- A CIC will be conducted for three months from Sept. 1 to Nov. 30, and the national flag carriers entering the relevant waters will be required to make preparations in advance. -

The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (Minister MOON, Seong-Hyeok) announced that the 48 member authorities of the Tokyo and Paris Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) on Port State Control will launch a joint concentrated inspection campaign (CIC) on ship stability for three months from September 1 to November 30.

* Tokyo MOU: 21 member countries in the Asia-Pacific region, including Korea, China, Australia, Japan, etc.

** Paris MOU: 27 member countries in Europe, including the UK, France, Germany, Italy, etc.

The Concentrated Inspection Campaign is a campaign through which port authorities conduct inspections over a period of three months with a focus on particular areas of concern selected by regional port state control authorities. This year the focus of the campaign is ship stability, among others.

* A system for inspecting whether the structure, equipment, and crew qualifications of foreign ships entering domestic ports comply with international convention standards to ensure maritime safety and protect the local marine environment

During this CIC, whether the ship is provided with stability information and equipment approved under international conventions and whether the Master and responsible officer are familiar with the use of the stability information provided onboard will be thoroughly checked and verified. If a ship falls significantly short of the international convention standards, severe penalties will be imposed, including an embargo.

The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries distributed a manual containing major inspection items for the Asia-Pacific and European regions and preparation measures for national flag carriers (August 23) and also held a briefing session (video conference, August 26) on the CIC to ensure that national flag carriers are not subjected to unfair treatment in foreign ports.

CHEONG, Tae-Seong, director of Maritime Affairs and Policy Division of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, said, “National flag carriers operating in the Asia-Pacific region and Europe should thoroughly prepare for the coming concentrated inspections, and please feel free to contact us and take full advantage of the active support that the government is providing.”

* Contact information for Port State Control Concentrated Inspection Support:
Maritime Affairs and Policy Division, Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, +82-44-200-5845, 5815
Survey Team, Korea Register, 070-8799-8212