The Black Sea MoU has issued its Annual Report for 2025, noting that a total of 5,117 inspections were conducted on 3,231 individual ships in the Black Sea region, covering ships registered under 74 flag administrations.
Inspection activity in 2025
The 2025 figure represents an 11.6% increase compared to the 4,587 inspections conducted in 2024. While this increase reflects a positive recovery in inspection activity, the total number of inspections remains approximately 3% below the ten-year average of 5,274 inspections under the New Inspection Regime, which has been in force since 1 January 2016.
However, the 2025 reporting period was affected by the ongoing armed conflict between the Russian Federation and Ukraine, which continued to pose serious risks to the safety and security of crews and vessels operating in the region and was not aligned with the Black Sea MoU’s objectives in promoting maritime safety, security, and environmental protection.
Detention trends and long-term development
A notable development in 2025 was the significant rise in the average detention percentage, which increased to 6.78%. This represents the highest level recorded since 2007 and the third highest since the establishment of the Black Sea MoU, with only 2007 (8.16%) and 2004 (6.95%) having higher rates.
The upward trend in detentions has been consistent since the post-COVID-19 pandemic period, rising from 3.17% in 2021 to 3.50% in 2022, 3.93% in 2023, 4.69% in 2024, and 6.78% in 2025. This pattern underscores the critical role of effective port State control in addressing substandard shipping and safeguarding maritime safety and the marine environment.
Regional inspection rate assumption
Due to the ongoing war, exact data on the number of individual ships operating in the region was unavailable, and broader regional data was also not accessible. Therefore, it was assumed that vessels calling at Ukrainian ports also visited at least one port in other member states during the year. Based on this assumption, the regional inspection rate for 2025, calculated as individual ships inspected as a percentage of individual ship visits, was determined to be 74.74%.
Deficiencies identified
Out of 5,117 inspections conducted in 2025, 3,596 revealed deficiencies, corresponding to a deficiency rate of 70.3%. This represents the second-highest rate recorded since the establishment of the Black Sea MoU on PSC, exceeded only by 72.4% in 2007.
Detentions and enforcement outcomes
A total of 347 vessels were detained in 2025 due to deficiencies considered clearly hazardous to safety, health, or the environment. These detained vessels were registered under 31 different flag administrations.
The overall detention percentage in the region (calculated as detentions as a percentage of inspections) increased from 4.71% in 2024 to 6.78% in 2025, continuing its upward trend.
Additionally, considering that several ships were inspected and detained more than once during the year, the regional detention rate in 2025 (based on individual ships detained as a percentage of individual ships inspected) rose to 9.07%, marking the highest rate since the introduction of the New Inspection Regime.
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