USCG port state control checklist for foreign ships calling the USA

The Coast Guard does not examine every foreign ship on every call. It ranks each ship from its risk factors and history, and that rank decides how soon and how deeply the ship is examined. Know where your ship sits before you arrive.

• Since 2020 the Coast Guard ranks foreign ships PSC A (a more detailed examination), PSC B (a standard examination) or PSC C (not targeted — ships are still picked at random). The old points matrix with "Priority I" and "Priority II" is no longer used.
• The factors: the ship’s US examination history, its flag, its owner, operator or manager, its class society (RO) and security organisation (RSO), its compliance history (US detentions, denials of entry and expulsions, Paris and Tokyo MoU detentions, US deficiencies, Captain of the Port orders, casualties and violations), and its type and age.
• A flag is put on the targeted list when its three-year US detention ratio is above 1.0% and it had more than one detention in those three years; 1.0–2.0% counts as medium risk and above 2.0% as high risk.
• Targeted flags when we checked — high risk: Belize, Bolivia, Cyprus, Tanzania, Togo, Vanuatu; medium risk: Antigua and Barbuda, Canada, China, Liberia, Netherlands, Panama, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. The list changes — always check the live page.
• An owner, operator or manager is targeted after more than one US detention in 12 months (three or more for a large fleet with 25 or more ships calling the US each year).
• The Coast Guard’s 2025 annual report counted 8,999 safety examinations of foreign ships and 78 detentions — an annual detention ratio of 0.86%.

QUALSHIP 21 and E-Zero

QUALSHIP 21 rewards well-run foreign ships from well-performing flags with fewer Coast Guard examinations. Enrolment lasts three years; the ship gets a certificate and is listed on the Coast Guard website and on Equasis. E-Zero is an extra environmental award for QUALSHIP 21 ships with a clean environmental record. Passenger ships can be enrolled but are not examined less often.

• The flag is on the QUALSHIP 21 list. For 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027: Bahamas, Belgium, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, India, Isle of Man, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Malta, Marshall Islands, Norway, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Turkey and the United Kingdom.
• No Coast Guard detention in the last 36 months.
• No serious marine incident, and no more than one notice of violation or civil penalty, in 36 months.
• A successful US port state control examination within the last 24 months.
• The company is not linked to more than one US detention in 24 months, and the statutory certificates are not issued by a targeted class society.
• A flag qualifies with a three-year US detention ratio under 1.0%, at least 10 US examinations a year for three years, and a completed IMO member State audit (IMSAS) with its corrective plan accepted.

E-Zero: At least 3 years in a row in QUALSHIP 21 (no gap longer than 30 days). No MARPOL-related detention anywhere in the world in 3 years, and no US environmental deficiency (MARPOL, ballast water, VIDA) in 3 years. No right-whale speed-rule warning or violation in 5 years. A Coast Guard type-approved ballast water management system fitted.

Sources: USCG QUALSHIP 21 and E-Zero · USCG work instruction CVC-WI-002 (QUALSHIP 21, rev. 2, Jan 2026)

Check on board

• Know the ship’s last US examination: date, port, deficiencies and whether every one is closed. What the examiner does: Has the ship’s US history in front of them and asks whether every earlier deficiency was closed, and how.
• Flag checked against the Coast Guard’s targeted flag list and the QUALSHIP 21 flag list. What the examiner does: Knows whether the flag is targeted; on a targeted flag expect a longer, more detailed examination.
• Company, class society (RO) and security organisation (RSO) checked against the Coast Guard’s targeted lists. What the examiner does: Checks who issued the statutory certificates and the ISSC, and the company on the DOC.
• Detentions and deficiencies of the last 3 years (US, Paris MoU, Tokyo MoU) known, with the close-out evidence on board. What the examiner does: Asks about recent detentions anywhere and wants to see what changed afterwards.
• QUALSHIP 21 / E-Zero: if enrolled, the certificate is on board and the ship is on the current enrolled list; if not, the office has checked whether the ship can apply. What the examiner does: Looks for the QUALSHIP 21 certificate if the ship claims it, and checks it is on the current list.
• Self-check above done and the result shared with the office and the agent before arrival. What the examiner does: Not seen by the examiner — this is for the ship and the office, so nobody is surprised by a PSC A boarding.

