Ageing Fleets And Growing Safety Deficiencies Behind Rise In Costly PSC Detentions in International Shipping News 02/06/2026 Survitec is warning shipowners and operators that port state control (PSC) detentions are becoming an increasingly predictable operational risk for global fleets, driven largely by deficiencies in safety systems, maintenance standards and onboard procedures. In a newly released white paper, In-port Detentions: The costs and implications for an ageing fleet – and how to avoid them, the Survival Technology solutions provider reveals that PSC detentions increasingly stem from deficiencies that are visible, foreseeable and often preventable. Metkel Yohannes, Chief Portfolio Officer at Survitec, said, “Detention is increasingly becoming part of the operating environment for many fleets, and even the shortest detention can quickly escalate into six-figure costs once off-hire exposure, berth costs, emergency repairs, schedule disruption, insurance impacts and reputational damage are factored in. “The commercial reality is simple,” Yohannes added. “Proactive annual inspections and lifecycle planning significantly reduce the risk of costly compliance failures and operational disruption. Investing in prevention is materially cheaper than absorbing even one detention.” The findings come at a time when global inspection volumes have remained broadly stable at around 75,000 per year, while detention outcomes have worsened significantly. Detentions under the Tokyo MoU have more than doubled over the past five years, and the Black Sea MoU recorded the highest detention rates relative to inspections, driven in part by a concentration of older tonnage. As fleets continue to age and pressure mounts from tighter budgets, stretched maintenance windows, and reduced crew capacity, more vessels are entering inspections in a compromised state, particularly for safety-critical systems, significantly increasing the likelihood of detention. Many of the deficiencies iden