The Black Sea Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control (BS MoU) is pleased to announce the expansion of its ongoing trial initiative to include Recognized Organizations (ROs), effective 1 July 2025. This development follows the successful implementation of the initial phase for Flag States (FSs).
Recognized Organizations will now be able to access and download Port State Control data related to vessels under their certification. This initiative reflects the BS MoU’s continued commitment to promoting transparency, data accessibility and strengthening collaboration within the maritime sector.
Authorized ROs will receive secure login credentials, enabling them to access a dedicated interface to download inspection-related data in MS XLS and/or XML formats. The data is made available on an individual ship basis and covers a three-year rolling period.
This expansion remains within the framework of a trial phase and will be subject to review by the Black Sea Port State Control Committee. Input from both Flag States and Recognized Organizations will be considered in evaluating the functionality and informing future decisions regarding the implementation.
The BS MoU is confident that extending access to ROs will further support efforts to improve maritime safety, protect the marine environment and improving the working and living conditions of seafarers. It also marks another step toward fostering effective cooperation among all responsible parties in the maritime compliance chain.
Recognized Organizations wishing to participate may request access credentials by completing the BS MoU Data Request Application Form and submitting it to: secretariat@bsmou.org
We are pleased to present the twenty-fourth edition of the Annual Report on Port State Control in the Black Sea region which is published under the auspices of the Port State Control Committee of the Black Sea MoU.
Port State Control is of particular importance to the BS MoU member Authorities due to the role of shipping in the region’s trade, the sensitivity of the Black Sea basin and its coastline to environmental damage. PSC inspections are conducted to ensure that foreign ships visiting the Black Sea ports are seaworthy, do not pose a pollution risk, provide a healthy and safe environment and comply with relevant international regulations and within the scope of the member Authorities’ national governing laws and regulations.
This Annual Report provides an overview of PSC activities conducted between 1 January and 31 December 2024. The reporting period was marked by the ongoing armed conflict between the Russian Federation and Ukraine, which continued to pose serious risks to the safety and security of crews and vessels operating in the region and not boding well with the BS MoU’s objectives.
From 1 September 2024 to 30 November 2024, the Black Sea MoU carried out a Concentrated
Inspection Campaign (CIC) on Crew Wages and Seafarer Employment Agreement under the
Maritime Labour Convention (MLC, 2006). The campaign involved member Authorities of the Black
Sea MoU that have ratified the MLC, 2006. This CIC was conducted in conjunction with the Paris
and the Tokyo Memoranda, and other Regional PSC Regimes. The campaign was conducted under
the campaign coordination of the Maritime Administration of Bulgaria. Guidelines and
Questionnaires of the Paris and Tokyo Memoranda were used. The member authority of Georgia
used these resources for training purposes, given that the MLC, 2006 have been ratified but will
enter into force there on 14 February 2025.
This CIC applied to all ships and a ship was subjected to only one CIC inspection during the
campaign period. Over the course of the campaign, a total of 635 inspections were carried out by
the member Authorities of the BS MoU which are a party to MLC, 2006, covering 626 individual
ships. Among these, 553 inspections were carried out with the CIC questionnaire. During the CIC,
53 ships were detained in total. Of which, 45 detentions were the result of inspections with CIC
questionnaires and 4 of them were detained directly attributed to CIC-related deficiencies.
A total of 28 questionnaires had at least one non-compliance to any of the requirements, resulting
in 5.06 per cent of CIC inspections. The overall average per cent of nonconformities was 0.74 which
means that the “unsatisfactory” answer was given to any question under this CIC.
Black Sea Memorandum of Understanding (BS MoU) is celebrating the 25th Anniversary. This remarkable milestone stands as a testament to the strength, vision, and commitment that have defined our work from the very beginning.
Istanbul, TÜRKİYE – The Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control in the Black Sea Region (BS MoU) commemorated its 25th anniversary during the Twenty-Fifth Meeting of the Port State Control Committee (PSCC25), held from 14 to 17 April 2025 in Istanbul, Türkiye, where the Memorandum was originally signed on 7 April 2000. Since its full entry into force on 12 December 2002 for all six maritime States, the Black Sea MoU has played a vital role in promoting maritime safety, environmental protection and the elimination of substandard shipping in the region.
The meeting was chaired by Ms. Kristina RZGOEVA, Deputy Director of the Maritime Transport Agency of Georgia. Director General of Maritime Affairs of Türkiye, Capt. Unal BAYLAN delivered the welcome address and formally opened the session. In his opening speech, Capt. BAYLAN first welcomed all delegates to Istanbul and highlighted the strategic importance of the Black Sea in global maritime trade and underscored the collective responsibility of member States in ensuring maritime safety and environmental protection. He emphasized Türkiye’s pivotal role in the region’s maritime sector and reiterated the importance of unified port State control practices, regional cooperation and joint efforts to keep substandard ships away from Black Sea ports. His speech also honoured the 25th anniversary of the Committee, celebrating the ongoing commitment of member States to uphold international maritime standards.
The twenty-fifth meeting of the Port State Control Committee was attended by all the 6 member Authorities of Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania, the Russian Federation, Türkiye and Ukraine and observers of Azerbaijan, Moldova, the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the Abuja MoU, the Mediterranean MoU, the Paris MoU, the Tokyo MoU, the Viňa del Mar Agreement and the Commission on the Protection of the Black Sea against Pollution attended to the meeting. Observers of Kazakhstan, the International Labour Organization (ILO), the Caribbean MoU, the Indian Ocean MoU, the Riyadh MoU and USCG were unable to attend.
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