The Paris Memorandum of Understanding on the control of ships by the port state (Paris MOU) was signed by the maritime administrations of 27 countries. Of these, 22 countries are members of the European Union. In addition, the states participating in this memorandum are the United Kingdom of Great Britain, Canada, Norway, Iceland and the Russian Federation.

Experts consider it the most significant and effective among the currently existing 8 similar regional agreements (in the Asia-Pacific region it is the Tokyo Memorandum, in the Caribbean - the Caribbean Memorandum, etc.).

The Paris Memorandum made it possible to create a coordinated and truly reliable control system for foreign floating vehicles when they enter the ports of signatory countries. This system significantly complicates and limits the operation of low-quality, dangerous ships.

A brief history of the Paris Memorandum

In March 1978, the Liberian supertanker Amoko Cadiz crashed near the coast of France, which caused the largest oil spill at that time.

After that, the European Union decided to create an international institution for control over shipping, the mission of which would be to ensure the safety of navigation. And as a result, in January 1982, an agreement was concluded, which initially included 12 European states. It became known as the Paris Memorandum.

Over the years, the number of states has more than doubled. The Russian maritime authorities joined the memorandum on November 10, 1995 (but in fact it entered into force a little later, on January 1, 1996).

It should also be added that since 2005, Paris MOU has the status of an intergovernmental organization.

Condition to date

More than 17,000 inspections are carried out annually at the ports of the Paris Memorandum for the compliance of ships with international safety rules.

More specifically, such checks are designed to ensure:

the protection of human life in the seas and oceans;

prevention of possible water pollution (in particular, emissions of waste and petroleum products);

compliance with the standards of work on ships.

It is also important to note that Paris MOU periodically publishes reports in which the flags of states are divided into three lists - white, gray and black. They are based on the results of inspections and detentions of ships within the framework of port control. The white list includes high-quality flags with an excellent reputation and a slight number of detentions. In turn, the gray list contains flags with an "average" level of detentions. As for blacklists, flags are entered in them that do not comply (or do not fully comply) with convention norms regarding the safety of navigation.

And, for example, the lists published in 2020 contained information about 70 flags. 13 of them were blacklisted, 16 in gray, another 41 in white (with the flags of countries such as Great Britain, Norway and the Bahamas showing the best results).

It is worth saying a few words about the official website of the Paris memorandum - https://www.parismou.org. Here you can see statistics, inspection data, contacts and other useful information (although all of it is only in English).

Peculiarities of inspection within the framework of the memorandum

Control inspections in the port zones of the countries participating in the memorandum are based on the rules contained in the conventions of the International Labor Organization (ILO) and the International Maritime Organization (IMO). Each year, each of the 27 countries must inspect at least a quarter of foreign ships (of those that enter or are anchored in its ports). And here we are talking, among other things, about the courts of states that are not related to the Paris Memorandum at all. Discrimination on the basis of the flag is, of course, excluded.

Checks are carried out by officially authorized inspectors from the country in which a particular port is located. As part of the check, for example, the composition of the crew is studied. It is essential that the vessel is sufficiently manned. In addition, the senior command staff must have documents confirming their competence.

Another significant factor is the availability of the necessary supply of drinking water and food. The inspector will definitely see if these stocks are stored in proper sanitary conditions.

The premises of the vessel are also checked. They must be kept clean, have adequate lighting, heating and ventilation. Sleeping cabins must have a height of at least 190 cm, and they must also be equipped with a table and a cabinet. Plus, any shower, toilet or washing bathroom on the ship should be designed for a maximum of 8 people. In general, there are quite a few such requirements.

If the found violations seem serious to the inspector, he can instruct the ship to eliminate them within a certain time or before the next call to the port. He can also, in principle, prohibit the captain from further sailing until the defects are corrected.

At the end of the check, the inspector sends information about it to a single system.

It should also be added that special attention is paid to courts that in the recent past had some shortcomings. On the other hand, it is not customary to inspect the same vessel more often 1 once every six months (however, this rule may be violated if there are clear grounds for inspection).

P.O. Box  16191, 2500 BD The Hague, The Netherlands

+31 70 456 15 08

secretariat@parismou.org