The third quarter of 2015 the PSC MoU with the highest detention ratio (7.83%) was that of Mediterranean MoU, an increase which is mainly attributed to the increased detention ratio of general cargo ships. After the Mediterranean MoU, the Indian Ocean MoU was the second MoU with increased detention ratio (4.13%), followed by Paris MoU (3.61%) and Black Sea MoU (3.15%). In comparison to the previous quarter of the year the detention ratio of Tokyo MoU was decreased to 2.72%.
The second quarter of 2015 PSC inspections in Black Sea and Mediterranean PSC MoU were slightly decreased compared to the numbers of the first quarter. The same occurred for Paris PSC MoU, whereas for Tokyo PSC MoU the total number of PSC inspections was increased. The PSC inspections that resulted in identifying deficiencies onboard vessels was decreased for the Black Sea, Mediterranean and Paris PSC MoU but was increased for the Tokyo PSC MoU.
The PSC Report that was published in the past by OOW has been updated and from now on will be released on a quarterly basis. The updated report focuses mainly on the locations where the majority of the PSC detentions took place in the past quarter. As it can be seen from the report the majority of the PSC detentions takes place in the Tokyo PSC MoU, followed by Paris PSC MoU. This is something to be expected taking into consideration the amount of merchant vessels that visit Indian/Pacific ocean area as well as the Europe area.
On Thursday August 14, 2014 the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) held a Polar Code Workshop in Seattle, WA. The Polar Code is in the process of becoming a mandatory code for Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) through adoption by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) of international regulations for certified ships over 500 GT and vessels with more than 12 passengers operating in Arctic and Antarctic waters.
Last Friday a cargo ship and a barge have collided in Houston channel. Currently the USCG is investigating the cause of the collision between the cargo ship Genius Star VII and a barge loaded with 840,000 gallons of fuel oil in the Houston Ship Channel.
A few days ago USCG issued a Marine Safety Information Bulletin stating that U.S. Coast Guard Port State Control Officers will conduct unannounced examinations on a number of cruise ships for the remainder of 2014.
The Coast Guard is responding to a collision between two deep draft ships approximately 30 miles off the coast of Galveston today. There has been no report of injury or pollution from either vessel; however, both vessels are reporting damage but are in stable condition.
Last August the North America ECA low sulphur requirements came into force and as a result the sulfur content of the fuel oil used onboard ships operating in this area may not exceed 1.00% m/m (10,000 ppm). This new requirement comes to add further restrictions on the fuels’ sulphur levels and gives the PSCO the ability to examine either the vessel’s SMS or its equipment or relevant records on whether or not they are in line with ECA regulations.
The following tables summarize some findings from the PSC inspections conducted in the main PSC MoU areas (Black Sea MoU, Mediterranean MoU, Indian Ocean MoU, Paris MoU and Tokyo MoU) during last month. Data have been also gathered from various Coast Guard agencies and are presented in each month’s report. Data from other PSC MoUs (Vina del Mar, Abuja MoU, Riyadh MoU) could not be extracted at the time this report has been issued and therefore were not included.
| PSC MoUs | Black Sea | Mediterranean | Indian | Paris | Tokyo |
| Total Inspections | 509 | 456 | 436 | 1351 | 2462 |
| With Deficiencies | 376 | 243 | 261 | 937 | 1608 |
| Without Deficiencies | 133 | 213 | 175 | 414 | 854 |
| Detentions | 21 | 27 | 16 | 53 | 80 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
||||
Officer of the Watch 