What is happening with the Bulgarian maritime flag?

Port State control (PSC) is an important method which the Port State adopts to manage ship safety and marine pollution in its territory. During the process of promoting the construction of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road (MSR), subject to economic development and shipping, there is a lack of unified standards and requirements among different states along MSR, which causes many problems. Firstly, the level of economic development among countries around MSR is different leading to some countries cannot afford to develop their PSC. There is a lack of cooperation among these countries. Secondly, the PSC levels of most countries along MSR are weak. Moreover, the standards of PSC and the capacity of the officers of the Port State are different. Lastly, there is a deviation in the direction of the same State’s PSC. They are even not clear on the major functions of PSC, so they may be confused by the pre-supervision and the latter examination. Therefore, taking advantage of the experience from the successful PSC organizations, the states may learn from the examples of the new mechanism under Paris MOU and Tokyo MOU, then formulate the cooperative mechanism fitting better to them. In order to fulfill this goal, the authors shall try to unify the standards of PSC, quantify the PSC content index, and rectify the direction of PSC among different states along MSR. In the meantime, the states shall strengthen information exchanges and further develop extensive cooperation, and improve the modes of cooperation about shipyard and ship classification society among countries. Then it will create a favorable environment for the development of shipping and the MSR construction.

The inspection of foreign-flagged ships in a state’s ports and anchorages for the purpose of monitoring compliance with international standards, known as ‘port state control’, has become necessary due to ineffective control by flag states over their vessels. Measures of effectiveness of port state control invariably focus upon the quantitative outcomes of inspections, deficiencies and detentions. This paper focuses on how effectively port state control is being delivered in the Asia-Pacific region on a qualitative basis and, in particular, it considers whether the strategic objective of the Asia-Pacific port state control regime, the Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control in the Asia-Pacific Region (Tokyo MOU),1 is being achieved. The starting point is to recall the concept of port state control and its development from a unilateral reactive measure by coastal states to a multilateral proactive control mechanism supported by international law. The structure, membership and capability of the Tokyo MOU is examined, including the flag state record of member authorities.2 Port state control performance of the Tokyo MOU is analysed using published statistics with comparative analysis undertaken of the European port state control regime - the Paris MOU. The paper identifies issues and challenges for member authorities of the Tokyo MOU in meeting its objectives. The components of the Tokyo MOU’s strategic objectives are then examined to determine whether they are being achieved. A number of recommendations are made.

This article deals with the requirements of the International Maritime Organization for the legal regulation of Port State Control, which is an effective mechanism for ensuring the safety of navigation and protecting the environment from marine pollution from vessels. The need to strengthen control over ships by the port state is determined by the following circumstances – the aging of the world fleet, reduction of ship crews, complication of technical equipment and transportation technology. A necessary condition for the safety of navigation should be sufficiently complete and strict control in ports over the application of the provisions of international conventions on ships. The purpose of such control is to identify vessels that do not comply with current international standards and take the necessary measures (detention of a vessel in the port, termination of cargo operations, delay in departure) to correct the deficiencies. The legal basis for such control is the international conventions of the International Maritime Organization and the International Labor Organization. Regional Organization of Port State Control – Paris Memorandum on Port State Control of Ships, was established in 1982 by 14 European countries to coordinate efforts to inspect foreign ships in European ports. The Paris Memorandum of Understanding Committee on Port State Control on 17 May 2010 at its 43rd session in Dublin, Ireland, finally approved the new inspection regime. A feature of the new inspection regime is the division of ships into three levels of risk: low, medium and high. The Black Sea Memorandum of Understanding (BS MOU) was established in April 2000. The member countries are Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania, Russian Federation, Turkey and Ukraine. The scope of BS MOU is the geographical coverage of ports located on the Black Sea coast. Currently, the Port State Control procedure is carried out based on the requirements of IMO resolution A.1119 (30). As the experience of states that have acceded to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) conventions on the safety of navigation shows, flag states did not fully exercise control over compliance with and implementation of the convention requirements. As a result, there has been a significant increase in ship accidents, so further expansion and strengthening of control over ships by the port State of visit becomes an important task for IMO at present.

