Okuzeka
Maritime & Shipping vocabulary · Ports & Port Calls

Port state control

Meaning in maritime & shipping, with examples

nounCommon term

In maritime & shipping, port state control means: The inspection of foreign ships in a country's ports to check that they meet international rules on safety, pollution prevention, crew certificates and working conditions.

In Turkish: liman devleti kontrolü, PSC

How it is used

Shortened to PSC. Countries cooperate through regional agreements such as the Paris MoU and the Tokyo MoU. Inspectors record deficiencies and can detain a ship until serious ones are put right.

Example sentences

  1. Port state control inspectors boarded the ship two hours after berthing.

  2. The vessel was detained by port state control because the emergency generator did not start.

Common collocations

  • PSC inspection
  • PSC deficiency
  • detained by port state control
  • Paris MoU
  • flag stateThe country in which a ship is registered and whose flag it flies. Its laws apply on board, and it issues the ship's statutory certificates or authorises others to issue them.
  • SOLASThe International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea: the main IMO treaty that sets minimum safety standards for the construction, equipment and operation of merchant ships.
  • ISM CodeThe International Safety Management Code: IMO rules that require shipping companies to run a documented safety management system for the safe operation of ships and the protection of the environment.
  • harbour masterThe official responsible for the safety, order and traffic of a port, including berthing rules, anchorages and permission for ships to enter and leave.

More terms: Ports & Port Calls

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