Bereich Hafenstaatkontrolle
Brandstwiete 1
20457 Hamburg
Phone: +49 40 361 37-297 (office hours)/+49 40 361 37-100 (24h)
Fax: +49 40 361 37-295
Mail: psc-germany@bg-verkehr.de
Mike Meklenburg
Phone: +49 40 361 37-202
Mail: mike.meklenburg@bg-verkehr.de
Inspection schemes
Port state control in Germany is part of an International network
In German ports the Dienststelle Schiffssicherheit (Ship Safety Division) of the BG Verkehr is responsible for performing port state control (PSC) inspections. All inspection and monitoring activities are controlled and co-ordinated in Hamburg. The port state control officers from the BG Verkehr are exclusively experienced master mariners or marine engineers. Their expertise enables them to assess a situation on board promptly and professionally as well as to determine appropriate measures to safeguard the international safety standard.
Port state control in Germany is an integral part of the inspection system of the Paris Memorandum of Understanding (Paris MoU) on port state control. Member states of the Paris MoU have agreed on a common inspection regime, based on a uniform standard. The central database THETIS provides member states with a common tool enabling effective and supranational port state control.
New Inspection Regime: High Risk Ships are inspected more frequently
Following the sinking of the tanker “Prestige” in 2002, member states of the Paris MoU agreed on the New Inspection Regime/NIR. Basically, the NIR became effective on 1 January 2011. The NIR refined the previous port state control procedures with the objective, to cover all ships and to focus inspections according to the individual ship’s risk. In addition to the previously applied risk factors (flag, age and type of ship, flag state, classification society, number of deficiencies) the performance of the ship owner (operator) is now also considered. By means of the "Ship Risk Calculator" a ship owner can find out about the ranking of his company and ships. The "Company Performance Calculator" allows to calculate the performance of a ship operator by means of answering a questionnaire.
For port state control purposes ships are classified into three different risk categories:
- „Low Risk Ships (LRS)“: These ships with outstanding positive features will be „rewarded“ with longer inspection intervals by port state control. Their inspection interval is not less than 24 months.
- „Standard Risk Ship (SRS)“ have an inspection interval of not more than 12 months.
- „High Risk Ships (HRS)“ have an interval between inspections within the area of the Paris MoU of not more than 6 months.
Regardless of the risk-based inspection intervals, port state control officers of the BG-Verkehr perform inspections on ships for which deficiencies or incidents possibly affecting ship safety or marine environment protection are found at inspections of traffic control centers, port authorities, pilots or harbour police. Moreover, where seafarers handed in complaints in accordance with the Maritime Labour Convention, MLC, regarding inadequate working or living conditions on board additional inspections take place.
Further information
Please, take a look at the overview of the New Inspection Regime (NIR). Detailed information can be found in the Directive 2009/16/EC and under Documents in the section "Port state control".