Passenger and Ro-Pax Ship PSC Inspection Checklist

A passenger ship on international voyages (one carrying more than 12 passengers) holds a Passenger Ship Safety Certificate under SOLAS I/12, renewed after a survey at least every 12 months, with its Record of Equipment (Form P). SOLAS III/27 requires everyone on board to be counted before departure, the details of passengers needing special assistance to be passed to the Master, and the information to be kept ashore for search and rescue.

Abandon-ship and fire drills are held every week on passenger ships (SOLAS III/30.2). Inspectors check that crew assigned on the muster list to help passengers hold STCW V/2 crowd management training, that senior officers and others responsible for passenger safety hold crisis management and human behaviour training (both refreshed at least every 5 years), and that all hotel and service staff have their passenger-ship familiarisation (see crew familiarisation and STCW training). Drill timing for every drill type is in the drill frequency guide, and evacuation system and rescue boat upkeep in the LSA and FFA maintenance checklist.

Sliding watertight doors, the damage control plan and departure stability are core passenger ship items (SOLAS II-1/19, 19-1, 21 and 22). Stability is worked out from declared or weighed vehicle weights, and vehicles are secured to the approved Cargo Securing Manual.

On ro-pax ships, bow, stern and shell doors are closed and locked before the ship proceeds on her voyage (SOLAS II-1/17-1, 22 and 23), alongside the load line and closing appliance checks. Vehicle-deck drains must stay clear, and the MSC.550(108) amendments to SOLAS II-2/20 in force from 1 January 2026 add video monitoring, smoke and heat detection and weather-deck fire protection, with later dates for existing ships.

Passenger ship fire safety depends on keeping fire and smoke inside one main vertical zone. Inspectors check that fire doors release from the central control station and close fully (SOLAS II-2/9), that sprinklers are charged (FSS Code chapter 8), and that the PA overrides entertainment audio (SOLAS III/6). The fire control plan itself is covered in the fire control plan and safety signs guide.

• Fire doors wedged open and watertight doors left open at sea: a main vertical zone fire door held open by a wedge or a trolley (SOLAS II-2/9), or a sliding watertight door left open at sea without need (SOLAS II-1/22), can be grounds for detention under IMO Res. A.1206(34) Appendix 2. The Tokyo and Indian Ocean MOUs record a detention with action code 30, and the Paris MoU ticks a “ground for detention” box; see PSC action codes.
• Shell doors not fully closed and locked: proceeding on the voyage with a bow door, ramp or shell door not fully closed and locked, or with defective seals, bypassed limit switches or a dead indicator circuit (SOLAS II-1/17-1, 22 and 23).
• Blocked vehicle-deck drains: lashing gear, plastic wrap or debris in the drains, or seized non-return valves, let water from the drencher system build up and create a dangerous free-surface effect (SOLAS II-1/35-1 and II-2/20).
• Crew unsure of their muster duties: PSC officers may ask for a drill to be demonstrated and question cabin stewards, galley staff and shop personnel about clearing cabins, the special-assistance list (SOLAS III/27), their muster-list duties (SOLAS III/37) and the PA overriding entertainment audio (SOLAS III/6).
• Sprinkler sections shut, detectors covered, greasy galley ducts: a sprinkler section valve shut without reason or not secured against unauthorised operation (FSS Code chapter 8), a covered smoke detector or a greasy galley exhaust duct gives clear grounds for a more detailed inspection and can lead to detention.

A walkdown across the bridge, deck, engine and hotel departments before arrival complements the general PSC inspection checklist:

1. Check the Passenger Ship Safety Certificate and its Record of Equipment (Form P) item by item against the lifeboats, liferafts, marine evacuation systems, lifejackets, rescue boats and radio equipment fitted, together with the Minimum Safe Manning Document, the SOLAS V/30 list of operational limitations and STCW V/2 refresher training (at least every 5 years) for those who need it.
2. Walk through the SOLAS III/27 counting process from check-in to the report to the Master: everyone on board counted, the special-assistance list passed to the Master, and the information kept ashore for search and rescue.
3. Have the search and rescue co-operation plan (SOLAS V/7.3) and its latest exercise record ready, check the aeronautical VHF (121.5/123.1 MHz, SOLAS IV/7) and the distress panel (SOLAS IV/6) without transmitting, and confirm the decision support system (SOLAS III/29) is complete on the bridge.
4. Check the log-book for weekly abandon-ship and fire drills (SOLAS III/30.2), monthly participation by every crew member (III/19.3.2), damage control drills at least every 3 months (II-1/19-1), cabin-search drills, marine evacuation system servicing and rotational deployment (III/20) and fast rescue boat drills (III/26).
5. Operate the sliding watertight doors from the bridge and locally (SOLAS II-1/21 and 22), check the alarms and indicators and the log-book records, confirm low between-deck sidescuttles are closed and locked before leaving port (II-1/22), and check the flooding detection alarms on ships that have them (II-1/22-1).
6. Check the departure stability calculation uses declared or weighed vehicle weights, that the lightweight survey is in date (SOLAS II-1/5), and that vehicles are secured to the approved Cargo Securing Manual.
7. On ro-pax ships, check the bow, inner bow, stern and shell door securing, seals, indicators and leakage monitoring, the log-book record that they were closed and locked before the ship proceeded (SOLAS II-1/17-1, 22 and 23), the vehicle-deck drains and non-return valves (II-1/35-1, II-2/20), and the MSC.550(108) video replay (ships built before 2026: by the first survey on or after 1 January 2028).
8. Release the main vertical zone and stairway fire doors from the central control station and locally and check they close and latch (SOLAS II-2/9), check sprinkler pressures, section valves and flow-alarm test records (FSS Code chapter 8), and check galley exhaust ducts and deep-fat cooker cut-outs.
9. Test the public address from the bridge and confirm entertainment audio switches off when the general alarm sounds (SOLAS III/6), walk the escape routes to check the low-location lighting and its test records (SOLAS II-2/13, FSS Code chapter 11), and on ships built on or after 1 July 2010 check the safety centre (II-2/23) and, where they apply, the safe return to port arrangements (II-1/8-1, II-2/21 and 22).