Risk profiling increasingly important in PSC inspections

Port State Control (PCS) inspectors are changing the way they inspect ships and placing greater emphasis on a vessel’s risk profile, says Petros Achtypis, CEO of Cyprus-based Prevention at Sea (PaSea). PSC memoranda of understanding (MOUs) are now drawing direct parallels between the risk profile of a ship on the one hand and the performance of the ship manager and the flag-state recognised organisation (RO) on the other. This is good news for safety at sea. After all, identifying operational or management risks can help to uncover pitfalls that may lead to accidents or injury.

Ever since risk assessment became part of the ISM Code, the shipping industry has tended to simplify the process of risk identification and assessment by application of a straightforward equation: consequence x probability. But this simplistic view does not take into account the many factors that genuinely affect the risk profile of ships or their operators. As Petros Achtypis points out, factors such as the level of crew training and familiarisation with a vessel also need to be considered in a multiple-factor risk-assessment matrix.

FleetMon welcomes the increasing importance being given to risk profiling in PSC inspections. The ship data FleetMon routinely gathers through its vessel tracking system allows marine insurers and other interested bodies to obtain comprehensive risk profile data based on the past record of ships and their operators.