Flag State Inspection (FSI) is a regular inspection by the approved flag state inspectors and maritime surveyors to ensure the seaworthiness of the vessel in terms of safety, security, and environmental aspects, meeting the state’s and international maritime regulations. Authorities meticulously scrutinize and inspect availability and legal validity of all statutory documentations & manuals, engineering drawings on ship structure, machinery and equipment such as firefighting & lifesaving appliances and safety drills logs, auditing of ISM (International Safety Management) / ISPS (International Ship and Port Facility Security) and MLC (Maritime Labor Convention) and other statutory certificates, Global Maritime Consultants Group (GMCG) said.
Broadly, the grounds of failures of FSI can be classified into two categories, namely, documentation & compliance, and operations & maintenance issues.
Poor maintenance of equipment & systems such as steering gear, mooring arrangements, and lifeboats can be the main root cause for failures. Poorly implemented safety management system (SMS) and non-existent SMS procedures & documentations can also lead to failure in FSI.
Pollution incidents are also viewed as a serious breach of environmental safety procedures that could result in ships not clearing the FSI. Non-compliance with environmental regulations such as the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) could lead to declaring a vessel as unfit to sail.
Failing FSI could result in detention of the vessel, imposition of fines, or suspension of registry for serious violations, critically impacting the cash flows to the owner of the vessel.
To avert the failure of FSI, the vessel operators should implement a robust governance structure covering various aspects of FSI requirements to ensure complete compliance. Regularly imparting training to crew members as per the current statutory and safety norms will ensure professional vessel operations. A detailed checklist for daily, weekly, monthly, and annual internal inspections & compliance requirements, and meticulous upkeep of records & logbook will lay the foundation for successful clearance of the flag state inspection.