Port State Control detention
Port State Control detention in a Turkish port: how the vessel is cleared, how the owner or flag state objects within one month, and why a detention that stands costs more than the days alongside. Practice areas are listed; no claim of specialisation is made.
Written forOwners and managers · Masters · Flag states and recognised organisations · P&I clubs
Articles cited checked against the official text of the legislation · 17 September 2026
What does a PSC detention mean in Türkiye?
- A PSC detention is not a fine and not an arrest: no security lifts it; the deficiencies are cleared or the objection succeeds.
- Only the owner, the operator or the flag state may object — within one month, to the Administration; the objection does not suspend the detention (Port State Control Regulation, art. 20).
- Second and later attendances are charged, and the detention continues until the fees are paid (art. 24).
- Three detentions in thirty-six months: twelve months' refusal of access to Turkish ports (art. 17).
A Port State Control detention in a Turkish port is an order by a port state control officer of the Ministry of Transport that a foreign-flagged vessel may not sail because deficiencies found on inspection, alone or together, make her unseaworthy (Port State Control Regulation, art. 4). It is not a fine and not an arrest: no creditor is behind it, no security lifts it, and the only way out is to clear the deficiencies to the officer's satisfaction — or to persuade the Administration, on objection, that the detention was wrong.
| PSC detention | Pollution fine | Ship arrest | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who is behind it | The port state control officer | The inspecting authority | A creditor with a maritime claim |
| What lifts it | Rectifying the deficiencies — no security | Payment or a bank / P&I letter | Security for the claim |
| Challenge | Objection to the Administration within one month | Administrative court within thirty days | Objection to the arrest court |
Türkiye inspects under the Mediterranean and Black Sea Memoranda of Understanding, and the domestic rules are in the Port State Control Implementing Regulation of 20 September 2025, made under the Law on the Protection of Life and Property at Sea and the two Memoranda (Port State Control Regulation, art. 3). It applies to foreign-flagged vessels calling at, or anchoring off, Turkish port facilities and offshore installations; fishing vessels, warships, non-commercial state vessels, primitive wooden craft and private yachts not in commercial use are outside it (Port State Control Regulation, art. 2).
Inspection and the report
- No advance notice is required (Port State Control Regulation, art. 15).
Read the full section
Inspections are targeted. Priority goes to (Port State Control Regulation, art. 14):
- vessels flagged as targets by the Memoranda or the Administration;
- vessels that have broken down or been involved in a casualty;
- vessels reported for deficiencies or complained about;
- vessels calling at a Turkish port for the first time or after more than twelve months away.
No advance notice is required (Port State Control Regulation, art. 15). The officer examines at least the documents and matters listed in the current IMO procedures for port state control and, where there are clear grounds to believe the vessel, her equipment or her crew do not meet the conventions, proceeds to a more detailed inspection (Port State Control Regulation, art. 15). A vessel flying the flag of a state not party to a convention is held to the same standard as one whose flag state is a party (Port State Control Regulation, art. 15).
The report
The inspection report is drawn up in English, signed by the officer and countersigned by the master; a copy is given to the master, or left on board or with the agent if the master declines to sign (Port State Control Regulation, arts 7, 18). For every deficiency the officer must cite the rule breached, and photographs of the deficiencies that ground a detention are entered in the Memorandum's system (Port State Control Regulation, art. 19).
Detention, repairs and fees
- Out-of-hours services of the harbour master's office are charged separately (Port State Control Regulation, art. 24).
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Where the deficiencies are serious for safety, health or the environment, the officer detains the vessel or stops the operation concerned, and the detention is not lifted until the deficiencies are rectified or the officer is satisfied that she can sail, subject to conditions, without risk to those on board, to other vessels or to the marine environment (Port State Control Regulation, art. 19). The judgement is the officer's, made on the IMO and Memorandum criteria (Port State Control Regulation, art. 19).
The harbour master notifies the flag state administration — or its consulate or nearest diplomatic representative — and the recognised organisation in writing, with the inspection report; the detention and release letters are signed by the harbour master on the officer's report (Port State Control Regulation, arts 7, 19).
Repairs elsewhere
Where the deficiencies cannot be rectified in the port of inspection, the officer may allow the vessel to proceed to the nearest suitable repair yard chosen by the master and approved by the harbour master, on conditions set by the flag state and accepted by the officer, sufficient to ensure that the passage is safe for those on board, other vessels and the marine environment (Port State Control Regulation, art. 21).
