Port State Control (PSC) has become one of the most effective tools to verify if ships comply with international safety, pollution prevention and crewing regulations. These inspections should be carried out in a harmonised way to ensure equivalent safety standards and to avoid distortion of competition. At the request of the Commission, the Agency visits Member State administrations and their ports to verify the implementation of PSC rules and procedures within the European Union.

After having completed in 2007 the first full cycle of inspection visits to monitor the functioning of the PSC regime and after having compiled an overall report on the implementation of the PSC system in the EU, the Commission requested that the Agency monitor follow-up actions relating to non-compliance recorded during the first cycle of visits. This monitoring, was carried out in 2008, 2009 and 2010.

For 2012 the Commission has requested the Agency to monitor the implementation of Directive 2009/16/EC on PSC by undertaking four to six visits to Member States. The Agency will also assist the Commission in producing a report on the implementation of this Directive.

The Agency assists EFTA's Surveillance Authority in monitoring the implementation of the PSC Directive by Norway and Iceland.