Officials from 18 west and central African countries are taking part in a training workshop to promote further coordination of regional Port State Control (PSC) activities. Port State control is the inspection of foreign ships in national ports to verify that the ships’ condition, equipment and manning comply with international regulations. The workshop, taking place in Lagos, Nigeria (7-16 March), includes training for PSC officers on the New Inspection Regime (NIR) – including a practical PSC inspection at Apapa Port, Lagos.
The NIR was developed by the Paris MoU and adopted by Abuja MoU for enhanced port State control inspections. The workshop is being hosted by the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and jointly organized by IMO and the MoU on port State control for west and central Africa, with sponsorship from the European Union. IMO’s William Azuh and Mara Luciano are facilitating the workshop.