Purpose The purpose of this study is to fill the gap and apply a fault tree analysis (FTA) in detention lists of Black Sea Region published port state reports from 2005 to 2016. The study analyzes valid records of 2,653 detained ships with 6,374 deficiencies based on a strategic management approach. This paper sets up FTA technique to assess the detention probability of a random ship which calls the Black Sea Region with the help of detention lists published within subject years. Design/methodology/approach This paper is not published elsewhere, and it is based on an original work, which figures out detention probability of a regular ship at Black Sea Region port state control from published lists of Black Sea Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). By utilizing these detention lists, a generic fault tree diagram is drawn. Those probabilities could be used strategically with the most seen deficiencies in the region which all could guide the users, rule makers and the controllers of the maritime system. Findings FTA has conducted based on the data which was collected from website of BS MoU detention lists that published from 2005 to 2016. Those lists have been published on monthly basis from 2011 to 2016 and on quarterly basis from 2005 to 2010. Proper detention records have been included into the research, whereas some missing records were excluded. Subject lists have been harmonized and rearranged according to Black Sea MoU Detention Codes which was published on October 2017 at Black Sea MoU’s website. According to BS MoU Annual Reports, 58,620 ships were inspected from 2005 to 2016 as seen in Table 1. Those ships were inspected by each member country’s PSOs in the light and guidance of predefined selection criteria of the region. Detention frequency of inspected ships detected as 0.103116 which explains any ship that called any port in the Black Sea Region could be 10% detained after inspected by PSO. Also, each intermediate event-calculated frequency enlightens the probabilities of nonconformities of ships. Although those deficiencies show structural safety and security nonconformities, those probabilities also prove us that management side of the ships are not enough to manage and apply a safety culture. By the light of that, ship owners/managers could see the general nonconformities according to regional records and could manage their fleet and each ship as per those necessities. Research limitations/implications In the light of the above analysis, the future research on this subject could be studied on other regions which might enable a benchmark opportunity to users. Also, insurance underwriters have their own reports and publications that could clarify different points of view for merchant mariners and regulators. In this research, FTA is used as a main method to figure out the root causes of the detentions. For future researches, different qualitative and quantitative methods could be used under the direction of subjects. Practical implications Detention frequency of inspected ships detected as 0.103116 which explains any ship that called any port in the Black Sea Region could be 10% detained after inspected by PSO. Also, each intermediate event-calculated frequency enlightens the probabilities of nonconformities of ships. Although those deficiencies show structural safety and security nonconformities, those probabilities also prove us that management side of the ships are not enough to manage and apply safety culture. By the light of that, ship owners/managers could see the general nonconformities according to regional records and could manage their fleet and each ship as per those necessities. Social implications With the nature of carriage, shipping business carry out its essential economic attendance in world trade system via inclusion in national and international transportation. As a catalyst in international trade, shipping itself enables time, place and economic benefits to users (Bosneagu, Coca and Sorescu, 2015). Social and institutional pressures generate shipping industry as one of the most regulated global industries which creates high complexity. Industry evolved to multi-directional structure ranges from international conventions (IMO and ILO) to “supra-national interferences” (EU directives), to regional guidance (MoUs) to national laws (flag states). Ship operators endeavor to adopt/fit its industry environment where rules are obvious. With adaptation of industrial environment, ship operators are able to create an important core competency. Originality/value This study enlightens the most recorded deficiencies and analyzed them with the help of fault three method. These calculated frequencies/probabilities show the most seen nonconformities and the root causes of detentions in the Black Sea Region in which those results will be benefited strategically that enables a holistic point of view that guide the owners/managers, charterers/sellers/shippers, classification societies, marine insurance underwriters, ship investors, third parties, rule makers and the controllers of the system to apply safety culture.

Port state control inspections in the European Union: Do inspector's number and background matter?

