The purpose of the book is to assist foreign ship owners and shipmasters to become familiar with most aspects of Port State Control as practiced in the United States.  To do this, we reprinted selected chapters from the Marine Safety Manual, a U.S. Coast Guard publication, in the hopes that both visitors to our nation's ports and our maritime law enforcement personnel will read the same material that guides this program and thereby simplify and standardize compliance.

    The Marine Safety Manual (MSM) is the primary policy and procedural statement for the Coast Guard’s marine safety programs.  Published for the use of all Coast Guard marine safety and industry personnel, it prescribes the essential functions that they must perform.  The MSM consists of 13 loose-leaf volumes.   The material in this book, except where otherwise noted, was reprinted from Volume 2 of the MSM, and is corrected through change #2 July 20, 2016.

Chapter 1: General Aspects of Port State Control Examinations

Chapter 2: Procedures Applicable to Exercising Control Over Foreign Vessels Under U. S. Jurisdiction

Chapter 3: Procedures to Ensure Accountability for Port State Control Examinations and Detentions

Chapter 4: Targeting of Foreign Vessels

Chapter 5: Procedures Applicable to Foreign Freight Vessels

Chapter 6: Procedures Applicable to Foreign Tank Vessels

Chapter 7: Procedures Applicable to Foreign Passenger Vessels