Sources: USCG work instruction CVC-WI-021 (PSC targeting, rev. 3, May 2026) · USCG targeted flag list · USCG PSC annual reports

A US call starts days before the pilot boards. The Notice of Arrival, the crew list and the crew’s visas are checked by the Coast Guard and by Customs and Border Protection (CBP); a late or wrong notice is a violation and can delay the ship.

• Notice of Arrival (NOA): on a voyage of 96 hours or more, send it at least 96 hours before arriving. On a shorter voyage send it before leaving the last port, and at least 24 hours before arriving.
• Send it through eNOAD on the National Vessel Movement Center (NVMC) website, or as an XML file by e-mail; fax or phone only when the ship’s systems have failed.
• The NOA covers the ship and its operator, charterer and class, the last five foreign ports with dates, the cargo (dangerous cargo by name and UN number), the crew and passenger lists (names, dates of birth, nationality, passport, position, where they joined), and the ISM and ISPS certificate details.
• If anything in it becomes wrong, resubmit the whole NOA as soon as you can — at least 24 hours before arrival, or 12 hours before if less than 24 hours of the voyage are left. ETA changes of less than 6 hours, the ship’s position and crew changing jobs on board do not need an update.
• A hazardous condition on board or nearby must be reported to the nearest Coast Guard sector at once. A marine casualty (grounding, loss of propulsion or steering, a death, an injury needing more than first aid, serious damage or pollution) needs an immediate call, then the written Form CG-2692 within 5 days.
• Crew stay on board until CBP has cleared them. Shore leave lasts only while the ship is in port (29 days at most) and the crew member must sail with the same ship. Since 1 July 2026 CBP issues the I-95 landing permit electronically.
• Crew who want to land need a US crewmember visa: a D visa, or a combined C-1/D visa where the person’s country is allowed one.
• Crew refused landing must be kept on board by the Master and agent; failing to detain or remove a crew member costs the ship a fine for each person (from about 1,200 to about 7,100 US dollars each under the 2025 figures).
• US terminals must let crew, pilots and seafarer welfare visitors pass between the ship and the gate quickly and at no cost to them.

Check on board

• NOA sent through eNOAD in time (96 hours, or before departure on a short voyage) and the NVMC confirmation kept. What the examiner does: Checks the NOA was on time and complete; differences with the ship’s papers are a violation.
• Crew list in the NOA matches the people on board exactly — names, dates of birth, nationality, passport numbers, rank. What the examiner does: CBP and the Coast Guard compare the crew list with the people and passports on board.
• Last five foreign ports with dates, the cargo and any dangerous cargo (name and UN number) correct in the NOA. What the examiner does: Compares the ports, cargo and dangerous goods in the NOA with the log and cargo papers.
• ISM and ISPS details in the NOA match the certificates on board (DOC, SMC, ISSC dates and issuers). What the examiner does: Compares the certificate dates and issuers in the NOA with the originals.
• NOA updated (the whole notice resubmitted) after every change: ETA by 6 hours or more, crew change, cargo change. What the examiner does: Looks at the NVMC history for the call: were changes reported in time?
• Every crew member who may land holds a valid US crew visa (D or C-1/D); anyone without one is known to the agent and stays on board. What the examiner does: CBP inspects passports and visas; anyone without one is refused landing.
• Crew briefed: nobody goes ashore until CBP clears the ship; landing permits (I-95) and the return-on-board time understood. What the examiner does: Asks the gangway watch who is ashore and whether everyone was cleared first.
• Gangway watch keeps track of who is ashore — anyone refused landing stays on board (each one missing is a fine). What the examiner does: A missing crew member who was refused landing is a fine per person for the ship.
• Master and officers know how to report a hazardous condition or a marine casualty to the Coast Guard straight away, and the CG-2692 follow-up within 5 days. What the examiner does: Asks the Master how a casualty or hazardous condition would be reported, and looks for earlier CG-2692 reports.
• Agent has confirmed the terminal’s arrangements for crew to get to the gate (shore leave, crew changes, welfare visits). What the examiner does: Not checked by the examiner — it avoids crew being stuck on board or crew changes failing.

