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ABS's Q2 2026 PSC Numbers: Fire Safety Dominates Detentions, and China's Ports Account for Two-Thirds of Them

🕑 5 min read words Regulatory

The Headline Numbers

ABS's Quarterly Report on Port State Control for Q2 2026 (April–June) recorded 69 detention cases across 68 vessels for which ABS acted as Recognized Organization – 24 in April, 25 in May, 20 in June. This is ABS-classed-fleet data specifically, not a fleet-wide industry figure, but it's a real, current sample worth reading closely: most cases involved multiple detainable deficiencies at once (16 cases had 4 deficiencies, 19 had five or more), and 45 of the 69 – nearly two-thirds – happened in China, with Shanghai alone accounting for 13.

Fire Safety Is the Dominant Theme, By a Wide Margin

Fire safety deficiencies were cited in 91 instances across the quarter's detentions – more than four times the next most common category, water/weathertight condition (20). ISM (19), lifesaving appliances (18), emergency systems (17), alarms (12), and navigation safety (10) round out the top categories. Bulk carriers were the most-represented vessel type, followed by containerships and oil/chemical tankers.

Age Isn't the Predictor You'd Expect

Vessels 11–20 years old accounted for 46 of the 69 cases – more than vessels under 10 years (10 cases) and over 20 years (13 cases) combined. ABS is explicit about what this means: “age alone does not define detention risk.” The report instead points to a combination of “equipment readiness, procedural discipline and crew familiarity” as the real driver – naming operational familiarity with onboard procedures and equipment as a contributing factor across fire safety, cargo securing, and ISM findings specifically, not as a standalone deficiency code of its own.

What's Coming Next

The report flags the joint Paris MOU/Tokyo MOU Concentrated Inspection Campaign on cargo securing, running 1 September to 30 November 2026, as the next major PSC readiness event – with crew familiarity with cargo securing procedures explicitly listed as one of five readiness checks vessels should be running before that window opens.

What This Means for a Working Crew

A detention record built overwhelmingly on fire safety, with age a weaker predictor than procedural discipline and crew familiarity, points squarely at drills and routine checks, not just equipment condition on paper. Fire safety deficiencies don't require old equipment to occur – they require a gap between what's supposed to happen during a drill or an inspection walk-round and what actually does.

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