A Port State Control inspection should not begin when the PSC officer steps onto the gangway.
For a well-managed vessel, preparation starts before arrival. Certificates may be valid and checklists may be completed, but the ship's actual condition, crew familiarity and implementation of the Safety Management System must support what the paperwork says.
Recent PSC statistics reinforce this point. Paris MoU recorded 16,474 inspections and 668 detentions in 2025, giving a detention rate of 4.18%. Its reported results continue to highlight important deficiency areas including fire safety, structural and electrical matters, MLC-related requirements and ISM.
1. Statutory Certificates & Documentation
Before arrival, verify that applicable statutory and trading certificates are valid, available and consistent with the vessel's actual condition and operation.
Masters should also ensure that required records, manuals, plans and logbooks are properly maintained and readily retrievable.
The objective should not simply be to produce documents. The vessel must demonstrate compliance with the requirements those documents represent.
2. Fire Safety
Fire safety deserves particular attention.
Paris MoU's 2025 statistics show that fire safety remained one of the significant areas in which deficiencies were recorded. Fire doors were also highlighted among recurring deficiencies.
Before arrival, practical checks should therefore include the condition and readiness of applicable fire detection, firefighting and containment arrangements, including fire doors and other relevant equipment.
3. Life-Saving Appliances
Life-saving appliances should be ready for immediate use — not simply present onboard.
Responsible officers should verify the condition and accessibility of applicable equipment and ensure that crew members understand their assigned emergency duties.
A PSC inspection may go beyond records and assess whether the crew can demonstrate appropriate familiarity with shipboard emergency arrangements.
4. Bridge & Navigation
The bridge should reflect a vessel that is being navigated professionally.
Masters and navigating officers should review applicable passage-planning and navigational arrangements, bridge equipment status, charts and publications or approved electronic equivalents, records and operational procedures.
Any known defect should already be properly managed and documented in accordance with the vessel's SMS and applicable requirements.
5. Machinery & Electrical Safety
Machinery spaces often reveal the difference between a checklist inspection and the vessel's actual condition.
Look critically at leaks, housekeeping, emergency equipment, alarms, electrical installations and other visible defects rather than assuming that routine rounds have identified everything.
Paris MoU's 2025 analysis also identified structural and electrical elements under SOLAS Chapter II-1 as an important deficiency area.
6. MARPOL & Pollution Prevention
Pollution-prevention equipment, procedures and records should correspond with actual onboard practice.
Depending on vessel type and applicability, Masters and Chief Engineers should ensure relevant pollution-prevention equipment is operational, records are properly maintained and crew members responsible for those systems understand the procedures they are expected to follow.
7. MLC & Crew Documentation
PSC is not limited to the physical condition of the ship.
Working and living conditions and seafarer documentation can also receive attention. Paris MoU's 2025 results identified MLC-related deficiencies, including matters concerning health protection, medical care, welfare and social-security protection, while Seafarers' Employment Agreements were also highlighted at deficiency level.
Relevant crew documents and records should therefore be current, consistent and readily available.
8. ISM: Does the SMS Match Reality?
This is one of the most important questions before arrival.
Tokyo MoU's 2025 report highlighted continuing concern over ISM-related detentions, while Paris MoU also recorded ISM-related deficiencies.
If procedures say one thing while the vessel routinely does another, completing more paperwork will not solve the underlying problem. Defects should be identified, reported and managed through the vessel's established safety-management processes.
9. Crew Familiarisation
Ask a simple question: Can the crew explain and demonstrate what they are supposed to do?
Emergency duties, safety equipment and important operational procedures should be understood by the personnel responsible for them.
10. Walk the Vessel Before the PSC Officer Does
Look at your own ship as though you were seeing it for the first time.
Walk the bridge, accommodation, deck and machinery spaces as appropriate. Look for obvious defects that may have become familiar during everyday operation.
WAN Insight
PSC readiness is not about hiding deficiencies before arrival. It is about identifying problems early, correcting what can properly be corrected, reporting and managing outstanding defects appropriately, and ensuring that the vessel's documentation, physical condition and crew practices are aligned.
Disclaimer: This article provides general maritime information and is not a substitute for applicable international conventions, Flag State requirements, Class requirements, Port State Control procedures or professional advice.