Sources: 33 CFR 160 subpart C (Notice of Arrival) · National Vessel Movement Center (eNOAD) · 46 CFR 4.05 (marine casualty notice and CG-2692) · 8 CFR 252 (landing of crew) · CBP — electronic crew landing permits (I-95) · US State Department — crewmember (D and C-1/D) visas · 33 CFR 105.237 (seafarers’ access through terminals)

In the US the ISPS Code is applied through the Maritime Transportation Security Act (MTSA). A foreign ship with a valid ISSC is accepted as meeting the US vessel security rules — but a few US rules still apply on top, mainly the US security levels (MARSEC) and the Declaration of Security.

• A foreign ship with a valid ISSC that meets SOLAS chapter XI-2 and ISPS Part A (with Part B taken into account) is treated as meeting 33 CFR 104. The US rules on meeting the port’s MARSEC level and on the Declaration of Security still apply.
• MARSEC 1 means the normal measures at all times, MARSEC 2 a heightened risk, MARSEC 3 an incident that is probable or about to happen.
• Before entering port the ship must be at the measures for the port’s MARSEC level. If the level goes up while in port, comply within 12 hours and tell the Captain of the Port (COTP); a ship that cannot comply must tell the COTP before entering.
• A Declaration of Security (DoS) is needed at MARSEC 2 and 3 for any manned ship, at MARSEC 1 for cruise ships and some dangerous-cargo ships, and whenever the COTP asks. It is signed before cargo or passenger work starts. A continuing DoS lasts up to 90 days at MARSEC 1 and 30 days at MARSEC 2, and ends if the level rises.
• The TWIC card is not required on foreign ships. Inside a US terminal’s secure areas anyone without a TWIC — foreign crew included — must be escorted; the terminal arranges passage to the gate.
• Suspicious activity and security breaches go to the National Response Center (1-800-424-8802) without delay; a transportation security incident is also reported to the COTP.
• Port Security Advisory: if any of the last five ports was in a country the Coast Guard lists as lacking effective anti-terrorism measures, the ship must, while there, take measures equal to security level 2, guard every access point, try to agree a Declaration of Security, log what it did, and report it to the COTP before arriving in the US. If not, expect delay or denial of entry, and the COTP can require armed guards at the access points while in port. The list had 23 countries on 19 Aug 2026 (among them Cuba, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Syria, Venezuela and Yemen) — check the current advisory.
• Under the ISPS Code security drills are held at least every 3 months and an exercise once each calendar year (never more than 18 months apart).

Check on board

• ISSC valid and the ship security plan on board; the Ship Security Officer (SSO) is named and known to the crew (detention risk). What the examiner does: Checks the ISSC and that the security plan is on board, and asks who the SSO is.
• Port’s MARSEC level checked with the agent before arrival and the ship at the matching measures. What the examiner does: Asks what MARSEC level the port is at and what the ship is doing about it.
• Declaration of Security ready whenever needed (MARSEC 2 or 3, or when the COTP or terminal asks), signed before cargo work, copy kept. What the examiner does: Asks for the Declaration of Security when one was needed, signed before cargo work.
• Records of the last 10 port calls kept: security level at each, any DoS, any extra measures. What the examiner does: Reads the record of the last 10 port calls, security levels and any extra measures.
• Gangway access control at the right level: ID checks, visitor log, searches as the plan says; restricted areas marked and locked. What the examiner does: Walks up the gangway as a stranger: is ID checked, is the visit logged, are doors locked?
• Security drill held within the last 3 months and recorded; crew can say what they do at each level. What the examiner does: Looks at the drill record and asks a crew member what they do at a higher level.
• Ship security alert system (SSAS) tested as the flag requires, and the test recorded. What the examiner does: Asks when the SSAS was last tested and how; may ask the SSO where the buttons are.
• Last five ports checked against the current Port Security Advisory; if one is listed, the extra measures were taken there, logged, and reported to the COTP before arrival (detention risk). What the examiner does: Compares the last five ports with the advisory and asks for the log of the extra measures.
• Crew know they need an escort inside the terminal’s secure areas, and how to report anything suspicious (National Response Center number posted). What the examiner does: Asks crew how they reach the gate and what they would do about something suspicious.

