Annual Report on Port State Control in the United States

Key Chapter Title List

1. Port State Control Overview
2. 2024 Highlights
3. 2024 Port State Control Statistics (By Region and Port)
4. Flag State Historical Performance
5. Port State Control Appeal Process
6. Compliance Performance
7. Deficiency Statistics
8. Overview of Detainable Deficiencies
9. Deficiency Category Analysis
10. Ballast Water Management
11. QUALSHIP 21 and E-Zero Program
12. Contact Information

Document Introduction

This report is issued by the U.S. Coast Guard's Office of Commercial Vessel Compliance under the Department of Homeland Security. It provides a comprehensive summary of Port State Control (PSC) activities conducted in U.S. ports during 2024. The report aims to assess and promote the enforcement of international maritime conventions within U.S. jurisdictional waters, with the core objective of eliminating substandard vessel operations and ensuring maritime safety, security, and environmental protection. Based on extensive inspections and data analysis of foreign vessels arriving in the United States, the report reflects the U.S. Coast Guard's critical role in overseeing global maritime trade and maintaining the maritime safety net, particularly in light of the tragic warning from the March 2024 Baltimore Francis Scott Key Bridge collision incident.

The main structure of the report is divided into three primary sections. The first section, Port State Control Overview, provides core activity data and analysis for 2024, including the number of vessel arrivals and inspections, changes in detention rates, flag state performance assessments, and progress on the QUALSHIP 21 and E-Zero incentive programs. The report notes that in 2024, a total of 84,034 port calls were made by 11,273 vessels from 79 different flag states, resulting in 8,710 PSC inspections and 82 detentions. The annual detention rate decreased from 1.22% in 2023 to 0.94%, although the three-year rolling average detention rate slightly increased to 1.01%. Cybersecurity is highlighted as an ongoing concern for the maritime transportation system, with the U.S. having issued a final rule to establish baseline cyber resilience requirements. Furthermore, the report details the quarterly inspection results of the Enhanced Examination Program (EEP) in 2024, focusing on topics such as immersion suits, engine room fires, the Ship Energy Efficiency Management Plan (SEEMP) and Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII) rating, and working and living conditions.

The second section, Compliance Performance, provides an in-depth analysis of flag state and recognized organization (RO) performance. Based on three-year detention rates from 2022-2024, the report categorizes flag states into high-risk (e.g., Comoros, Tanzania, Togo) and medium-risk (e.g., China, Italy, Liberia, Panama, South Korea, etc.) categories, providing detailed statistical tables. The QUALSHIP 21 program had 5,141 enrolled vessels by the end of 2024, with India and Turkey becoming newly eligible flag states. Simultaneously, the report lists the safety compliance performance of recognized organizations, with some ROs exceeding the 2.00% priority threshold for detention rates.

The third section, Deficiency Statistics, forms the technical core of the report, systematically presenting various deficiencies identified during inspections. Data shows that fire safety deficiencies ranked highest among deficiency categories for the fourth consecutive year, although issues related to oil accumulation decreased significantly compared to the previous year. The number of Safety Management System (SMS)-related deficiencies decreased from 85 to 65, with maintenance of the ship and equipment being the primary problem area. The number of life-saving appliance deficiencies remained consistent with last year. The report also analyzes deficiency and detention percentages by different ship types (e.g., bulk carriers, container ships) through charts and provides a detailed breakdown of deficiency distribution by convention, where SOLAS-related deficiencies dominate, especially fire safety measures. The Ballast Water Management section notes a 6% increase in related deficiencies in 2024, with untreated discharge issues being particularly prominent, indicating ongoing compliance challenges.

All analyses and conclusions in this report are strictly based on actual inspection, detention, and appeal data collected by the U.S. Coast Guard in 2024. It serves as an authoritative, original primary source for researching international maritime regulatory trends, assessing the safety status of the global fleet, and understanding U.S. maritime enforcement priorities and trends.