The Paris Memorandum on Port State Control will start a Concentrated Inspection Campaign (CIC) to verify correct damage stability on oil tankers, chemical tankers and gas carriers. This inspection campaign will last for 3 months, starting on 1 September and ending on 30 November 2010.
The reasons for this CIC include that inspections showed tankers frequently sailing when not complying with damage stability requirements or had no means of assessing damage stability or were sailing in a loading condition not covered by the approved stability book.
In practice the CIC will mean that during every port State control inspection of a tanker within the Paris MoU region, the stability information book and other applicable documentation shall be verified in more detail for compliance with relevant regulations.
Port State Control Officers (PSCOs) shall use a list of 9 selected items to verify critical areas for tanker stability. The questionnaire will be published on the website of Paris MoU.
A special training programme was organized to prepare PSCOs for the campaign.
When deficiencies are found, actions by the port State may vary from recording a deficiency to detention of the ship until deficiencies have been rectified.
In case of detention, publication in the monthly list of detentions available on the Paris MoU web page will take place.
The results of the campaign will be analysed and findings will be presented to the governing bodies of the MoU for submission to the IMO.