CODE OF GOOD PRACTICE FOR PORT STATE CONTROL OFFICERS
CONDUCTING INSPECTIONS WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF THE
REGIONAL MEMORANDA OF UNDERSTANDING
AND AGREEMENT ON PORT STATE CONTROL
(MSC-MEPC.4/Circ.2)
Introduction
1 This Code provides guidelines regarding the standards of integrity, professionalism
and transparency that regional port State control (PSC) regimes expect of all port State control
officers (PSCOs) who are involved in or associated with port State control inspections.
Objective
2 The objective of this Code is to assist PSCOs in conducting their inspections to the
highest professional level. PSCOs are central to achieving the aims of the regional
PSC regime. They are the daily contact with the shipping world. They are expected to act within
the law, within the rules of their Government and in a fair, open, impartial and consistent
manner.
Fundamental principles of the Code
3 The Code of Good Practice encompasses three fundamental principles against which
all actions of PSCOs are judged: integrity, professionalism and transparency. These are
defined as follows:
.1 integrity is the state of moral soundness, honesty and freedom from
corrupting influences or motives;
.2 professionalism is applying accepted professional standards of conduct and
technical knowledge. For PSCOs, standards of behaviour are established by
the maritime authority and the general consent of the port State members;
and
.3 transparency implies openness and accountability.
4 The list of the actions and behaviour expected of PSCOs in applying these principles
is set out in the annex to this appendix.
5 Adhering to professional standards provides greater credibility to PSCOs and places
more significance on their findings.
6 Nothing in the Code shall absolve PSCOs from complying with the specific
requirements of the PSC instruments and applicable national laws.
Annex
CODE OF GOOD PRACTICE FOR PORT STATE CONTROL OFFICERS
Actions and behaviour of PSCOs
PSCOs should:
1 use their professional judgement in carrying out their duties;
Respect
2 remember that a ship is a home as well as a workplace for the ship’s personnel and
not unduly disturb their rest or privacy;
3 comply with any ship housekeeping rules such as removing dirty shoes or work
clothes;
4 not be prejudiced by the race, gender, religion or nationality of the crew when making
decisions and treat all personnel on board with respect;
5 respect the authority of the master or their deputy;
6 be polite but professional and firm as required;
7 never become threatening, abrasive or dictatorial or use language that may cause
offence;
8 expect to be treated with courtesy and respect;
Conduct of inspections
9 comply with all health and safety requirements of the ship and their Administration, e.g. wearing of personal protective clothing, and not take any action or cause any action to be taken which could compromise the safety of the PSCO or the ship’s crew;
10 comply with all security requirements of the ship and wait to be escorted around the
ship by a responsible person;
11 present their identity cards to the master or the representative of the owner at the start
of the inspection;
12 explain the reason for the inspections; however, where the inspection is triggered by
a report or complaint, they must not reveal the identity of the person making the
complaint;
13 apply the procedures of PSC and the convention requirements in a consistent and
professional way and interpret them pragmatically when necessary;
14 not try to mislead the crew, for example by asking them to do things that are contrary
to the relevant conventions;
15 request the crew to demonstrate the functioning of equipment and operational
activities, such as drills, and not make tests themselves;
16 seek advice when they are unsure of a requirement or of their findings rather than
making an uninformed decision, for example by consulting colleagues, publications,
the flag Administration, the recognized organization;
17 where it is safe to do so, accommodate the operational needs of the port and the ship;
18 explain clearly to the master the findings of the inspection and the corrective action
required and ensure that the report of inspection is clearly understood;
19 issue to the master a legible and comprehensible report of inspection before leaving
the ship;
Disagreements
20 deal with any disagreement over the conduct or findings of the inspection calmly and
patiently;
21 advise the master of the complaints procedure in place if the disagreement cannot be
resolved within a reasonable time;
22 advise the master of the right of appeal and relevant procedures in the case of
detention;
Integrity
23 be independent and not have any commercial interest in their ports and the ships they
inspect or companies providing services in their ports. For example, PSCOs should
not be employed, even on an occasional basis, by companies which operate ships in
their ports or PSCOs should not have an interest in the repair companies in their ports;
24 be free to make decisions based on the findings of their inspections and not on any
commercial considerations of the port;
25 always follow the rules of their Administrations regarding the acceptance of gifts and
favours, e.g. meals on board;
26 firmly refuse any attempts of bribery and report any blatant cases to the maritime
authority;
27 not misuse their authority for benefit, financial or otherwise; and
Updating knowledge
28 update their technical knowledge regularly.