Liberia authorised by new Port State Control inspection regime

LIBERIA has been confirmed as one of only eleven flag states which to date have met the criteria set by the Paris Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control (PSC) to participate in its New Inspection Regime (NIR) for Low Risk Ships.

The NIR will replace the existing PSC regime on January 1, 2011, whereafter the Paris MoU will change its inspection criteria. The NIR is aimed at rewarding good-performing ships, and targeting poorly performing ones.

Under the NIR, vessels will be classified as Low Risk Ships or High Risk Ships. If a ship is neither Low Risk nor High Risk, it will be classified as a Standard Risk Ship. The criteria for calculating the Ship Risk Profile will take into consideration deficiencies and detentions in a company’s fleet in the previous 36 months, and compare it to the average of all vessels inspected in the Paris MoU. Companies will be ranked very low, low, medium and high. Any refusal of access will have a negative impact on the ranking of the company, which will then be subject to more in-depth and more frequent inspections.

Scott Bergeron, Chief Operating Officer of the Liberian International Ship & Corporate Registry (LISCR), the US-based manager of the Liberian Registry, says, “We welcome the Paris MoU endorsement of Liberia as a safe and responsible maritime administration, and are pleased to have achieved verification of our NIR credentials. The Liberian Registry is dedicated to maintaining the highest standards of safety, service and responsiveness, and is proud of its excellent Port State Control record.”

• The Liberian Registry is one of the world’s largest and most active shipping registers, with a long-established track record of combining the highest standards for vessels and crews with the highest standards of responsive service to owners. It has recently surpassed all-time tonnage records.