The Ghana Shipping Act 2003 (Act 645) mandates the Authority to implement Ghana’s flag state responsibilities by ensuring that ships registered under the Ghana flag are seaworthy (statutory surveys and unscheduled ship inspections, certification, and issuance of safety and pollution prevention documents) and their operations comply with standards and regulations in force. To fully implement this mandate, the Authority uses recognized organizations (classification societies) that carry out surveys of flag vessels.
Flag State Control
Port State Control
The Authority performs Ghana’s obligations as a contracting party to International Conventions and is, therefore, required to perform port state control (PSC) inspections on all foreign-registered ships calling at Ghanaian ports.
The inspections are to ensure compliance with the requirements of international conventions, such as SOLAS, MARPOL, STCW, and the MLC. Inspections can involve checking that the vessel is manned and operated in compliance with applicable international law, and verifying the competency of the ship’s master and officers, and the ship’s condition and equipment.
Ghana’s PSC is modelled on the Abuja Memorandum of Understanding (West and Central Atlantic Africa) which aims at making the sub-region unattractive for substandard ship operations.
Inspection and enforcement
Inspections are done in accordance with internationally accepted codes for PSC deficiencies as adopted by the Abuja MOU.