Paris MoU reveals ‘concerning’ developments as some flag States attempt to stop their ships from being detained.

These kinds of attempts are not acceptable, writes the organization Paris Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control (Paris MoU), which mission is to eliminate the operation of sub-standard ships through a harmonized system of port State control.

Annually more than 17.000 inspections take place on board foreign ships in the Paris MoU ports, ensuring that these ships meet international safety, security and environmental standards, and that crew members have adequate living and working conditions.

Paris MoU says that apparent attempts by some flag states to sidestep regulations are causing some concerns.

“Several recent developments have raised some concerns for the Paris MoU, including apparent attempts by some flag States to conclude bilateral agreements with port States to avoid detentions. The Paris MoU Committee stressed that such attempts are not acceptable,” the Paris MoU noted in its press release on May 21.

The Paris MoU Committee discussed, among other things, new developments on several topics, during its 57th meeting in Madrid, Spain from 6 to 10 May 2024.

Another concern discussed was the occurrence of fraudulent seafarer certificates.

The Paris MoU Committee urged members to continue to pay attention to this issue in order to uphold safety at sea. The Committee also called on the shipping industry itself to keep a close eye on the matter.

The Paris MoU Committee also discussed the integration of fisheries control within the framework of port State control and noted the importance of keeping safety considerations separate from fisheries to ensure the effectiveness of port State control.

Related to the statistics published in the 2023 Annual Report, the Committee considered it important to monitor the continuously higher level of the detention percentage (3.81%).

The Committee also discussed the results of the Concentrated Inspection Campaign (CIC) on Fire Safety, held from 1 September to 30 November 2023, and the approval of the new port State control instruction for the inspection of ships carrying Industrial Personnel (IP Code).

Meanwhile, the Paris MoU Committee recalled the entry into force of several MLC amendments on 23 December 2024. In addition, attention was drawn to the Mediterranean Sea Emission Control Area for Sulphur Oxides and Particulate Matter that will soon become effective.

To read the full press release pls see here.