CIC on Fire Safety Starts September 1

Lloyd’s Register has reminded the industry that the Member Authorities of the Paris and Tokyo Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) on Port State Control (PSC) are launching a joint Concentrated Inspection Campaign (CIC) on fire safety from September 1 to November 30, 2023.

The Member Authorities of the Black Sea Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control and the Member Authorities of the Acuerdo Vina Del Mar 1992 are concurrently also launching a CIC.

The purpose of the campaign is to increase awareness of fire safety for shipowners and their crews and to verify compliance with fire safety requirements under the relevant IMO Conventions and Codes. Port State Control officers will use a pre-defined questionnaire to assess that fire-fighting systems and equipment comply with the relevant requirements, that the master and crew members are familiar with operations relating to fire safety, and that equipment is properly maintained and functioning.

A ship will be subject to only one inspection under the CIC during the campaign period this will take place as an additional part of regular PSC inspections. If deficiencies are found, actions required may include ensuring that the deficiency is rectified immediately or within a specified period of time, deficiencies may result in detention of the ship.

Lloyd’s Register advises that ships should always be maintained to ensure safe operations and readiness for PSC inspections. To help masters and officers prepare, the PSC Pocket Checklists App, developed jointly by Lloyd’s Register and the UK P&I Club, provides a range of checklists and is available free of charge for iPhone and Android operating systems.