In order to ensure the sustainability of the shipping industry and marine ecosystem of Montenegro, it is necessary that Montenegro becomes a full member of the Paris Memorandum of Understanding (Paris MoU) on Port State Control. The reasons for doing so are numerous: the full adoption of standards stipulated by the Memorandum in relation to ship control; continuously keeping pace with, and development of, new standards in compliance with turbulent changes in the maritime industry and operation (including the increasing scope of maritime transport); the decrease in the number of detained ships which meet the requirements stipulated in international Conventions and the elimination of substandard ships in perspective; and the prevention of environmental pollution, and sea and port incidents. This justified endeavour is supported by the fact that Montenegro is one of two countries in Europe that are not full members of the Paris MoU. Additionally, in this context it is necessary to emphasise the fact that the marine ecosystem of Montenegro is an integral part of the world ocean. Accordingly, the improvement of the quality of national legislation which is compliant with international requirements is an imperative which has positive implications on regional and global sustainability.

The International Maritime Organization along with couple European countries (Paris MoU) has introduced in 1982 the port state control (PSC) inspections of vessels in national ports to evaluate their compliance with safety and security regulations. This study discusses how the PSC data share common characteristics with Big Data fundamental theories, and by interpreting them as Big Data, we could enjoy their governance and transparency as a Big Data challenge to gain value from their use. Thus, from the scope of Big Data, PSC should exhibit volume, velocity, variety, value, and complexity to support in the best possible way both officers ashore and on board to maintain the vessel in the best possible conditions for sailing. For the above purpose, this paper employs Big Data theories broadly used within the academic and business environment on datasets characteristics and how to access the value from Big Data and Analytics. The research concludes that PSC data provide valid information to the shipping industry. However, the lack of PSC data ability to present the complete picture of PSC regimes and ports challenges the maritime community’s attempts for a safer and more sustainable industry.

Implementation of international conventions through port state control: an assessment

Realising advanced risk-based port state control inspection using data-driven Bayesian networks

Differences in deficiency types causing ship detentions at the Black Sea Region during the Covid-19 pandemic and pre-pandemic

In this paper time series univariate forecast methods and analysis of time series is used in an innovative way, with the intention of assisting the flag state administrators to map and predefine their shipping quality policy. In general, given the number of ships detained by Port State Control (PSC) and corresponding inspections of the flag fleet for the same period of time, one is able to forecast the Paris Memorandum of Understanding (Paris MoU) excess factor of any flag state for a selected time window. Thus, depending on the goals of each flag state administration, one can judge their feasibility (e.g. remain in the Paris MOU White List or achieve an excess factor of —1 etc) and determine whether to enhance the safety measures or not. The method is first developed and discussed on an abstract basis to set the theoretical background, a combination of time series analysis and practical engineering philosophy. Then the study focuses upon the Cyprus Flag figures in Paris MOU ports, only to demonstrate its effectiveness but can in any case be applied upon any given flag. The application of the method suggested, combined with expert judgment, could result in a significant improvement of the flag quality.

IntroductionPort State Control (PSC) is a vital element of sustainable maritime transportation. Inspections of PSC regimes have been ensuring the continuity of the global supply chain as they enforce shipping to implement the maritime regulations to be safe, secure, and environmentally friendly.ObjectiveSince the beginning of the COVID-19 Pandemic, the number of onboard ship inspections has decreased inherently for protecting PSC officersand seafarers, while PSC regimes have developed a policy to focus on a high-risk ship based on historical inspection records. In this context, planning for a “new normal” in maritime transportation, it is essential to realize the change in ship inspection numbers and the trend of deficiency - detention factors for the maritime sector to provide current standards. This study aims to present the difference in ship inspection trends between 2017-2020 by focusing on COVID-19 pandemic outbreak data.MethodsComparative analysis with Paris MOU ship inspection & detention figures and entropy-based Grey Relevance Analysis has been used as a methodology to reveal the change in inspection trends after COVID-19.ResultsAfter the pandemic outbreak caused by COVID-19, the number of ship inspections under Paris MOU fell dramatically, however, inspection and detention rate remained the same, also entropy-based Grey Relevance Analysis indicates that detention remarks have also changed compared to last year deficiencies. Detention caused by nautical publication and cleanliness in the engine room has an increasing trend on detentions.ConclusionInspection statistics indicate consistent figures even during the pandemic outbreak, which indicates the current sample group for Paris MOU inspection is healthy. At the same time, entropy-based Grey Relevance Analysis presents a broader insight that the inspection trend on detention deficiencies has varied. Familiarization with the changing trends in inspections will cause fewer detentions of the ships.

