Port State Control Benchmarking Briefing

Issue Summary

Intercargo supports accurate measurement of quality, the promotion of quality and the eradication of sub-standard shipping. Intercargo works with PSC interests to support :-

Harmonised standards and training of inspectors
Consistent interpretation on what are clear grounds for inspection
The raising of standards of all MoUs to those of the global best.

Intercargo Policy

The function of port State control is to ensure that shipping conforms to the regulatory requirements of internationally agreed Conventions. Of the 9 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) areas plus the US Coast Guard, almost all have publicly accessible targeting matrices, selecting vessels based on empirically defined risks associated with owners past performance, vessel type, flag, age, Classification Society etc. In the overwhelming majority of cases, targeting and inspection is professionally undertaken leading to a safer and more environmentally friendly Industry.

Intercargo fully supports the enforcement of regulation through the PSC process. By making detailed information available to the PSC authorities and all other interested parties through the “Benchmarking” Report, Intercargo provides a transparent and statistically verifiable statement on the performance of various stakeholders including ships entered by Intercargo members, thereby encouraging continuous improvement. The strategic aim of Intercargo is therefore to “support the MoU policies of rewarding (through fewer inspections) the owners and operators of High PSC Performance vessels and to target/improve the below average stakeholders.

Summary of Recent Developments

Intercargo 2008-2009 Benchmarking Report
This is produced using our own extensive dry bulk database incorporating PSC inspection and detention data detailed on the publicly accessible websites. The data is analysed to give reports on the performance of stakeholders including owners, flag and class, with Deficiencies per Inspection (DPI) being used as the standard measure of PSC performance and overall quality. Publication of the 2008-2009 report will be undertaken at the Intercargo meeting in Hong Kong on 10 March 2009.

Key findings from the 2008 report
The quality of dry bulk shipping deteriorated in 2008 – as measured by a significant increase in the number of detentions, but Intercargo entered ships continued to outperform industry averages. In 2007, Intercargo entered ships had a better than average DPI rating of1.74 (2006 : 1.83; 2005 : 2.11) whereas non-Intercargo entered ships had a DPI rating of 2.89 (2006 : 2.64, 2005 : 3.57).

Inspections in individual ports – trends
Intercargo has scrutinised 13,690 inspections of Bulk Carriers in 575 ports in the Paris MoU, Tokyo MoU, Indian Ocean and US Coast Guard areas of jurisdiction. The results reveal a wide distortion of results implying that the harmonisation of inspection regimes globally has a long way to go.

Future Concentrated Inspection Campaigns (CIC)
The Members Area of the Intercargo website contains details of future Concentrated Inspection Campaigns (CICs). In 2009, CICs will target lifeboats. Intercargo notes very significant changes being undertaken in the Paris MoU which will place more emphasis on the three-year old performance records of the ship Manager when risk profiling the ship for inspection.

Last Updated on Friday, 24 July 2009 13:08