Sources: 33 CFR 104 (vessel security) · 33 CFR 101.514 (TWIC) · 33 CFR 101.305 (reporting security incidents) · Federal Register — countries without effective anti-terrorism measures (19 Aug 2026) · USCG Port Security Advisories

Environmental rules are where the US is strictest and the penalties heaviest — a false oil record book is a criminal case in the US, not just a deficiency. Ballast water, the emission control area fuel, the oil record book, garbage and the oil spill response plan are all checked.

• Ballast water in US waters may only be handled one of these ways: a Coast Guard type-approved treatment system, US public drinking water only, exchange 200 nautical miles from shore, no discharge at all, or discharge to a shore facility or another ship. Exchange is only allowed for a ship whose date to fit a treatment system has not yet arrived.
• The ballast water report goes to the National Ballast Information Clearinghouse (NBIC): for most US ports within 6 hours after arrival (or before departure if sooner); for the Great Lakes 24 hours before reaching Montreal, and for the Hudson River above the George Washington Bridge 24 hours before New York. Corrections go in before leaving US waters or within 24 hours of departure, whichever is first.
• Ballast records (sediment disposal included) stay on board for 2 years, and the ship carries its own ballast water management plan — translated into English, French or Spanish if the working language is another.
• VIDA: the EPA’s national standards for ship discharges (published 9 Oct 2024) only take effect once the Coast Guard’s own rules are final, and no Coast Guard VIDA rule had been proposed or finalised when we checked. Until then the EPA’s 2013 Vessel General Permit (ships of 79 feet and over; an electronic notice of intent for 300 GT and over or more than 8 m³ of ballast; annual report) and the existing Coast Guard ballast rules still apply.
• North American and US Caribbean Sea emission control areas (ECAs): fuel of at most 0.10% sulphur inside them since 2015, also in US internal waters reached from them; engines on ships built from 1 Jan 2016 must meet NOx Tier III there.
• The fuel changeover is logged with the date, time, position and the compliant fuel in each tank — when it is finished before entering the ECA and when it starts after leaving. If compliant fuel cannot be bought, the fuel oil non-availability report (FONAR) goes to the Coast Guard Captain of the Port at the destination (not to the EPA since 2019).
• Machinery-space bilge water may only go overboard below 15 ppm through approved separator and monitoring equipment, with the 15 ppm alarm. Coast Guard policy tells examiners to watch the crew run the separator and the oil content meter, check that the alarm stops the discharge, and look for bypasses or tampering.
• Under the US Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships, a knowing violation (for example a false oil record book) is a felony, a whistleblower can receive up to half the fine, and the ship can be refused port clearance.
• Garbage: record book for ships of 400 GT and over (or 15 or more people), kept 2 years; garbage management plan for 100 GT and over; placards for ships of 40 feet (about 12 m) and over. Food waste from a ship that called outside the US or Canada in the last 2 years is "regulated garbage": keep it in tight, covered, leak-proof containers inside the rail and land it only to an approved receiver under supervision.
• Sewage: a ship with toilets needs a working marine sanitation device, and in a no-discharge zone it must be secured (valve padlocked or handle removed).
• Non-tank vessel response plan (NTVRP): needed by self-propelled ships of 400 GT and over that carry oil as fuel in US waters; the ship may not operate without an approved plan (submitted 60 days ahead, approved for 5 years, reviewed yearly). It names a Qualified Individual and alternate reachable 24 hours a day, and the salvage and marine firefighting providers; an English copy and the approval letter are kept on board. Tankers need a tank vessel response plan instead.
• Certificate of Financial Responsibility (COFR): needed by ships over 300 GT in US waters (tankers over 100 GT). The Coast Guard’s National Pollution Funds Center issues it electronically for up to 3 years; it does not have to be carried on board, but keep the details to hand.

