The member Authorities of the Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control in the Black Sea Region (BS MoU) will conduct a Concentrated Inspection Campaign (CIC) on Ballast Water Management from 1 September to 30 November 2025. The campaign has been initiated in order to promote the effective and consistent implementation of the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments, 2004 (BWM Convention), under the coordination of the Maritime Administration of Türkiye.
The campaign will be conducted simultaneously with the Paris and Tokyo Memorandums and other regional PSC regimes.
11 Aug 2025
Press Release CIC on Ballast Water Management
Press Release CIC on Ballast Water Management17 Jun 2025
Expansion of Trial Implementation for Downloadable PSC Data to Recognized Organizations
The Black Sea Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control (BS MoU) is pleased to announce the expansion of its ongoing trial initiative to include Recognized Organizations (ROs), effective 1 July 2025. This development follows the successful implementation of the initial phase for Flag States (FSs).
Recognized Organizations will now be able to access and download Port State Control data related to vessels under their certification. This initiative reflects the BS MoU’s continued commitment to promoting transparency, data accessibility and strengthening collaboration within the maritime sector.
Authorized ROs will receive secure login credentials, enabling them to access a dedicated interface to download inspection-related data in MS XLS and/or XML formats. The data is made available on an individual ship basis and covers a three-year rolling period.
This expansion remains within the framework of a trial phase and will be subject to review by the Black Sea Port State Control Committee. Input from both Flag States and Recognized Organizations will be considered in evaluating the functionality and informing future decisions regarding the implementation.
The BS MoU is confident that extending access to ROs will further support efforts to improve maritime safety, protect the marine environment and improving the working and living conditions of seafarers. It also marks another step toward fostering effective cooperation among all responsible parties in the maritime compliance chain.
Recognized Organizations wishing to participate may request access credentials by completing the BS MoU Data Request Application Form and submitting it to: secretariat@bsmou.org
15 May 2025
Annual Report for 2024
We are pleased to present the twenty-fourth edition of the Annual Report on Port State Control in the Black Sea region which is published under the auspices of the Port State Control Committee of the Black Sea MoU.
Port State Control is of particular importance to the BS MoU member Authorities due to the role of shipping in the region’s trade, the sensitivity of the Black Sea basin and its coastline to environmental damage. PSC inspections are conducted to ensure that foreign ships visiting the Black Sea ports are seaworthy, do not pose a pollution risk, provide a healthy and safe environment and comply with relevant international regulations and within the scope of the member Authorities’ national governing laws and regulations.
This Annual Report provides an overview of PSC activities conducted between 1 January and 31 December 2024. The reporting period was marked by the ongoing armed conflict between the Russian Federation and Ukraine, which continued to pose serious risks to the safety and security of crews and vessels operating in the region and not boding well with the BS MoU’s objectives.
13 May 2025
Report of the 2024 CIC on MLC, 2006
From 1 September 2024 to 30 November 2024, the Black Sea MoU carried out a Concentrated
Inspection Campaign (CIC) on Crew Wages and Seafarer Employment Agreement under the
Maritime Labour Convention (MLC, 2006). The campaign involved member Authorities of the Black
Sea MoU that have ratified the MLC, 2006. This CIC was conducted in conjunction with the Paris
and the Tokyo Memoranda, and other Regional PSC Regimes. The campaign was conducted under
the campaign coordination of the Maritime Administration of Bulgaria. Guidelines and
Questionnaires of the Paris and Tokyo Memoranda were used. The member authority of Georgia
used these resources for training purposes, given that the MLC, 2006 have been ratified but will
enter into force there on 14 February 2025.
This CIC applied to all ships and a ship was subjected to only one CIC inspection during the
campaign period. Over the course of the campaign, a total of 635 inspections were carried out by
the member Authorities of the BS MoU which are a party to MLC, 2006, covering 626 individual
ships. Among these, 553 inspections were carried out with the CIC questionnaire. During the CIC,
53 ships were detained in total. Of which, 45 detentions were the result of inspections with CIC
questionnaires and 4 of them were detained directly attributed to CIC-related deficiencies.
A total of 28 questionnaires had at least one non-compliance to any of the requirements, resulting
in 5.06 per cent of CIC inspections. The overall average per cent of nonconformities was 0.74 which
means that the “unsatisfactory” answer was given to any question under this CIC.
28 Apr 2025
25 Years of the BS MOU
Black Sea Memorandum of Understanding (BS MoU) is celebrating the 25th Anniversary. This remarkable milestone stands as a testament to the strength, vision, and commitment that have defined our work from the very beginning.