Deficiency performance analysis of flag states using inspection data: A case study of Paris and Tokyo MoUs

Journal article, 2025

Flag state control (FSC) is crucial for maritime safety, but its effectiveness varies across flag states. A scientific assessment of FSC's effectiveness not only differentiates high-performing states from those with inadequate performance - prompting improvements among the latter - but also assists PSC organizations in evaluating flag states' performance during vessel selection, enabling more accurate targeting of inspections. Therefore, a multidimensional fixed-effects model is proposed to assess the effectiveness of FSC using inspection data from both Paris MoU and Tokyo MoU from 2017 to 2022. By comparing the results with the White, Grey, and Black (WGB) lists from the Paris MoU and Tokyo MoU, it is evident that the evaluated FSC's effectiveness of flag states generally aligns with the WGB lists and offers a more comprehensive assessment than those lists alone. Also, this paper estimates the effects of various factors, such as ship type and defect type, on the number of ship deficiencies. This offers valuable guidance for future efforts to mitigate ship deficiencies, enhancing overall maritime safety and operational efficiency.