Identification of key factors of ship detention under Port State Control

Abstract

Abstract Port State Control (PSC) means the inspections and controls that port states implement on the foreign ships visiting their own ports to aim to ensure safe shipping and prevent maritime pollution caused by ships. When shortcomings in ships that may undermine safety or cause maritime environmental damage are identified, the port states can detain the ship until the weaknesses are rectified to ensure safety and mitigate pollution risks. This paper analyzes the factors behind the detention of ships under PSC using grey rational analysis (GRA) model with improved entropy weight to understand how much the varied factors influence the decision of ship detention, and identifies key factors of detainment to guarantee shipping safety and environmental protection. To start with, this paper selects nine issues as main factors behind ship detention based on a study of previous and current data and information, then it establishes a method using GRA model with improved entropy weight and the procedural steps. In conclusion, this paper conducts empirical analysis with detention data in port states in the Asia-Pacific Region collected by Tokyo MOU in the past decade. Based on the results, this paper puts forward suggestions and countermeasures so as to reduce ship detention. The research offers advice on effective measures on ship safety inspections by the port states as well as decision-making support on maritime safety and environmental protection policies for governments and various stakeholders.