Check on board

• Ballast method for this call chosen and allowed for this ship (type-approved system, exchange only if still allowed, or no discharge). What the examiner does: Asks how the ship manages ballast in US waters and checks it is a method allowed for this ship.
• Ballast treatment system has Coast Guard type approval, works, and the crew who run it can show it. What the examiner does: Looks at the type-approval certificate and may ask the crew to show the system running.
• Ballast water report sent to NBIC in time (within 6 hours of arrival at most ports; earlier for the Great Lakes and Hudson River) and it matches the ballast records. What the examiner does: Compares the NBIC report with the ballast record book and the tank soundings.
• Ballast records for the last 2 years and the ship’s ballast water management plan on board; sediment disposal recorded. What the examiner does: Reads the ballast record book for 2 years and the ship-specific management plan.
• Vessel General Permit: notice of intent filed and annual report sent if the ship is covered; VGP records kept. What the examiner does: Asks for the VGP permit number, the records and the last annual report.
• Changeover to 0.10% sulphur fuel finished before entering the ECA, logged with date, time, position and fuel in each tank (detention risk). What the examiner does: Reads the changeover log entries and may take a fuel sample or check the BDNs.
• Bunker delivery notes and samples on board; any FONAR sent to the Captain of the Port at the destination. What the examiner does: Reads the bunker delivery notes and checks the retained samples.
• Ship built on or after 1 Jan 2016: engines in Tier III NOx mode inside the ECA, with the record. What the examiner does: Checks the engine’s NOx certificate and the record of Tier III operation in the ECA.
• Oily water separator and oil content meter work, the 15 ppm alarm stops the discharge, no bypass pipes or loose flanges, seals intact (detention risk). What the examiner does: Watches the crew run the separator and the oil content meter and checks the alarm stops the discharge; looks for bypasses.
• Oil record book Part I complete and consistent with soundings, sludge receipts and incinerator records (detention risk). What the examiner does: Compares the oil record book with soundings, sludge receipts and the incinerator log — gaps lead to a deeper look.
• Garbage plan, record book and placards in order; foreign food waste kept in covered, leak-proof containers and landed only to an approved receiver. What the examiner does: Looks at the garbage record book, placards and where the food waste is kept.
• Sewage system working; overboard valve secured in no-discharge zones. What the examiner does: Checks the sewage plant works and the overboard valve is secured where it must be.
• Approved response plan (non-tank or tank) on board in English with the approval letter; Qualified Individual and spill contacts posted and known (detention risk). What the examiner does: Asks for the approved response plan and the approval letter and may ask the Master who the Qualified Individual is.
• Certificate of Financial Responsibility (COFR) valid for this ship (checked with the office), details to hand. What the examiner does: Checks the ship holds a valid COFR (the Coast Guard can see it in its own records).
• Shipboard oil pollution emergency plan (SOPEP / SMPEP) on board and spill gear ready on deck. What the examiner does: Looks at the SOPEP and the spill gear, and asks who does what in a spill.

Sources: 33 CFR 151 subpart D (ballast water) · Federal Register — EPA VIDA national standards (9 Oct 2024) · EPA — 2013 Vessel General Permit and interim requirements · 40 CFR 1043 (MARPOL Annex VI in the US) · EPA — MARPOL Annex VI and APPS enforcement (ECAs, FONAR) · 33 CFR 151 subpart A (oil and garbage) · USCG policy letter PCV 06-01 (examining oily water separators) · 33 U.S.C. 1908 (APPS penalties) · 7 CFR 330 subpart D (USDA regulated garbage) · 33 CFR 159 (marine sanitation devices) · 33 CFR 155 subpart J (non-tank vessel response plans) · 33 CFR 138 (Certificate of Financial Responsibility)

The US navigation safety rules apply to ships of 1,600 GT and over. The boarding officer often starts on the bridge: the pre-arrival tests, the charts and publications, the AIS and the passage plan.

• No more than 12 hours before entering US waters (or getting under way from a US port) test: the steering gear, main and secondary, with its alarms and the rudder angle indicator; the internal communications and alarms between bridge, engine room and steering gear; the standby or emergency generator; the emergency batteries; and the main engine ahead and astern.
• The rule does not say the tests must be logged, but a log entry with the time and who did them is the only way to show it. A separate emergency steering drill must be done within 48 hours before entering US waters (unless done in the last 3 months) and logged.
• Tell the pilot the draught, how the ship handles and anything unusual about her — the pilot card and the Master–pilot exchange.
• Carry currently corrected charts plus the US Coast Pilot, Light List and tide and current tables (or equivalent foreign publications). The Coast Guard accepts electronic charts (ENCs) for US carriage (NVIC 01-16, change 3, Aug 2025), but SOLAS still decides what the ship must carry — ECDIS approval and ENC updates must be in order.
• AIS: SOLAS ships of 300 GT and over on international voyages keep it running all the time, with correct voyage data.
• If AIS, radar, gyro, echo sounder, position receiver or the main steering fails, report it as soon as possible (see section 7).
• East coast calls: NOAA’s North Atlantic right whale rule sets seasonal 10-knot speed limits for vessels of 65 feet and over in set areas — plan them into the passage.

