# The Merchant Shipping (Port State Control) Regulations 2026, Regulation 7: Initial inspections and more detailed inspections


(1) In carrying out an initial inspection of a ship the inspector must as a minimum—
(a) check the certificates and documents listed in Annex 10 of the Paris MOU;
(b) verify, where appropriate, that outstanding deficiencies found during a previous inspection carried out by a member state have been rectified;
(c) check that the overall condition of the ship, including the hygiene of the ship, and including the engine room and accommodation, is satisfactory.
(2) A more detailed inspection must be carried out if—
(a) there are clear grounds for believing during the course of an initial inspection, that the condition of a ship or of its equipment or crew does not substantially meet the relevant requirements of a Convention, or
(b) the flag State for the ship is not a signatory to the Conventions.
(3) For the purposes of paragraph (2) and regulation 8(2), clear grounds exist when the inspector finds evidence which in the inspector’s professional judgement warrants a more detailed inspection of the ship, its equipment or its crew.

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Source: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukdsi/2026/9780348280098/regulation/7 (the official version)
Page: https://openlegislation.uk/draft-merchant-shipping-port-state-control-regulations-2026/regulation-7
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives.