Principle of Port State Control (PSC)

In addition to a ship's country of registration (the "Flag State"), any other country a ship visits is considered a "Port State." It's the Flag State's primary duty to ensure that a ship flying its flag is safely constructed, properly equipped, adequately maintained, and sufficiently manned as per regulations based on International Maritime Organization (IMO) conventions. To achieve this, the Flag State conducts surveys and inspections on vessels under its registry for the issuance of various statutory certificates.

However, many ships may not call at their home ports for considerable periods. Therefore, it's crucial that ships are inspected at various ports to ensure ongoing compliance with requirements related to safety, maintenance, manning, and pollution prevention. This system of inspection and enforcement by a country in its ports on foreign-flagged ships is termed Port State Control.

Verification by the Port State Control Officer (PSCO)

The PSCO will check:

• If the emergency generator starts automatically upon failure of the main power supply.
• To conduct an operational test on the emergency generator under load.
• That emergency lighting is working.
• That the method of operation is clearly posted.

The PSCO will verify that the auxiliary steering gear:

• Is capable of moving the rudder from 15 degrees on one side to 15 degrees on the other side in not more than 60 seconds when the ship is at its deepest draught and running ahead at half of its maximum ahead service speed, or 7 knots, whichever is greater.
• Restarts automatically after power is restored following a failure.
• Can be restarted from the bridge.
• Activates an alarm in case of a power failure.

The PSCO will require:

• The lifeboat engine to be started and shown in running condition.
• All relevant parameters to be checked.
• Ahead and astern running of the engine to be demonstrated.
• The engine, after starting, should be able to run for at least 5 minutes without water.

The PSCO will:

• Request a trial of the bilge pumps.
• Ask for a demonstration of bilge suction from different locations, particularly from the furthest location from the engine room.
• Also wish to see the functioning of the Oil Water Separator (OWS) and the 15 ppm overboard discharge alarm.

The PSCO will:

• Check the SOPEP locker.
• Verify the list of oil spill response gear as required by the SOPEP, which typically includes:
  • Absorber rolls
  • Absorbent pads
  • Absorbent granules
  • Other absorbent materials (e.g., sawdust)
  • Brooms, shovels, mops, scoops
  • Oil Spill Dispersant (OSD)
  • Empty receptacles, buckets
  • Portable air-driven pumps
• The PSCO may also check that the ship's personnel are conversant with the emergency plan and the actions to be taken in case of pollution.