Refers to: Ship-owners, Operators, Masters and Managers of PHRS certified vessels

Action Date: Immediate

This newsletter presents a concise analysis of the PSC detention data from Chinese ports in May 2025. The report outlines detention trends, flag state involvement, frequent deficiencies, and areas requiring attention by ship-owners, managers, and maritime stakeholders.

Detention Overview

• Total ships detained: 55
• Flag states involved: 22
• Primary vessel types detained: Bulk carriers, container ships, and general cargo ships
• Average number of deficiencies per detained vessel: 3.8

Port-specific Observations

• Shanghai: Detentions mainly involved ships older than 15 years. Fire protection system defects made up 35.7% of all deficiencies, followed by alarm system failures at 17.9%.
• Qinzhou: Bulk carriers accounted for 71.4% of detentions. Defects were primarily in emergency systems and fire-fighting facilities.
• Guangzhou: Notable for a high concentration of fire safety issues, accounting for 45.7% of 35 recorded defects on 6 ships.
• Taizhou: Detained ships were all more than 20 years old, with defects scattered across various systems.

Flag State Snapshot

• Panama: 18 detentions, mostly involving ships over 15 years old. Fire-fighting related deficiencies were found in 40.2% of cases.
• Liberia: 5 ships, all older than 15 years, were detained due to fire-fighting defects in 50% of the cases.

Most Common Deficiencies

A total of 208 deficiencies were recorded among the 55 detained vessels. The most frequent defect categories were:

1. Fire Safety (78 issues)
   • Fixed fire extinguishing installations (19)
   • Fire pumps and piping (11)
2. Life Saving Appliances (21 issues)
   • Lifeboats (9)
   • Embarkation arrangements for survival craft (5)
3. Emergency Systems (18 issues)
   • Emergency generator (6)
   • Emergency fire pump and piping (4)
4. Pollution Prevention (18 issues)
   • 15ppm oil discharge monitoring alarms (4)
   • Sewage treatment plants (4)
5. Water/Weathertight Integrity (17 issues)
   • Ventilators, air pipes, casings (6)
   • Hatch covers (3)

Classification Society-Linked Findings

• 25 of the deficiencies (12%) were related to ship inspection agencies, affecting 14 vessels across 11 classification societies.
• These issues primarily involved fuel leak alarms, fire detection, and fixed extinguishing systems.
• However, 88% of the deficiencies were traced to ship owners’ or managers’ inadequate maintenance and poor SMS implementation, not classification society oversight.

Key Takeaways & Recommendations

1. Address Fire and Life-Saving Hazards
   Recurrent failures in fire systems and life-saving appliances demand strict inspection and maintenance to ensure readiness.
2. Improve Emergency System Reliability
   Frequent failures in emergency generators, lighting, and public address systems highlight gaps in preparedness.
3. Enhance Pollution Prevention Management
   Compliance with ballast water, sewage, and oil-water separator standards remains a significant concern.
4. Strengthen SMS and Daily Maintenance
   Deficiencies marked as non-class related emphasize weak onboard practices and ineffective shore-side management.

For any questions or further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us at technical@phrs.gr.