The Paris MOU Committee decided in May 2001 that the new requirements of the STCW Convention should be strictly enforced by Port States in the Region. For this purpose the Paris MOU has developed specific guidelines for assessment of STCW compliance and Port State Control Officers received training during a seminar held in Athens in October last year.

Inspections will focus on, but are not limited to, the following elements:

Is the flag State on the IMO White List?Is the Safe Manning Document on board (SMD)?Is the ship manned in accordance with the SMD?Is a watch duty schedule posted?Do deck and Engineer Officers hold appropriate certificates?Are certificates issued under the STCW78/95 amendments?Is the number of personnel certified for operating the GMDSS correct for the sea area the ship is certified for?Is the required documentation for personnel with designated duties in order?Is dispensation, if issued to any of the required seafarers, valid?

Deficiencies in the manning documentation will be considered as clear grounds for a more detailed inspection which includes operational drills. The Paris MOU Advisory Board decided on 28 January to take account of the recommendations of the IMO Sub-Committee on STCW. If a seafarer's documentation does not comply with STCW95 then a Letter of Warning will be issued and details of the ship will be published on the Paris MOU internet site. Letters of Warning will be issued until 31 July 2002.

From the beginning of August a ship to which a Letter of Warning has been issued will be subject to priority inspection and may be detained if the documentation of the crew does not comply with the requirements of STCW95.

Source of information :  www.parismou.org