Right of departure

Right of departure is the clearance a ship gains to sail after a port state control inspection, once any detainable deficiency has been rectified or an agreed action plan accepted by the port state. Under the Paris and Tokyo MOU regimes a detention holds the ship until the controlling port state is satisfied the deficiencies that grounded the detention are corrected, then it lifts the detention and the ship may depart. Some deficiencies are allowed to be rectified at the next port within a set period rather than before sailing, which preserves the right to depart under condition. Sailing without the port state lifting a detention is a serious breach that triggers follow-up across MOU member states.