On February 20, 2024, the official website of China Maritime Safety Administration released the PSC detention list for January. According to the list, in the Chinese Mainland region during January, a total of 70 vessels were detained by 26 PSC departments. The details are as follows:

1.     Detentions intensity analysis

First echelon-PSC Red Alert ports : Shanghai, Tianjin.

In January 2024, 15 ships were detained in Shanghai Port and 9 ships were detained in Tianjin.

The detention rate is quite high.

Second echelon-PSC Orange Alert ports : Dalian, Guangzhou, Rizhao.

In January 2024, 5 ships were detained in Dalian, and 4 ships were detained in Guangzhou and Rizhao respectively.

Third echelon-PSC Yellow Alert ports : Ningbo, Qingdao, Shenzhen, Dongjiakou, Lianyunagng, Humen, Jinzhou, Tangshan and Xiamen.

Among them, 3 ships were detained in Ningbo, Qingdao, and Shenzhen respectively, and 2 ships were detained in Dongjiakou, Lianyungang, Humen, Jinzhou, Tangshan, and Xiamen respectively.

Fourth echelon-PSC Orange Alert ports : Fangcheng, Fuzhou, Changzhou, Jiaxing, Qinhuangdao, Qinzhou, Quanzhou, Taizhou, Weihai, Yingkou, Zhangjiagang, Zhoushan.

One vessel is detained at each of the above ports.

2.     Characteristics of high detention ports

Characteristics of Shanghai Bureau's Detention :

1) All 15 detained vessels are flag of convenience vessels, including 6 bulk carriers, 4 general cargo carriers, 3 containers, 1 oil tanker and 1 gas tanker.

So, small or old bulk cargo carriers can consider not to go to Shanghai Port, as the probability of being detained is very high.

Container ships are mainly concentrated in Yangshan Port, where PSC is quite strict. Please pay close attention!

2) It is worth noting that none of these 15 detained ships have been issued with ISM detention defects. As observed by the editor, Shanghai PSCO has not issued system defects for a long time. It is highly likely that Shanghai has internal regulations requiring strict issuance of ISM defects, which is good news.

Characteristics of Tianjin Bureau's Detention :

The 9 ships detained in Tianjin include 5 bulk carriers, 2 general cargo ships, 1 container ship, and 1 oil tanker.

It should be noted that among the 9 detained ships, cargo ships ELIJAH, ZIM BALTIMORE, and C. SPIRIT all had one detention defect taken down by PSCO.

From a historical perspective, Tianjin Port PSC has been relatively conservative, with very few defective vessels stranded.

This indicates that PSC department has changed personnel, and law enforcement efforts and intensity have increased. Please be cautious.

Characteristics of Dalian, Guangzhou, Rizhao Bureau's Detention :

1) The 5 detained ships of Dalian Bureau consist of 3 bulk cargo ships and 2 oil tankers. The PSC detention method is relatively traditional: the oil-water separator fails, and one of the three release methods (manual, electric, and accumulator) of the rescue boat release crane fails. Among the 5 detained ships, 3 have been issued with a defect in the 15ppm alarm device of the oil-water separator.

So, if go to Dalian Port, pls practice the sampling valve of the 15ppm alarm device and the demonstration operation first!

2) The four detained ships of Guangzhou Bureau include three bulk cargo ships and one oil tanker. PSC detention methods are mainly focused on lifeboat failures, emergency generator failures, domestic sewage treatment device failures, and loose fan baffles, becoming increasingly similar to Australia.

3) Regarding the detention measures of Rizhao Bureau.

Rizhao Bureau, 2 out of 4 detained ships have been issued with Class 15 ISM detention defects. Other detention measures include: emergency generator failure, incorrect installation of mast lights, emergency fire pump failure, rescue boat release device not meeting requirements (in terms of energy storage), fan fire damper failure, etc.

3.     Distribution of detention :

1)Bulk cargo ships were detained 32 times, and general cargo ships were detained 14 times, totaling 46 times, accounting for 65.7%.

The PSC inspection methods for these two types of ships are similar: Group 03 for wind and rain tightness, Group 07 for fire protection, and Group 11 for life-saving equipment. This indicates that due to the characteristics of the ship type, the most prone issues for bulk carriers are water tightness and life-saving facilities. For example, the cargo hold cover may not be tightly closed, the locking device may malfunction, and the ventilation holes and ducts may be corroded or damaged.

Here, the editor reminds the operating ship owners of these two types of ships to strengthen their training in crew inspection, after all, being detained twice within a year will result in being blacklisted by the maritime bureau and checked at every port, which will put a lot of pressure on them.

2) 9 container ships were detained and 10 oil tankers were detained.

Container ships are detained in Shenzhen and Shanghai, while oil tankers are detained in Qingdao and Dongjiakou. Shipowners need to pay close attention before berthing.

3) In terms of classification societies, NK has been detained 16 times, still ranking first. LR has been detained 4 times, RINA has been detained 4 times, DNV has been detained 7 times, BV 7 times, KR 6 times, ABS 2 times, and the rest are some unknown small societies.

4) In terms of well-known flags of convenience, Panama has 25 ships detained, ranking first, Liberia has 11 ships detained, followed closely by Belize with 3 ships detained, and Marshall Islands with 3 ships detained.

The Tokyo Memo record detained 126 ships in January, including 70 voyagesin China, 18 in Australia, 2 in Canada, 1 in Hong Kong, 1 in Indonesia, 8 in Japan, 8 in South Korea, 1 in Malaysia, 1 in the Philippines, 5 in Russia, 6 in Singapore, and 2 in Thailand.

The entire Tokyo memo states that in January, not a single Chinese flagged vessel was detained.

4.     Typical defects

1) On 28^th, Feb., Rizhao MSA detained Liberian flag bulk carrier, 7 items of detention defects:

l  Stb'd lifeboat engine starting failed and port lifeboat engine not be started by No.1 battery.

l  Damper of No.3 Ventilator for E/R can not be closed tightly.

l  COC of SEEMP Part 3 not onboard.

l  Bilge pump of OWS malfunction.

l  Oil content meter of OWS out of order.

l  The covers of two vents for apt on poop deck can not be closed.

l  The reserved power of emergency generator is not enough and only once starting completed.

2) On 13^th, Feb., Brisbane PSCO detained Liberian flagged container ship, a detention defect : Sewage overboard discharge pipe distant piece with temporary repair.

3) On 29^th, Jan., Sydney PSCO detained on Liberian flagged bulk carrier, with 3 detention defects :

l  Sewage treatment plant defective.

l  Rescue boat engine cooling water pump defective.

l  Cargo compressor room exhaust fan damper defective.

4) On 23th, Jan., Russian Nakhodka PSCO stranded Panama flagged cargo ship, with 2 detention defects :

l  Plastic bottles found on ice overboard close to ship stb'd side.

l  Not carried out sufficient familiarization with garbage management plan.

5) On 18^th. Jan., Swedish PSCO detained South Korean flagged cargo ship with 3 detention defects :

l  EMDG not possible to start with 2nd means of starting device(hydraulic) hydraulic piston leaking heavily.

l  Rescue boat engine inoperative.

l  SMS failure

Reprinted from PSCready