Routine survey (PSC)

A routine survey in the port-state-control sense is the initial inspection a PSC officer carries out when a foreign ship calls at port, checking certificates, the general condition of the hull, machinery, and equipment, and crew familiarity against SOLAS, MARPOL, MLC, and Load Lines. It is not a class survey: the flag state and class certify the ship, while PSC verifies that the ship still matches its certificates. Clear grounds (expired certificates, deficiencies, a poor ship-risk profile) trigger a more detailed inspection and can lead to detention. Regional MOUs such as Paris and Tokyo target ships by risk profile, age, flag, and class performance.