2021 Guidelines for Port State Control

15 March 2022 |  C22016

The 32^nd session of the IMO Assembly, having considered the recommendations of both the Marine Safety Committee (104^th session) and the Marine Environment Protection Committee (77^th session), has approved the 2021 Guidelines for Port State Control.

NOTICE TO
Ship Owners/ Managers/ Operators | Surveyors/Auditors

The 2021 Guidelines for Port State Control provide basic guidance on the conduct of PSC inspections in support of the control provisions of relevant conventions and parts of the IMO Instruments Implementation Code (III Code) and afford consistency in the conduct of these inspections, the recognition of deficiencies of a ship, its equipment, or its crew, and the application of control procedures.

The 2021 Guidelines revokes IMO Resolutions:

• 1138(31) that contains the older version of Procedures for port State control, 2019; and
• 321(74) that contains 2019 Guidelines for port State control under MARPOL Annex VI chapter 3.

Among others, the 2021 Guidelines include amendments in the following Appendices:

Appendix 4 – Guidelines for investigations and inspections carried out under MARPOL Annex II

With reference to endorsements 5.7 to 5.9 as specified in Appendix 4, if the ship has implemented an electronic record book, the shipowner may request these endorsements using a stand-alone form or request a copy of the surveyor’s report to accompany the electronic record book entry.

Appendix 7 – Guidelines for control of operational requirements

The Guidelines specify requirements under which, the detention of a ship may be considered.  i.e. failure of deck officers and crew to monitor cargo loading operations and take precautions appropriate to that cargo.

In addition, if there is found “insufficiency of operational proficiency, or unfamiliarity of essential operational procedures by the crew”, the port State is required to act as necessary to bring ships into compliance where it is found that the master and/or crew are unfamiliar with essential shipboard procedures.

In the 2021 Guidelines, the following Appendices have been included:

• Appendix 1 – Code of good practice for port State control officers conducting inspections within the framework of the regional memoranda of understanding and agreement on port State control;
• Appendix 2 – Guidelines for the detention of ship;
• Appendix 3 – Guidelines for investigations and inspections carried out under MARPOL Annex I;
• Appendix 4 – Guidelines for investigations and inspections carried out under MARPOL Annex II;
• Appendix 5 – Guidelines for discharge requirements under MARPOL Annexes I and II;
• Appendix 6 – Guidelines for more detailed inspections of ship structural and equipment requirements;
• Appendix 7 – Guidelines for control of operational requirements;
• Appendix 8 – Guidelines for port State control officers on the ISM Code;
• Appendix 9 – Guidelines for port State control related to LRIT;
• Appendix 10 – Guidelines for port State control under TONNAGE 1969;
• Appendix 11 – Guidelines for port State control officers on certification of seafarers, manning and hours of rest;
• Appendix 12 – List of certificates and documents;
• Appendix 13 – Report of inspection in accordance with procedures for port State control;
• Appendix 14 – Report of deficiencies not fully rectified or only provisionally rectified;
• Appendix 15 – Report of action taken to the notifying authority;
• Appendix 16 – Format for the Report of contravention of MARPOL (article 6);
• Appendix 17 – Comments by flag State on detention report;
• Appendix 18 – Guidelines for port State control under MARPOL Annex VI; and
• Appendix 19 – List of instruments relevant to port State control procedures.

Act now

Ship Owners / Managers / Operators are advised to take into consideration the 2021 Guidelines for Port State Control to achieve clear inspections and equally avoid possible detentions.