Transport authority inspects 48 foreign ships in Estonian ports during 3-month campaign

TALLINN – Inspectors from the Estonian Transport Administration's ship inspection unit carried out a campaign from the beginning of September until the end of November to check the training and certification of seafarers and the organization of watchkeeping on board foreign-flagged ships visiting Estonian ports.

A total of 48 vessels were inspected, none of which were detained.

The checks were performed as part of an annual campaign of concentrated checks, carried out in 26 countries that are parties to the Paris Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control, spokespeople for the Transport Administration said.

The Paris Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control is an official agreement between the participating maritime authorities implementing a harmonized system of port state control. Each year, the Paris MoU organization prepares focused inspection campaign questionnaires on the basis of which vessels are inspected, in addition to the normal inspection.

The theme of this year's concentrated inspection campaign was abidance by the standards of training, certification and watchkeeping for seafarers. In addition, attention was paid to the planning of the ship's journey.

Estonia joined the memorandum in 2005. Approximately 250 foreign-flagged ships calling at Estonian ports are inspected annually.