USCG Maritime compliance: Port State Control Guide

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(www.MaritimeCyprus.com) The US Coast Guard Office of Commercial Vessel Compliance (CG-CVC) has announced the cancellation of Marine Safety Manual (MSM) Volume II, COMDTINST M16000.7B, and its replacement with separate Commandant Instructions, one for each chapter of the previously existing manual.

This chapter explains the application of the laws, convention agreements, and regulations that apply to all foreign vessels operating in U.S. waters.

Port State Control (PSC) is the process by which a nation exercises its authority over foreign vessels in waters subject to its jurisdiction. This authority comes from several sources, both domestic and international. A nation may enact its own laws and regulations imposing requirements on foreign vessels trading in its waters (i.e. the double hull requirements imposed under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA 90), or the navigation safety regulations found in 33 CFR Part 164). In addition, nations which are party to certain international conventions are empowered to verify that vessels of other nations operating within their waters comply with these conventions, and to take action to bring these ships into compliance if they do not.

USCG marine safety port state control

Such conventions include SOLAS; the International Convention on Load Lines 1966 (ICLL); the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships 73/78 (MARPOL); the International Convention on Standards of Training Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers, 1978, as amended (STCW 95); and the International Labor Organization Convention No. 147, The Convention Concerning Minimum Standards in Merchant Ships (ILO 147)).

The United States exercises its PSC authority through the U.S. Coast Guard's Port State Control Program. This program is administered in Commandant (CG-CVC). Through the PSC program, the Coast Guard verifies that foreign flagged vessels operating in U.S. waters comply with applicable international conventions, U.S. laws, and U.S. regulations. In an effort to reduce deaths and injuries; loss of or damage to property or the marine environment; and disruptions to maritime commerce, PSC exams focus on those vessels most likely to be substandard, based on identified risk factors. When vessels that are not in substantial compliance with applicable laws or regulations are identified, the Coast Guard imposes controls until the substandard conditions have been rectified and the vessels are brought into compliance. The goal of the PSC program is to identify and eliminate substandard ships from U.S. waters. The term "substandard ship" is defined in C. 13 of this Chapter.

This guide is useful for Owners, Managers as well as Masters onboard foreign vessels visiting US ports. Interested parties can download this below:

USCG marine safety port state control

Source: USCG

USCG

 

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