Port state control in general

Port state control of ships are organised as regional cooperation based on so-called memorandums of understandings between port states in the different regions. This will be dealt with in the chapter regarding Port State Control. In this context we will just mention that these regulatory agreements exists and give one example.

There are several Port State Control Agreements around the world, namely:

• Abuja Memorandum of Understanding - http://www.abujamou.org/
• Black Sea Memorandum of Understanding - http://www.bsmou.org/
• Carribbean Memorandum of Understanding - http://www.caribbeanmou.org/
• Indian Ocean Memorandum of Understanding - http://www.iomou.org/
• Mediterranean Memorandum of Understanding - http://www.medmou.org/
• Paris Memorandum of Understanding - http://www.parismou.org/
• Riyadh Memorandum of Understanding - http://www.riyadhmou.org/
• Tokyo MoU Asia Pacific Region - http://www.tokyo-mou.org/
• Viña del Mar Agreement Latin American Region - http://200.45.69.62/

As an examp

le of those agreements, we will mention the Paris MOU

PARIS MOU

The PARIS MOU consists of 27 participation maritime Administrations and covers the waters of the European coastal States and the North Atlantic basin from North America to Europe.

The organization’s mission is to eliminate the operation of sub-standard ships through a harmonized system of port State Control. This is the system for controlling foreign ships in Paris MOU ports, ensuring that they meet international standards of safety, security and environment, and that crewmembers have adequate living and working conditions.

When the Maritime Labour Convention (2006) of the ILO enters into force, the system of port state control will be even more important, ensuring that ships carry a valid health certificate.

The cooperation between Paris MOU and European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) has led to a “New Inspection Regime” from 2008. Education of Port State Control Officers (PSCO) will ensure that PSCOs are trained according to the complex requirements of today and to carry out their duty in a harmonized way.

The internet site for Paris MOU hosts several lists of interest, like the list of banned ships, the black, grey and white list of national registers and the Recognized Organization Performance Table, all based on the important principles of Paris MOU: Integrity, Professionalism and Transparency.