Member authorities of the Tokyo and the Paris Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Port State Control are to launch a joint Concentrated Inspection Campaign (CIC) on vessel stability. It will be held for three months, commencing from September 1, 2021, and ending November 30, 2021, and inspectors will examine specific areas related to the campaign in conjunction with the regular Port State Control inspection.
The purposes of the campaign are:
– to confirm that the ship’s crew are familiar with assessing the actual stability condition on completion of cargo operations before departure of the ship and on all stages of the voyage;
– to create awareness among the ship’s crew and owners about the importance of calculating the actual stability condition of the ship on completion of cargo operations and before departure of the ship; and
– to verify that the ship complies with intact stability requirements (and damage stability requirements, if applicable) under the relevant IMO instruments.
A ship will be to only one inspection under this Joint Concentrated Inspection Campaign during the period of the campaign.
Port State Control Officers (PSCOs) will use a pre-defined questionnaire to assess that information and equipment provided onboard complies with the relevant conventions, that the master and officers are familiar with operations relating to stability (in general) and that equipment is properly maintained and functioning.
If deficiencies are found, actions by the port state may vary from recording a deficiency and instructing the master to rectify it within a certain period of time to detaining the ship until the serious deficiencies have been rectified.
In the case of detention, publication in the monthly detention lists of the Tokyo and Paris MoU websites will take place.
It is expected that the Tokyo and Paris MoUs will carry out approximately 10,000 inspections during the CIC, but this is subject to any developments during the current COVID-19 pandemic. All inspections carried out will be subject to ongoing health and safety requirements in individual port states.
The results of the campaign will be analyzed and findings will be presented to the governing bodies of both MoUs for submission to the IMO.