Check on board

• Pre-arrival tests done no more than 12 hours before entering US waters (steering both systems, alarms, rudder indicator, communications, emergency generator, emergency batteries, main engine ahead and astern) and logged. What the examiner does: Asks for the log entries of the pre-arrival tests and the time they were done.
• Emergency steering drill within 48 hours before entering (or within the last 3 months) and logged. What the examiner does: Reads the emergency steering drill record in the log.
• Pilot card ready: draught, manoeuvring data and anything unusual; Master–pilot exchange planned. What the examiner does: Asks to see the pilot card and how the Master–pilot exchange is done.
• Charts for the US coast and port corrected to the latest notices; Coast Pilot, Light List, tide and current tables on board (paper or electronic) (detention risk). What the examiner does: Checks the charts and publications for the port are on board and corrected.
• ECDIS: approved, ENCs up to date and licensed for the route, backup arrangement working, officers trained on this model; passage plan berth to berth. What the examiner does: Asks the officer of the watch to show the ECDIS, the ENC updates and the passage plan.
• AIS on, with correct name, IMO number, draught, destination and ETA. What the examiner does: Looks at what the AIS is sending — wrong draught or destination is a quick finding.
• Every bridge instrument working; any failure reported before arrival (section 7). What the examiner does: Checks the bridge equipment works; an unreported failure is a problem.
• East coast: right whale speed limits and areas in the passage plan. What the examiner does: May compare the passage plan and the speed log with the right whale areas and dates.

Sources: 33 CFR 164 (navigation safety) · USCG NVIC 01-16 change 3 (electronic charts, Aug 2025) · NOAA — North Atlantic right whale vessel speed rule

A Coast Guard examination is practical. The detailed (PSC A) examination includes equipment tests and drills the examiners watch; the standard (PSC B) one is a document check and a walk through the decks and the engine room. Practise the tests below before arrival, with the people who will actually do them.

• The 2025 annual report names fire safety, life-saving appliances, safety management (ISM), certificates and pollution prevention as the areas where deficiencies keep coming up.
• Examiners usually ask for a fire drill and an abandon-ship drill and watch how the crew works — a drill that falls apart, or a crew that cannot explain its duties, is grounds for a closer look and can lead to detention.
• They often ask to see equipment working rather than paperwork: the emergency generator, the emergency fire pump, a lifeboat lowered, fire doors closing, the oily water separator stopping overboard discharge at 15 ppm.
• They also talk to the crew on watch: alarms, muster duties, changing over to emergency steering, the security level, what to do in a spill.

Check on board

• Fire drill rehearsed: quick muster, hoses run out with water on deck, fire party in full gear with breathing apparatus, boundary cooling, clear communication (detention risk). What the examiner does: Calls a fire drill and watches: muster time, hoses with water, BA worn properly, communication.
• Abandon-ship drill rehearsed: muster lists right, lifejackets put on properly, a lifeboat lowered and its engine run if the examiner asks (detention risk). What the examiner does: Calls an abandon-ship drill and may ask for a lifeboat to be lowered and its engine run.
• Emergency generator starts and takes the load; emergency lighting works (detention risk). What the examiner does: Asks for the emergency generator to be started and put on load.
• Emergency fire pump starts and gives two good jets; main fire pumps and the isolating valve work (detention risk). What the examiner does: Asks for the emergency fire pump to be started and two jets on deck.
• Fire doors close and latch by themselves; fire dampers, quick-closing valves and remote stops work. What the examiner does: Tests fire doors and dampers and the remote stops during the walk-round.
• Lifeboat and rescue boat engines start; release gear, davits and winches serviced and understood by the crews. What the examiner does: Asks for the boat engines to be started and the crew to explain the release gear.
• Oily water separator and 15 ppm alarm demonstrated — the overboard valve closes on alarm; oil record book matches the tank soundings (detention risk). What the examiner does: Watches the separator demonstration and checks the alarm and the three-way valve.
• Garbage record book and placards in order; garbage sorted; food waste from abroad kept sealed on board. What the examiner does: Looks at the garbage area, the record book and the placards.
• Emergency steering changeover demonstrated from the steering gear room, with bridge communication. What the examiner does: Asks for the changeover to emergency steering in the steering gear room.
• Crew on watch can explain alarms, muster duties, emergency steering, security level and spill actions in their own words. What the examiner does: Talks to the crew on watch and asks them to explain, not recite.
• Security round: gangway ID checks, restricted areas locked, SSO can walk the examiner through the plan. What the examiner does: Tests the gangway watch and asks the SSO to walk through the plan.
• Planned-maintenance and test records for LSA and FFA on hand (lifeboats, fixed systems, extinguishers, breathing apparatus). What the examiner does: Reads the maintenance and test records of the LSA and FFA.

