Maritime News July 2026

Cargo securing is the focus of this year’s joint inspection campaign, opening 1 September

for January to March 2026

The Paris and Tokyo MOUs will run a joint cargo-securing inspection campaign from 1 September to 30 November 2026 across Europe, the UK, Asia-Pacific, Australia and New Zealand. The campaign is primarily relevant to internationally trading ships within the Port State Control regime, but it also provides a useful reminder for any operator carrying deck cargo, containers or other significant loads.

Summary:

From 1 September to 30 November 2026, the Paris MOU (European coastal states, the UK and the North Atlantic) and the Tokyo MOU (Asia-Pacific, including Australia and New Zealand) will run a joint Concentrated Inspection Campaign (CIC) on cargo securing. A CIC works by adding a standard questionnaire on top of routine port state control inspections for the three months, with each ship inspected put through the questionnaire once. Last year’s campaign, on ballast water management, generated close to 6,900 CIC inspections across the Tokyo MOU region alone.

This is a port state control regime, so in practice it applies to internationally trading vessels calling at member ports rather than to domestic fleets. That said, what inspectors will be asking about is familiar ground for anyone carrying deck cargo, containers, project loads or general freight – and the framework behind it, SOLAS Chapters VI and VII together with the Code of Safe Practice for Cargo Stowage and Securing, is the same body of good practice that sits behind cargo work generally.

For European trades, the Paris MOU side of the campaign is as relevant as the Tokyo MOU side. Internationally trading cargo vessels within the campaign’s scope may be assessed against the same questionnaire when inspected at European, UK, Australian, New Zealand or other Asia-Pacific ports between September and November. Operators trading between these regions should therefore prepare crews and records to meet a consistent set of cargo-securing checks.

The areas inspectors are expected to cover include whether the vessel’s Cargo Securing Manual is on board, approved and specific to the vessel; whether it reflects how the vessel is configured and equipped today; the condition, maintenance and identification of lashing gear and securing fittings; how damaged equipment is withdrawn from service; whether the manual is followed during cargo operations; and how familiar the crew are with it in practice. NorthStandard notes that port state control looks beyond paperwork, with officers likely to speak with crew and confirm they understand the procedures. A current manual should therefore be supported by familiar crew and properly maintained equipment.

Worth doing before September:

• Check the securing manual on board is the current approved version, and that it still describes the vessel as fitted today rather than as it was before the last refit.
• Look over lashing gear and securing fittings, and make sure there is a clear route for taking damaged or corroded items out of service.
• Bring cargo securing equipment into the planned maintenance system, so inspection and replacement records sit alongside everything else rather than in a separate folder.
• Talk the manual through with crew rather than just circulating it – practical familiarity is what is being tested.
• If you trade into European, UK or Asia-Pacific ports, keep an eye on parismou.org and tokyo-mou.org for the final questionnaire, expected ahead of the campaign start.

Why it matters:
For internationally trading vessels, gaps identified through the questionnaire may be recorded as deficiencies and could require corrective action. For other operators, the same issues – an outdated manual, worn lashing gear or incomplete maintenance records – can still contribute to cargo damage, delays and insurance claims. Reviewing them ahead of the campaign is a practical way to strengthen day-to-day cargo operations, regardless of whether the vessel falls within the campaign’s formal scope.

How Sea-Flux supports this:

Sea-Flux keeps equipment inspection and maintenance history, certification dates and crew records in one place, so cargo securing gear can be tracked like any other item of equipment on board, and the supporting evidence is already there when someone asks for it rather than being assembled at short notice.

Source: NorthStandard, “Cargo Securing in Focus: Preparing for the 2026 PSC CIC”, published 3 July 2026.