USCG Publishes Its Annual Port State Control Report

The United States Coast Guard (USCG) has published its Annual Port State Control (PSC) Report and Annual Class Performance List for 2011.

Germanischer Lloyd (GL) is again in the top performing group with a detention ratio of 0%. In over 1,500 distinct vessel arrivals there was no determination of class responsibility in any USCG detention of a GL classed vessel. In May the Toyko MOU’s Annual Report on Port State Control in the Asia-Pacific Region was also released. The class performance rankings list for 2009-2011 once again saw GL placed among the top performing ROs, with a performance level of “high.”

Port State Control (PSC) is an instrument for the inspection of foreign ships in national ports to verify that the condition of the ship and its equipment complies with the requirements of international regulations and that the ship is manned and operated in compliance with these rules. To effectively develop and maintain the PSC system, coastal countries in various areas of the world have established regional agreements on Port State Control: Memoranda of Understanding or MoUs. These regional agreements now cover most of the world’s oceans, with each administration having their own data base of information. This system is essential for maintaining ship safety, environmental protection and operating systems.

The USGC statistics show that overall arrivals of GL classed vessels were up from 2009 and 2010, with 1,174 and 1,112 arrivals respectively, to 1,561 distinct vessel arrivals. GL is one of only two Recognised Organisations (ROs), with more than 1,000 distinct arrivals in each of the last three years, to have no class related detentions assessed.

The USCG noted in their PSC Annual Report noted that even in the face of increased vessel arrivals and examinations that detentions related to environmental protection and safety had decreased. Flag State Administration performance was also improved, with fewer detentions for safety and a decrease in the security Control Action Ratio (CAR).

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Source: Germanischer Lloyd, June 7, 2012;