The Port State Control system aims to ensure that all ships are subject to regular inspections, with particular attention to the ships of insufficient quality. To this end, during the inspection, priority is given to ships that are considered risky. Thetis database is an information system that contributes to the implementation of the Port State Control within the EU (European Unit). It contains data on inspections performed in the EU ports and the Paris Memorandum area. The Paris Memorandum has 27 member states and covers the waters of European coastal states and the North Atlantic basin from North America to Europe. The main goal of the Paris MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) is to eliminate substandard ships through a harmonized Port State Control system. Namely, inspections should ensure that ships meet international safety standards, are safe for the environment, and provide adequate living and working conditions for workers. The primary responsibility for ensuring these standards rests with the ship owner/shipper while the responsibility for ensuring such compliance rests with the flag state. The aim of this analysis is to determine the number of inspections performed in the ports of the Republic of Croatia and the Republic of Italy, to identify the cause of ship detentions and the most common deficiencies of offshore supply vessels, MODU (Mobile Offshore Drilling Units) and FPSO (Floating Production Storage and Offloading) Units. In the observed period, the impact of the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic was significant, resulting in the decline in the numbers of inspections performed in 2020 and 2021. In 2022, the number of inspections increased, but it still has not reached its pre-pandemic level. During the period that was the subject of research, port state inspections in the Republic of Croatia and the Republic of Italy revealed 241 deficiencies. Five areas with the largest number of deficiencies are: Certificate & Documentation, Safety of Navigation, Fire Safety, ISM, and Life-saving appliances, which follow the trend of the lack in the areas of the Paris Memorandum. The greatest increase in deficiencies was recorded in the areas of Labor Conditions-Health protection, Certificate & Documents (Crew Certificate, Documents), Emergency System and Fire safety area, which led to an increase in the number of offshore supply ships retention during the first half of 2022.

Analysis of port state control inspection data: The Black Sea Region

This article uses data generated by Port State Control (PSC) inspections of ships in national ports (Paris MoU) to assess their compliance with radio-communications safety regulations. By mainly applying binary logistic regression methods, the aim is to examine and understand the relationship between the severity of deficiencies in maritime communications and some characteristics of inspected ships. The raw data from the PSC detention database from 2005 to 2022 undergoes post-processing before being analyzed to explore patterns and coincidences with the rest of the potential risk areas. To do so, 23,725 PSC inspections were used. Several classification criteria have been proposed that can better gauge the risk related to distress communications at sea from the dataset. The results connect the probability of detention with the ship age at the inspection date, the flag of the registry, the type of ship, and the location of the port within the countries adhering to the Paris MoU. Another achievement is that the number of PSC inspections of maritime communications in a given period is a better indicator of the risk to safety than the total number of deficiencies detected in these inspections during the same period. This study also explores inspection deficiencies related to competency gaps identified in the Global Maritime Distress Safety System (GMDSS) operators, and precisely using the number of PSC inspections as a criterion of risk for safety is consistent with the recommendations of the Maritime Safety Committee Circular (2006), MSC.1/Circ.1208. Another finding from the time series is that a greater rate of decrease is identified for GMDSS equipment-related deficiencies compared to GMDSS training-related deficiencies. This alone poses a review of the refreshing courses and methods to maintain the General Operator Certificate (GOC) qualification to operate maritime radio communications facilities belonging to the (current and future) GMDSS.