Twenty-nine countries from the Paris and the Tokyo Memoranda of Understanding have signed a new Ministerial Declaration on Port State Control (PSC), the Danish Maritime Authority (DMA) informed.
The declaration, signed during the Ministerial Conference held in Vancouver, Canada, on May 3-4, 2017, is said to stipulate new goals for PSC and for cooperation on PSC.
The DMA said that Danish key issues on, inter alia, enforcement of the sulphur regulations and the Polar Code have been included in the declaration.
”Port State Control is an important part of ensuring compliance with international regulation. That’s why it is gratifying to see that Danish key issues on enforcement of the sulphur regulations and the Polar Code have been included in the declaration. It is important to Denmark that environmental considerations are taken worldwide,” Andreas Nordseth, Director General of the Danish Maritime Authority, commented.
In addition to the sulphur regulations and the Polar Code, the declaration focuses on other areas as well, such as the acceptance of electronic certificates, more transparency and reductions of the burdens imposed on the industry in connection with PSC inspections.
Furthermore, the inspection regime should continuously be developed in order to optimise the use of the resources available, according to the DMA.
The DMA further said that PSC inspections have proven to be an effective instrument for ensuring ships’ compliance with international regulations and, thus, a level playing field for the benefit of safety, the environment and seafarers.
PSC inspections have also resulted in reduced number of defects and non-conformities. Additionally, the number of detentions has stabilised at around 3.5 per cent annually, just as more countries are now in compliance with the conditions for being included on the White List, the DMA explained.
In addition to the twenty-nine countries, the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Secretary General, a representative of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) as well as the International Shipping Federation (ISF), the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) and the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) attended the conference.