Documentation Required on Board
Certificates and documents must be valid and available; each record book is completed promptly when the required operation, event or communication occurs, without retrospective reconstruction.
Operational Explanation
Every PSCO begins the inspection with a documentary check: statutory certificates, class certificates, and the main operational records. Incomplete, expired or inconsistent documentation is often the first signal that steers the inspector towards a more thorough check (a "clear grounds" verification).
The practical difficulty is not knowing the list of required documents, but keeping them always up to date and consistent with one another: a certificate renewed but not replaced in the copy held on board, or a record with missing entries, generate deficiencies even when the ship's substantive condition is compliant.
Regulatory Reference
Build the list for the ship and voyage: SOLAS, MARPOL, ISM/ISPS, STCW, MLC, BWM, AFS and Load Lines have distinct documents and thresholds. Distinguish statutory and class certificates. For passenger ships check the Passenger Ship Safety Certificate; for ISM the DOC copy and ship’s SMC; for MLC the certificate and DMLC where required. Include applicable records and plans without treating this list as exhaustive.
Where the power to come on board comes from. Not from the Memorandum. A regional MoU is an administrative arrangement between Administrations: it harmonises how inspections are done, it does not create the right to inspect. That right sits in the control articles of the Conventions, which resolution A.1206(34) — Procedures for Port State Control, 2025 — lists one by one at its paragraph 1.4. For SOLAS there are four regulations, not one: I/19, IX/6.2 (ISM), XI-1/4 and XI-2/9 (ISPS). For MARPOL, Articles 5 and 6 plus one provision per Annex: reg. 11 of Annex I, reg. 16.9 of II, reg. 9 of III, reg. 14 of IV, reg. 9 of V and reg. 10 of VI. The “reg. 9 of III” surprises anyone who opens Annex III in the text adopted by res. MEPC.193(61), where port State control on operational requirements is Regulation 8: res. MEPC.246(66), in force from 1 January 2016, inserted a new Regulation 1 “Definitions” into it and provided that “the subsequent regulations are renumbered accordingly”. Since 2016 that provision has been Regulation 9, and that is the number A.1206(34) carries. Then Article 21 of the Load Lines Convention 1966 as modified by the 1988 Protocol, Article X of STCW, Article 12 of TONNAGE 1969, Article 11 of AFS 2001 and Article 9 of BWM 2004. For the MLC, an ILO and not an IMO instrument, the basis is Regulation 5.2.1 with Standard A5.2.1.
Flag participation in the MoU alone does not determine control powers. Applicable conventions and port-State law govern; the no-more-favourable-treatment principle also concerns ships of non-Parties. PSC therefore does not depend on flag ratification. IMO A.1206(34), §§1.2–1.5.
For electronic certificates check authenticity, validity, endorsements and onboard verification instructions under the Administration’s accepted system. A scanned PDF alone does not establish these conditions. IMO: Survey and Certification.
Scope of Application
Every ship subject to PSC inspection, with the specific list of required documents varying according to ship type, tonnage and area of operation.
Procedure / How to Complete It
- Check validity, endorsements and applicability of each certificate.
- Complete ORB, GRB, BWRB and radio log promptly and accurately whenever the operation, event or communication required by the respective instrument occurs.
- Do not invent daily entries or reconstruct records before arrival.
- Check each record book's form, signature and retention rules separately.
Practical Example
Example: check validity and endorsements of IOPP, IAPP and SMC where applicable. For the Garbage Management Plan check revision, contents and consistency with the ship: it is not a certificate periodically renewed after each survey.
What Typically Goes Wrong
Common Mistakes Mistake Library
| Mistake | Consequence | How to avoid it |
|---|---|---|
| On-board certificate copy not updated after renewal or audit | Inconsistent documentation during inspection | Replace the copy promptly and verify validity and endorsements |
| Records reconstructed retrospectively before arrival | Inconsistencies and possible suspicion of falsification | Complete each record book promptly when the operation, event or communication prescribed by its instrument occurs; do not invent one common daily frequency |
| No person responsible for document retrieval | Delay and disorganisation | Assign responsibility and document location in the onboard procedure |
What the PSCO Checks
Operational Tips
- Keep a single calendar of deadlines for all certificates, shared between ship and Company.
- Always update the on-board copy immediately after every renewal, not at the next convenient occasion.
- Explicitly designate a person responsible for documentary retrievability, known to the whole crew.
Preparation checklist
- Certificates valid and available
- Record books completed for prescribed events
- No retrospective reconstruction
- Specific signature/retention duties checked
FAQ
Related Topics
Last substantive revision of this page: 15 September 2026 · page fingerprint 9f39ae5f7597