The Marine Department has a responsibility to ensure that non-Hong Kong registered ships visiting Hong Kong comply with the requirements of various international maritime conventions. To discharge this function, officers of the Department carry out PSC inspections on ships visiting Hong Kong in accordance with provisions of IMO Resolution A.1206(34) and Tokyo MOU Port State Control Manual. There are no fees for the initial inspections. If serious deficiencies are noticed, the ship will be detained under the PSC regime, and the ship's agent/owner, classification society and flag State will be notified of the detention as well as the requirement for rectification. Generally, serious deficiencies affecting the seaworthiness of the vessel and/or the safety of the crew and/or causing damages to the marine environment are required to be rectified prior to the ship's departure. After receiving the completed application and re-inspection notice from the representative of the detained ship, the Marine Department will arrange a re-inspection on or before the next working day to confirm if the deficiencies of the ship have been rectified. The re-inspection fees are charged at an hourly rate for work done.
Purpose
In addition to Port State Control (PSC) inspections, publicating PSC detention lists is considered to be an effective measure in eliminating sub-standard shipping. The Port State Control Committee of the Tokyo Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) has decided that the regional PSC detention lists will be available online to allow the public to access the detention information more promptly. The Tokyo MOU website address is https://www.tokyo-mou.org/inspections-detentions/detention-list/.
Current Campaign: Cargo Securing of Cargo Units and Cargo Transport Units
Period: 1 September to 30 November 2026
Region: Tokyo and Paris MOU regions
The Tokyo Memorandum of Understanding (Tokyo MOU) region in conjunction with the Paris Memorandum of Understanding (Paris MOU) region will launch a Concentrated Inspection Campaign (CIC) on Cargo Securing of Cargo Units and Cargo Transport Units from 1 September to 30 November 2026.
The purpose of this CIC is to:
- Assessing the effectiveness of their loading, stowage, and securing of cargo units and cargo transport units (CTUs) onboard; and
- Raise awareness among ship staff and ship owners about the importance of cargo securing arrangements which may have contributed to the loss of containers.
The CIC will be conducted in conjunction with regular port state control inspections. Each ship will be subjected to only one inspection under this CIC (from each MOU) during the period of the campaign. Non-compliance with the issues highlighted in the CIC will lead to the issuance of deficiencies and in severe cases, detention of the vessel. The results of the campaign will be analysed, and findings will be presented to the governing bodies of the MOUs for submission to the IMO.
Port State Control Officers (PSCOs) will use a list of 10 questions to assess whether the cargo securing arrangements and associated equipment comply with the relevant requirements, that the master and crew members are familiar with operations relating to cargo securing, and the associated equipment is properly maintained and functioning. The questionnaire has been published on the website of the Tokyo MOU.
Further Information & Historical Results
For official announcements, questionnaires, and historical results of past Concentrated Inspection Campaigns, please refer directly to the Tokyo MOU website: