The PSC’s joint Concentrated Inspection Campaign (CIC) on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW) starts on 1 September. The PSC regimes will maintain their focus on crew certification and competencies, as they have done for more than two years now during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Already some years ago, the Paris and Tokyo MoUs agreed to carry out a CIC on STCW lasting three months, from 1 September until 30 November 2022. Nearly all other PSC regimes – such as the Black Sea, Caribbean, Indian Ocean, Mediterranean, Riyadh, and Vina del Mar MoUs – have agreed to join this campaign. After the COVID-19 pandemic, the inspection numbers have returned to normal in most PSC areas, except in some countries or ports, for example China.

The basis for the CIC in 2022 is laid down in IMO Res. ScA.1155(32) “Procedures for Port State Control, 2021”, with very detailed instructions provided in Appendix 11 “Guidelines for Port State Control Officers on certification of seafarers, manning and hours of rest” . Attention should be given in in Appendix 7 of Res. A.1155(32) “Guidelines for control of operational requirements”. This appendix was completely revised and published in the beginning of 2022. It covers a huge variety of operational inspection areas – from efficient communication between crew members, and assessing navigational controls such as ECDIS, to voyage planning or safe navigation, and witnessing emergency drills.