The Twenty-Eighth Seminar for Port State Control Officers in the Asia-Pacific Region was held on 6 to 8 July 2021 with the attendance of more than 70 participants from Tokyo MOU member authorities and observers from other port state control (PSC) regimes. Due to the COVID-19 situation, a physical seminar was not able to be organised this year and MPA was privileged to be able to host the first ever port state control officers (PSCO) seminar for Tokyo MOU in virtual format.

The Seminar provided excellent opportunities for PSCO in attendance to pick up new knowledge and to share experience and expertise on PSC with the goal to promote closer cooperation and harmonization on PSC activities in the Asia-Pacific region. One of the key topics discussed was the Concentrated Inspection Campaign on Stability in General which started in September 2021 and concluded in November 2021.

During the seminar, MPA also shared our experience on remote PSC inspections and the enforcement of IMO 2020 sulphur limit regulations. MPA is grateful for the lively discussions and the many pertinent questions raised throughout the seminar that enabled us to continue to exchange experiences and fine-tune our PSC processes.

MPA would like to once again thank all participants and speakers who gathered together for the three days across different time zones. Your cooperation has enabled us to host a very fruitful seminar. MPA would also like to thank Mr. Kuobota Hideo and the Tokyo MOU Secretariat for the continued support and guidance that enabled us to successfully host the first ever PSCO seminar in virtual format for the Tokyo MOU.

As a responsible port state and member authority of the Tokyo MOU, MPA was glad to be able to share our experience and learn from port state authorities around the world. MPA is looking forward to continuing to participate and contribute in future PSC events.