Beginning from January 1, 2011 Port State Control Inspections within the coverage of Paris MoU will start implementing a new ship targeting and inspection regime. Changes to be introduced involve:

The new target of full coverage

With the introduction of the NIR the PMoU will change its target of inspecting 25% of individual ships calling at each member State to a shared commitment for full coverage of inspecting all ships visiting ports and anchorages in the PmoU region as a whole.

2.      Ship Risk Profile

The Ship Risk Profile will replace the Target Factor. The Ship Risk Profile classifies ships into Low Risk Ships (LRS) and High Risk Ships (HRS). If a ship is neither Low Risk nor High Risk it is classified as Standard Risk Ship (SRS).

The Ship Risk Profile is based on the following criteria, drawn from inspections data in the PMoU area during the last 3 years:

-    type of ship;

-    age of ship;

-      performance of the flag of the ship (black, grey, white list), including adoption of Voluntary IMO Member      State Audit Scheme (VIMSAS));

-      performance of the recognized organization (RO); (high, medium, low performance)

-      performance of the company responsible for the ISM management;

-    number of deficiencies;

-    number of detentions.

3          Company performance

The company performance criterion for the calculation of the Ship Risk Profile is a new parameter in the PMoU. The PMoU has established a formula which takes into consideration the deficiencies and detentions of a company’s fleet in the last 36 months (ships identified according to IMO company number) and compares them to the average of all inspected vessels results in the PMoU to determine the performance level. The companies performance level will be ranked as very low, low, medium or high. Any Refusal of Access (Ban) will have a negative impact on the ranking of the company.

4.          Inspection Categories, Time Window, Selection Scheme and inspection          types

Recognizing the rights of Port States to inspect foreign flagged ships in their ports at any time, the Paris MoU is introducing the following regime:

4.1          Inspection Categories:

The NIR includes two categories of inspection, a periodic and an additional inspection.

The time window determines periodic inspections. Additional inspections are triggered by overriding or unexpected factors and depend on the severity of the occurrence.

4.2    Time Window

The time window is set according to the Ship Risk Profile as follows:

- HRS: between 5-6 months after the last inspection in the PMoU region;

- SRS: between 10-12 months after the last inspection in the PMoU region;

- LRS: between 24-36 months after the last inspection in the PMoU region.

The time span for the next periodic inspection re-starts after every inspection.

4.3          Selection Scheme:

When the time window opens (5 months following inspection of HRS, 10 months following inspection of SRS or 24 months for LRS) a ship becomes Priority II. The ship can be selected for a periodic inspection.

If the time window for inspection passes with no inspection the ship is classified as Priority I for inspection. The ship will be selected for a periodic inspection.

If an overriding factor is logged against a ship it is classified as Priority I irrespective of the time window and the ship will be selected for inspection. If an unexpected factor is logged against a ship it becomes Priority II irrespective of the time window. The ship can be selected for inspection.

In the period before the window opens for a vessel assigned any risk profile with no logged overriding or unexpected factors the ship has no priority status and member States are not obliged to perform an inspection on such a ship but if deemed appropriate may still choose to do so.

4.4          Inspection types (initial, more detailed and expanded inspection):

The PMoU will not change the inspection types but will extend the expanded inspection to all ship types. In the case of a periodic inspection each ship with a HRS profile and each bulk carrier, chemical tanker, gas carrier, oil tanker or passenger ship older than 12 years will have to undergo an expanded inspection. Each ship with a SRS and LRS profile which is not one of the above mentioned ship types, will undergo an initial inspection or if justified a more detailed inspection.

Any additional inspection shall be a more detailed inspection at the least. If the ship has a HRS profile or is of one of the above mentioned ship types, the Member State may decide to perform an expanded inspection instead.

5.          Refusal of access (banning)

The PMoU will extend the banning for multiple detentions to all ship types and as well as ships flying the flag of an administration on the grey list. Starting January 2011 the banning criteria will be amended as follows:

-    if the ship flies a black listed flag it will be banned after more than 2 detentions in the last 36 months;

-    if the ship flies a grey listed flag it will be banned after more than 2 detentions in the last 24 months.

Any subsequent detention after the 2nd banning will lead to a ban, regardless of the flag.

Furthermore a time period until the banning can be lifted will be introduced which is as follows:

-    3 months after the first ban;

-    12 months after the second ban;

-    24 months after the third ban;

-      permanent refusal to lift the ban with no right to appeal.

To lift the 3rd ban more stringent conditions are applied which have to be fulfilled before the 24-month period elapses.

6.          Reporting obligations

With the implementation of NIR the PMoU has amended the arrival notification requirements. The former regime had a 72 hour pre-arrival (ETA72) notification duty in place in the case of ships eligible for an expanded inspection. The ETA72 now covers all ships with a HRS profile as well as every bulk carrier, chemical tanker, gas carrier, oil tanker and passenger ship older than 12 years eligible for an expanded inspection. Eligibility for expanded inspection can be checked on www.parismou.org after 1 January 2011. Furthermore, all ships continue to have the obligations of pre-arrival notification 24 hours in advance (ETA24).

Ships shall submit both the ETA72 and ETA24 notifications to the Port State in accordance with its national requirements. A new reporting requirement which is introduced with the NIR is the notification of the actual time of arrival (ATA) and the actual time of departure (ATD) for all ships calling at all ports and anchorages in the PMoU region.

7.         Implementation

NIR will replace the existing PSC regime on January 1, 2011. However, the results of all inspections from June 16, 2009 will count towards the application of the new requirements.