Paris MOU Targets Living Conditions on Ships

The Paris Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Port State Control has announced a crackdown on substandard living and working conditions onboard ship.

The MOU has begun a new inspection campaign, lasting until December 31, 2004, which will examine on-board accommodation, hospital facilities, galley supplies and storage, hours of rest and working schedules. If the inspecting PSC officer discovers that conditions do not comply with the standards set by ILO Conventions, then sanctions may be imposed.
Penalties for non-compliance vary according to the severity of the deficiency, with sanctions ranging from a recording of the failing to a detention of a ship until it is brought up to standard. A severely non-compliant ship also risks being exposed in the monthly detention list issued by the MOU, together with follow-up inspections by Paris MOU marine administrations.

The MOU expects that approximately 4,000 inspections will be carried out during the campaign and that the results will be recorded, analyzed, and submitted to the MOU Committee early next year.