Our targeting system prioritises inspections primarily based upon a calculated risk factor.
To assist our marine surveyors in conducting port State control (PSC) inspections, we use a vessel inspection database. This database contains information received from various sources on many vessels. This information includes general particulars of a vessel inspection history, including from the Indian Ocean MOU and Tokyo MOU.
Our Shipsys database uses this data to calculate a risk rating for the vessel relative to the global shipping fleet. It is this risk rating that allows us to target elevated risk vessels and conduct inspections as required.
Vessel eligibility and selection for PSC inspection
Selection of a vessel for inspection considers several factors, including:
- environmental risk
- vessel complaints
- our risk-based vessel inspection targeting scheme.
Vessels become eligible for inspection every 6 months, however if deemed necessary, we may reduce this period. Our targeting system prioritises inspections primarily based upon a calculated risk rating.
Vessel targeting
We prioritise elevated risk vessels and base our decisions to conduct an inspection on these priorities and other factors determined by our inspectors’ professional judgement as well as the vessels' calculated risk rating.
While we work to a published National Compliance Plan to target vessels, if we determine your vessel needs to be inspected, we maintain the right to do so based on:
- our inspectors’ professional judgement
- the law
- the conventions that we work to.
Factors which may influence the determination include:
- reported safety concerns
- prior vessel/company history
- prior detentions
- prior compliance actions.
You can contact us with questions about vessel targeting by emailing psc@amsa.gov.au.