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Preparing a ship for port State control: a practical checklist

A PSC officer usually starts at the gangway and the bridge, asks for certificates and records, walks the ship and asks the crew to show how things work. Most deficiencies come from a short list of areas, and most of those are things a crew can check in an afternoon. Here is that afternoon, in roughly the order the officer will see it.

Before arrival, in the office

  • Certificates and endorsements. Every statutory certificate valid, annual endorsements done within their windows, conditions of class closed or within their due dates. An expired or unendorsed certificate is the easiest deficiency to avoid and one of the most serious to receive.
  • The ship's history. Open deficiencies from earlier inspections, especially with codes 16, 17 or 18 (action taken codes). A follow-up inspection will check them first.
  • The region's campaign. The Paris and Tokyo MoUs run a concentrated inspection campaign every autumn on one topic. In 2026 it is cargo securing: the officer will fill in an extra questionnaire about it.
  • Risk profile. Know whether the ship is high, standard or low risk and when its window opens (how the profile works).

Gangway and accommodation

  • Safe access: gangway or accommodation ladder rigged correctly, safety net, lifebuoy with line nearby.
  • Seafarers' employment agreements signed and available, wage accounts and payments in order (18203 Wages).
  • Records of hours of work and rest filled in honestly and matching the watch schedule (18201).
  • Medical chest and medical guide complete and in date (18401).

Bridge

  • Charts or ECDIS: corrected to the latest notices, the ECDIS with current software and the crew able to use it (10111, 10112).
  • Nautical publications on board and up to date (10116).
  • A voyage plan berth to berth for the current voyage (10127).
  • Steering gear test records and the changeover procedure posted (02105).

Fire safety

  • Fire doors close and latch on their own, nothing wedged open (07105).
  • Fire dampers move and are marked (07115).
  • Fire detection system with no faults on the panel and no isolated loops (07106).
  • Fixed fire extinguishing system serviced, release instructions posted (07109).
  • Fire pumps, including the emergency fire pump, started and delivering pressure (07113, 04102).
  • Extinguishers, fire hoses, firefighter's outfits serviced and in place (07110).

Life-saving appliances and emergency systems

  • Lifeboats and rescue boat: engines start, davits and release gear serviced, equipment complete (11101, 11104).
  • Lifebuoys with lights and lines in place (11117).
  • Emergency generator starts and takes the load, emergency lighting works (04114, 04103).

Engine room

  • Clean, no oil in the bilges or on the tank tops (09232).
  • Oil filtering equipment and its alarm work, and the oil record book matches what's in the tanks (14104, 01315).
  • Main engine without leaks, alarms and shutdowns tested (13101).

Drills and the crew

The officer may ask for a fire drill or an abandon ship drill (04109, 04110). Drills done properly in the weeks before arrival are the best preparation: crew who know their muster stations and their equipment turn a drill into a short visit, and crew who don't turn it into an ISM deficiency (15150).

Questions

What documents does a PSC officer check first?

Usually the statutory certificates, the crew list and certificates of competency, then records such as the oil record book, garbage record book, records of rest and the ship's logs. The officer decides from these whether to go further.

What is a concentrated inspection campaign?

A three-month campaign, usually in the autumn, in which the Paris and Tokyo MoUs (often with other regimes) check one topic on every inspected ship using a questionnaire. The topic for 2026 is cargo securing.

Can the officer ask for a drill during an inspection?

Yes. A fire drill or an abandon ship drill is a normal part of a more detailed inspection, and serious failures in a drill can lead to a detention.

How far ahead should we prepare for PSC?

Keep certificates and records right all the time, and do a focused check of the areas above before each arrival in a region where the ship is due or overdue for inspection.

Sources

Written by the SuperRonin team from the sources above. Last updated 27 Oct 2026. This page explains the rules; the regulation, the PSC officer and your flag and class have the final word. If something here doesn't match what you see on board, write to [email protected] and we'll correct it.

Track each deficiency to closure

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