Flag state inspection

A flag state inspection is an inspection of a ship by its own flag administration, or by a recognized organization acting for it, to confirm the vessel meets the international conventions the flag state has ratified: SOLAS, MARPOL, MLC 2006, and the rest. The flag carries the primary duty under UNCLOS Article 94 to enforce standards on ships flying its flag, so its inspectors verify certificates, the safety management system, manning, and condition, separate from the port-state control a foreign state runs in port. A weak flag inspection record raises the flag’s targeting factor in the Paris and Tokyo MoU risk profiles, which then exposes its ships to more frequent port state control boardings.