Sources: SAFETY4SEA — how USCG PSC job aids work (PSC A / B) · USCG policy letter PCV 06-01 (examining oily water separators) · Steamship Mutual — USCG 2025 PSC annual report summary · USCG PSC annual reports

Most findings are deficiencies with a deadline. Serious ones lead to a detention — the ship may not sail until the Coast Guard is satisfied — or to a Captain of the Port (COTP) order that limits what the ship may do. How the Master responds decides how long it lasts and how it looks at the next call.

• The Coast Guard may detain a ship that breaks the MARPOL rules until she can sail without unreasonable risk to the sea, and a Captain of the Port may order a ship to move, stay or anchor as directed when it believes she is breaking a law, rule or treaty.
• A detention stays on the record for years: it can put the company on the targeted list (more than one US detention in 12 months), counts against the flag and class, and rules the ship out of QUALSHIP 21 for 36 months.
• Broken navigation equipment (AIS, radar, gyro, echo sounder, position receiver, main steering) must be reported to the COTP or the vessel traffic service as soon as possible; the ship may go on to the next port as they direct. A written request for a deviation can be granted if safe navigation is not affected.
• In practice: report the failure in the Notice of Arrival or an update before arrival (or phone the sector if it is too late), and wait for the Letter of Deviation or COTP order before entering.
• Disagree with an examination or detention decision? First ask the officer in charge to reconsider, then appeal to the District Commander, then to the Commandant — each step within 30 days. The decision stands during the appeal unless it is stayed.
• A COTP order is appealed in a similar chain (District, Area, Commandant) with 5 working days for each written step; in urgent cases the appeal can start by phone and a stay can be asked for.

Check on board

• Every deficiency received in writing, with its deadline understood (before departure, within a set time, or at the next port). What the examiner does: Hands over the examination report with each deficiency and when it must be put right.
• Company (DPA), flag and class told straight away of a detention, a COTP order or a serious deficiency. What the examiner does: Expects the company, flag and class to be involved quickly in a detention.
• Repairs done with class or flag attending where needed; evidence (photos, class report, service report) kept for the re-examination. What the examiner does: Comes back to check the repairs and the evidence before lifting the detention.
• Any failed navigation equipment reported before arrival and the Letter of Deviation (or COTP order) received before entering. What the examiner does: Checks the failure was reported before arrival and that the ship follows the deviation letter.
• Root cause and corrective action raised in the SMS — the next examiner will ask what changed. What the examiner does: At the next examination asks what changed after the last deficiency.
• If the company disagrees: appeal deadlines noted (30 days for an examination or detention decision, 5 working days per step for a COTP order). What the examiner does: Not checked on board — for the company if it wants to appeal.
• Examination report, letters and close-out evidence filed on board for the next US call and any QUALSHIP 21 application. What the examiner does: At the next call may ask for the earlier report and its close-out.

