Operational Guide · Registers & Logbooks

# Black Sea MOU: Regional Specificities

The detention rate in the Black Sea MOU region reached 6.78% in 2025, the highest level since 2007: a regional regime with its own priorities and dynamics, distinct from the Paris and Tokyo MOUs.

Black Sea MOU PSC detention Black Sea region

## Operational Explanation

The Black Sea MOU is the regional Port State Control regime covering the coastal States of the Black Sea. Like the other regional MOUs, it applies a risk-based inspection system, but with statistics, priorities and maritime traffic dynamics of its own, distinct from those of the Paris MOU or Tokyo MOU.

In 2025, 5,117 inspections were conducted, up 11.6% on 2024, with 347 ships detained for deficiencies considered an evident danger to safety, health or the environment. The regional detention rate rose to 6.78% (from 4.71% in 2024), the highest level since 2007 and the third highest since the Black Sea MOU's founding.

## Regulatory Reference

The Black Sea MOU applies the same international instruments (SOLAS, MARPOL, MLC 2006, STCW) as the other regional PSC regimes, with its own targeting and reporting system independent of the Paris MOU. The region took part in the 2025 Concentrated Inspection Campaign on Ballast Water Management, conducted from 1° September to 30 November 2025.

## Scope of Application

Ships calling at ports of Black Sea MOU member States, with particular relevance for commercial traffic in the Black Sea region and the approaches to the Turkish Straits.

## Procedure / How to Complete It

1. Consult the statistics and specific priorities of the most recent Black Sea MOU Annual Report, without relying only on Paris/Tokyo MOU data.
2. Check the Ship Risk Profile calculated specifically by the Black Sea MOU for ships operating in the region.
3. Pay particular attention to the documentation and functioning of the ballast water management system, an area of attention in recent campaigns.
4. Verify the consistency of general PSC documentation with the standards required by the regional regime before every port call.
5. Monitor the trend of the regional detention rate, significantly rising in 2025, as an indicator of a stricter inspection context.

## Practical Example

Example: before a Black Sea port call, the Company's operations office checks the ship's Black Sea MOU Ship Risk Profile (distinct from the Paris MOU's), consults the priorities of the latest Annual Report, and ensures that BWM documentation is fully consistent with the standards applied in the region.

## Real Cases

The rise in the detention rate to 6.78% in 2025, the highest since 2007, signals a regional inspection context evolving towards greater strictness: a Company that continues to prepare its ships only to Paris MOU standards risks underestimating the real risk of deficiency/detention at port calls in the Black Sea region.

## Common Mistakes Mistake Library

Mistake | Consequence | How to avoid it
--- | --- | ---
Ship preparation based only on Paris MOU statistics and priorities, without considering regional specificities | Underestimation of the real inspection/detention risk in the Black Sea MOU region | Always consult the most recent Black Sea MOU Annual Report for planning port calls in the region
Ship Risk Profile not checked separately for the Black Sea MOU regime | Surprise at an inspection frequency different from the one expected | Check the specific Black Sea MOU Ship Risk Profile before planning port calls in the region
Rising regional detention rate not monitored as a signal of a stricter inspection context | Ship preparation not adequate to the actual level of rigour of recent inspections | Monitor the trend of the regional detention rate as an indicator for calibrating the level of preparation

## PSC Observations

Black Sea MOU inspections follow the same risk-based targeting logic as the other regional regimes, but with data, priorities and a 2025 detention rate significantly higher than the previous year, signalling a stricter inspection context in the region.

## Operational Tips

- Always consult the most recent Black Sea MOU Annual Report, don't rely only on Paris or Tokyo MOU statistics.
- Monitor the trend of the regional detention rate: 2025 marked the highest level since 2007.
- Prioritise verification of the ballast water management system before port calls in the region, an area of attention in recent campaigns.

## Checklist

- Most recent Black Sea MOU Annual Report consulted for regional statistics and priorities
- Black Sea MOU Ship Risk Profile checked separately from other regimes'
- Ballast water management system (BWMS) verified as functioning before port calls in the region
- General PSC documentation ready to standards applicable to the regional regime
- Trend of the regional detention rate monitored as an indicator of inspection context

## FAQ

What was the Black Sea MOU detention rate in 2025?
6.78%, up from 4.71% in 2024: the highest level recorded since 2007 and the third highest since the Black Sea MOU's founding, with 347 ships detained out of 5,117 inspections.
Did the Black Sea MOU take part in joint campaigns with other regional regimes?
Yes, it conducted the 2025 Concentrated Inspection Campaign on Ballast Water Management from 1 September to 30 November 2025, with 76 detentions out of 775 CIC inspections.
Are Paris MOU statistics also representative of the Black Sea MOU region?
No: they are independent regional regimes with their own data, priorities and trends; the Black Sea MOU showed a detention rate in 2025 markedly higher than the Paris MOU's for the same year.
🎬 Additional photos, videos and interactive diagrams for this topic will be available in a future version of the platform.

## Related Topics

Ship Risk Profile and New Inspection Regime Tokyo MOU: Regional Specificities Indian Ocean MOU: Regional Specificities

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