GLs Port State Control statistics

Germanischer Lloyd has taken first place in the current evaluation of all statutory inspections of ships during the past year within the scope of the Paris Memorandum of Understanding (Port State Control). The Paris MoU on Port State Control (PSC) determined the number of class-relevant detentions for each classification society and expressed them in relation to the total number of statutory inspections during the years 2002 to 2004.

For GL, only 58 detentions were noted for a total of 11,773 surveys. This yields an excess factor of -1.41, which is the lowest value for the 25 societies considered.

Rainer Schöndube, Executive Board Member of GL, regarded the latest statistics on port state controls as being renewed confirmation of the uncompromising quality objective of the classification society. “This is all the more gratifying in view of the fact that we have achieved remarkable growth in recent years and now provide technical attendance for 5,500 ships.”

Port State Control is based on an agreement of the maritime transport authorities of Northwestern Europe dating back to 26 January 1982. It is aimed at achieving the greatest possible effectiveness in the enforcement of international conventions and provides for the annual inspection of at least 25 percent of all ships calling at European ports. The ships are selected according to the criteria of the Paris MoU and the European PSC Directive. All ships to be examined are at least subjected to an “initial inspection” in accordance with the applicable provisions. This includes a check of all certificates and documents of the ship and its crew as well as an examination of the bridge, the superstructures, the main deck and the engine room of the vessel. A “more detailed inspection” is performed if, during the initial inspection, there were clear grounds to believe that the requirements of the relevant international conventions have not been met. In the event of serious deficiencies, the ship may be detained until these shortcomings are rectified.