Outline

Port State control (PSC) is a system of harmonized inspection procedures designed to target substandard ships with the main objective being their eventual elimination. Port States are entitled to control foreign ships visiting their own ports to ensure that any deficiencies found are rectified before they are allowed to sail.
It is well known that the responsibility for ensuring that ships comply with the provisions of the relevant instruments rests upon the owners, masters, recognized organization and the flag State administrations.
However, the primary responsibility to safeguard against substandard ships lies on with the flag States.

Regrettably, some flag States fail to fulfill their commitments contained in agreed international legal instruments and subsequently some ships are sailing in an unsafe condition, threatening the lives as well as the marine environment. It is when flag states fail to meet their commitments that port State comes into play.
For the effective understanding of PSC activities, maritime Authorities have joined the regional Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) as a member. The Paris MOU is the model upon which other regions of the world base their agreements on PSC. Starting with the Paris MOU, PSC became more organized and widespread and now there are various Memorandum of Understanding on Port States control covering almost every part of the world. At present, there are eight regional agreements on PSC with the total of 123 members states.

In recent years, the importance of PSC has been widely recognized by the shipping industry and there has been important movement in various regions toward establishing a harmonized method for the effective implementation of the control provisions. The followings are the Memorandum of Understanding on PSC in the world to this date.

Authorities which adhere to the Paris MOU