Sources: 33 CFR 164.53 and 164.55 (equipment failures and deviations) · Steamship Mutual — reporting inoperable equipment to the USCG · 46 CFR 1.03 (appeals) · 33 CFR 160.7 (appealing a COTP order) · 33 CFR 151 subpart A (oil and garbage) · USCG work instruction CVC-WI-021 (PSC targeting, rev. 3, May 2026) · USCG work instruction CVC-WI-002 (QUALSHIP 21, rev. 2, Jan 2026)

Some US rules only touch certain ship types — above all the Certificate of Compliance examination that foreign tankers, gas carriers and passenger ships must pass. Only the items for the ship type chosen in Settings are shown.

• Foreign tankers need a Coast Guard Certificate of Compliance (COC) before operating in US waters or transferring oil or hazardous cargo; it lasts up to 24 months, with a yearly examination between renewals. Since 1 Mar 2026 a well-performing tanker can have the mid-period exam credited by a records review.
• Foreign gas carriers need a COC endorsed for their cargoes; for an initial or reissued COC the ship must call at a US port for the examination, with 7 days’ notice.
• Foreign passenger ships embarking passengers in the US need a COC and have Control Verification Examinations.
• Before transferring oil in bulk in US waters, the person in charge on the ship and at the terminal complete and sign a Declaration of Inspection.

Check on board

• Crude, product, chemical, LNG, LPG and passenger ships: Certificate of Compliance valid — or the initial COC examination booked before any cargo work on the first US call; the yearly exam (or the records-review letter) on board (detention risk). What the examiner does: Asks for the COC and when the next examination is due; on a first call examines the ship for the COC before cargo transfer.
• Crude, product and chemical ships: Tank vessel response plan approved for this ship, approval letter on board; Qualified Individual and spill response contacts posted (detention risk). What the examiner does: Asks for the tank vessel response plan and the approval letter, and may ask who the Qualified Individual is.
• Crude, product and chemical ships: Oil transfer procedures posted, person in charge named, Declaration of Inspection completed and signed with the terminal before every transfer. What the examiner does: Checks the transfer procedures, the person in charge and the signed Declaration of Inspection for the transfer.
• Chemical, LNG and LPG ships: Every cargo on board (and booked next) is covered by the COC endorsement and the Certificate of Fitness; cargo record book up to date. What the examiner does: Compares the cargo on board with the cargoes the certificates allow, and reads the cargo record book.
• LNG and LPG ships: Initial or reissued COC: 7 days’ notice given to the Coast Guard office; cargo containment, gas detection and emergency shutdown ready to demonstrate. What the examiner does: Examines the cargo system and safety equipment for the COC and asks for the emergency shutdown and gas detection to be shown working.
• Bulk and general cargo ships: Ballast plan for the US load port: discharge volumes within what the treatment system can handle and the method allowed for this ship. What the examiner does: Asks how ballast will be discharged at the load port and checks it against the ballast records and the treatment system.
• Container, general cargo and ro-ro ships: Dangerous goods manifest matches the NOA (names and UN numbers) and the stowage on board. What the examiner does: Compares the dangerous goods manifest with the NOA and may look at the stowage of dangerous goods.
• Passenger ships: Control Verification Examination ready: fire and abandon-ship drills with the crew in their passenger-muster roles, crowd management and announcements (detention risk). What the examiner does: Runs the drills with the crew in their passenger roles and checks crowd management, announcements and muster records.
• Passenger ships: Declaration of Security arranged for every US call, even at MARSEC 1. What the examiner does: Asks for the Declaration of Security with the terminal.
• Offshore ships: Offshore work in US waters: the office has confirmed which extra Coast Guard rules apply to this vessel and this job. What the examiner does: Depends on the work — check before arrival.

Sources: 46 U.S.C. 3711 and 3714 (Certificate of Compliance exams) · 46 CFR 2.01-6 (certificates for foreign ships) · USCG Maritime Commons — performance-driven COC exam (20 May 2026) · 46 CFR 154 subpart B (foreign gas carriers) · 33 CFR 155 subpart D (tank vessel response plans) · 33 CFR 156 (oil transfers, Declaration of Inspection) · 33 CFR 160 subpart C (Notice of Arrival) · 33 CFR 104 (vessel security)

Everything a port state control officer checks anywhere — certificates, crew papers, drills, life-saving and fire-fighting equipment, MLC — still applies in the US. Our PSC inspection checklist covers it, along with the Paris MoU risk profile and the current campaign.