Why detentions start with maintenance
A Port State Control inspector does not need to open an engine to find a maintenance problem. A fire pump that does not deliver pressure, a lifeboat engine that does not start or a separator alarm that does not sound all show the same thing: a job that was due and was not done, or was done and not recorded.
In the annual reports of the regional port state control regimes, fire safety, life-saving appliances, safety of navigation and the ISM Code are among the most frequent deficiency areas year after year. Most of them have a maintenance job behind them.
How an inspection goes
- Initial inspection: certificates and documents, then the general condition of the ship and its crew.
- More detailed inspection: when the inspector has clear grounds, for example an expired certificate, visible defects or equipment that does not work when tested.
- Deficiencies: each one is recorded with an action, such as to be put right before departure, within a set period, or as a ground for detention.
- Detention: when the ship or its equipment is not safe to sail, or the safety management system has clearly failed. The ship stays in port until the deficiencies are put right and the inspector is satisfied.
A detention costs more than the repair. There is the time in port, the re-inspection, the effect on charter and vetting, and the ship's inspection history, which decides how often it will be inspected in the future.
The deficiencies that start with maintenance
| Area | What the inspector finds | The maintenance behind it |
|---|---|---|
| Fire safety | The emergency fire pump does not deliver pressure, fire dampers are seized, fire doors do not close. | Weekly tests not done or not recorded; dampers and doors not in the plan at all. |
| Emergency power | The emergency generator does not start, or does not start on automatic. | Monthly test runs skipped; starting batteries not checked. |
| Life-saving appliances | The lifeboat engine does not start, release gear or davits are not serviced, liferaft servicing is overdue. | Weekly and monthly checks missing; annual and five-yearly servicing not planned. |
| Pollution prevention | The oily water separator or the 15 ppm alarm does not work, Oil Record Book entries do not match. | Separator and alarm not tested; calibration overdue. |
| Machinery spaces | Oil leaks, missing insulation on hot surfaces, quick-closing valves or remote stops not working. | Leaks left for the next dock; quick-closing valves never tested. |
| Safety of navigation | Faults in navigation lights, radar or gyro. | Defects reported by the crew but not followed up. |
| Hull and weathertightness | Corroded air pipe heads and ventilators, hatch covers or watertight doors not tight. | Deck maintenance postponed; closing devices not in the plan. |
Typical examples. Whether a deficiency is a ground for detention depends on the condition found and on the inspector's professional judgement.
When defects become an ISM finding
Section 10 of the ISM Code asks the company to have procedures that keep the ship maintained, to inspect it at set intervals, to report non-conformities with their possible cause, to take corrective action and to keep records. Section 10.3 adds the equipment and systems whose sudden failure could cause a hazardous situation: they need specific measures, and stand-by equipment needs regular tests.
When the inspector finds several technical deficiencies that the ship's own system should have caught, the conclusion is that the system does not work. An ISM deficiency is then recorded on top of the technical ones, and that is often what turns a list of defects into a detention.
The questions that follow are predictable:
- Is this equipment in the maintenance plan, and when was it last tested?
- Was the defect reported, and what was done about it?
- If the job was postponed, who approved it, why, and until when?
- Was the deficiency from the last inspection closed, and how?
Before the ship arrives in port
None of this is fixed on the day of the inspection. But a short round of tests before arrival shows what the inspector would find:
- The emergency fire pump starts and delivers pressure at the hydrants.
- The emergency generator starts on automatic and takes the load.
- Lifeboat and rescue boat engines start; release gear and davits are checked.
- Fire doors close; fire dampers and ventilation closures operate.
- The oily water separator and the 15 ppm alarm work; Oil Record Book entries are checked.
- Quick-closing valves and remote stops work.
- Navigation lights, radar and gyro work; open defects are reported.
- No overdue jobs on critical equipment, or a postponement with its reason and approval.
- Findings from the last PSC inspection and the last audits are closed, with evidence.
- Records of tests and drills are on board and signed.
What the office can do every day
- Watch overdue jobs on critical equipment across the fleet every day, not only before a port with a strict regime.
- Treat postponements as decisions: each one with a reason, an approval and a new date.
- Close findings with evidence. A deficiency that comes back at the next inspection is a clear sign to the inspector.
- Know the campaign of the year. The regional regimes announce a concentrated inspection campaign on one topic every year.
- Know the ship's risk profile. Age, type, flag and inspection history decide how often the ship is inspected.
If deficiencies are found
- Put the deficiency right and keep the evidence: photos, service reports, test records.
- Where the inspector asks for it, get class or flag to confirm the repair.
- Record the finding with its root cause, not only the fix.
- Check the sister ships for the same problem.
- Change the maintenance plan, so the same gap does not open again.
Keeping it in order with SEA360
SEA360 keeps certificates, maintenance records, critical equipment and open findings for every vessel in one system. Every job has its interval, next due date and full history, critical equipment is flagged in the plan with its test history, and the job history can be exported to PDF when the inspector asks for it.
PSC deficiencies and findings from inspections and audits are recorded with root cause analysis and followed up until each one is closed, with photos and documents as evidence of the fix. Every change is recorded in the system log, and the crew see the certificates, the plan and the scans on board, also without a connection.