contacts are current remains to be obtained. Status: to be checked; action due 16 September 2026. |
| STCW V/2, A-V/2 Personnel with relevant duties | Training matrix DEMO-TR, rev. 02; onboard crew records | Training owner: compared with simulated muster list; one record not yet linked to the person. Status: incomplete; verify before assigning the duty, internal action planned for 15 September 2026. |
For each entry also retain issuer, reasons for any non-applicability, review date and reviewer, evidence location and action deadline. An internal check is not equivalent to acceptance or closure by the authority where required.
Mapping to the eight PSC steps
The seven review points below describe work on the file; the PSC route orders the preparation stages: 1 scope and regime; 2 profile and history; 3 inventory; 4 previous findings and conditions; 5 inspection branch; 6 ship-type evidence; 7 time and ship–shore interfaces; 8 final status and actions. The inspection branch step depends on the selected regime; a case outside PSC requires the different applicable route.
Ship–shore review procedure
- Define the ship, service, call and inspection branch being examined.
- Start with general documentation and retain only applicable items, recording a reason for exclusions.
- Add certificates, plans, records and evidence specific to the passenger or ro-ro ship.
- Link each document to its source, current version, responsible person and retrievable location.
- Review previous PSC reports and keep the deficiency, corrective action and evidence of rectification distinct.
- Assign an explicit status: verified, to be updated, not applicable with a reason, or to be verified.
- Share open actions between ship and shore with an owner and deadline; distinguish internal verification of rectification from any acceptance or closure required from the authority.
Common Mistakes Mistake Library
| Mistake | Why it is weak | Correction |
|---|---|---|
| Using Annex IV as an identical list for every ship | Confuses inclusion in the Annex with applicability to the ship | Record scope and the reason for applicability |
| Mixing the general regime, expanded inspection and Article 14a | Prepares the wrong branch or duplicates activities | Establish the branch before building the file |
| Marking “present” without checking identity and version | A file may be expired, superseded or refer to another configuration | Check document, validity, revision and location |
| Closing a deficiency with a statement | Evidence of rectification is missing | Keep action, verification and evidence separate |
Preparation checklist
Training checklist. This supports study and preparation. It does not replace the SMS, approved procedures, statutory documents or instructions from the competent authority and does not demonstrate compliance or readiness.
- Ship and service scope documented
- Regime identified: general PSC, special PSC or exit to the applicable non-PSC regime
- Inventory limited to applicable items
- Certificates, plans and records checked for identity and version
- Passenger/ro-ro evidence linked to roles and activities
- Previous reports and deficiencies linked to evidence of rectification
- Open actions assigned between ship and shore
Primary sources
- 2009/16/EC: Articles 13, 14 and 14a; Annexes IV, VII and XVII. Consolidated version of 5 January 2025, read with the note on national application.
- 2017/2110: Article 1 for its separate scope; Article 14 for its connection to PSC; Annexes I–III for relevant requirements and checks.
- 428/2010: Annex, sections A, F and G, for relevant expanded checks.
- 2024/3099: Article 1(30) and Article 2, for the Annex IV amendment and transposition.
- SOLAS: I/7, I/12, I/14; V/7.3 and V/30. The IMO link introduces the Convention, not the text of individual regulations; consult the dedicated pages and applicable convention text for details.
- MCA MGN 610, §§ 11, 37: public reference for SAR and operational limitations; UK guidance, not a source of national obligations for other flags.
- STCW V/2 and A-V/2: official IMO page referencing amendments MSC.416(97) and MSC.417(97), for passenger personnel requirements and competencies.
Related topics
Last substantive revision of this page: 15 September 2026 · page fingerprint 066c190a305c