A vessel that sails without complying with those conditions, or does not present at the agreed yard, is refused access to Turkish ports.Port State Control Regulation, art. 21
Fees, and the detention that outlasts the repair
Out-of-hours services of the harbour master's office are charged separately (Port State Control Regulation, art. 24).
- Inspection; report in English, countersigned by the masterPort State Control Regulation, arts 15, 18
- Detention until the deficiencies are clearedart. 19
Repairs in port, or at an approved yard on conditionsart. 21
Objection to the Administration within one month; does not suspendart. 20
Attendance fees; the detention continues until they are paidart. 24
A detention that stands counts towards a ban: three in thirty-six months brings twelve months' refusal of access (art. 17).
The objection and the record
- The ban is entered in the port management system and published on the Administration's website, and the master, owner, operator and agent are informed (Port State Control Regulation, art. 17).
- Complaints about living and working conditions on board from persons and bodies with a legitimate interest are investigated under the conventions to which Türkiye is party, and the complainant is informed of the outcome (Port State Control Regulation, art. 22).
Read the full section
Objection is the owner's, the operator's or the flag state's, not the agent's, and it must reach the Administration — the Directorate General of Maritime Affairs of the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure — within one month of the date of detention (Port State Control Regulation, arts 4, 20).
- Rectification and objection run in parallel. The objection does not suspend the detention, so the vessel is cleared and sails, and the objection is pursued to remove a detention that should not stand on the vessel's record (Port State Control Regulation, art. 20).
- Court. Where the vessel was detained or delayed unnecessarily, the owner or operator may take the matter to court; the burden of proving that the detention or delay was unnecessary lies on the owner or operator (Port State Control Regulation, art. 20).
Why the record matters
| What happened | Consequence | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Leaving port in breach of a detention, in Türkiye or in a Memorandum port, or failing to present at the agreed repair yard | Banned from Turkish ports for six months | Port State Control Regulation, art. 17 |
| Three or more detentions in Turkish ports within thirty-six months | Access refused for twelve months | art. 17 |
| Detained again within twelve months of that ban ending | Twenty-four months | art. 17 |
| A further detention after a second ban | Permanent | art. 17 |
The ban is entered in the port management system and published on the Administration's website, and the master, owner, operator and agent are informed (Port State Control Regulation, art. 17). The Administration may also restrict access for vessels of flags on the Memoranda's black lists or not on their performance lists, and for vessels on the sub-standard list (Port State Control Regulation, art. 17). Each detention that stands therefore costs more than the days alongside.
Complaints from on board
Complaints about living and working conditions on board from persons and bodies with a legitimate interest are investigated under the conventions to which Türkiye is party, and the complainant is informed of the outcome (Port State Control Regulation, art. 22). Pilots, harbour master staff and port facility operators are bound to report deficiencies they see (Port State Control Regulation, art. 22).
Documents we need from you
- The inspection report (Form A/B) with the deficiency codes and detention grounds
- Class and flag correspondence, statutory certificates and the recognised organisation's survey status
- Evidence of rectification: photographs, service reports, class confirmation
- The repair yard's confirmation, where the vessel is to proceed for repairs
- Vessel name, IMO number, flag and the port and berth
- Power of attorney in the form the Administration and the courts accept — we send the template
Common questions
How is a detention lifted?
By rectifying the deficiencies to the officer's satisfaction, or by satisfying the officer that the vessel can sail on conditions without risk (Port State Control Regulation, art. 19); where repairs cannot be done in port, by sailing to an approved repair yard on agreed conditions (Port State Control Regulation, art. 21). The detention also continues until the inspection costs are paid (Port State Control Regulation, art. 24).
Can the agent object on our behalf?
No. The objection must come from the owner, the operator or the flag state; an agent's application is not considered (Port State Control Regulation, art. 20). We act for the owner or operator under a power of attorney.
Does an objection release the vessel?
No. The objection does not suspend the detention (Port State Control Regulation, art. 20). Rectification and objection run in parallel; the objection is pursued so that a wrongful detention does not stay on the vessel's record and count towards a ban (Port State Control Regulation, art. 17).
Can we claim for a wrongful detention?
The Regulation gives the owner or operator recourse to the courts where the vessel was detained or delayed unnecessarily, with the burden of proof on the owner or operator (Port State Control Regulation, art. 20). The evidence is the inspection report, the certificates and the class record; it must be preserved from the day of the inspection.
Ports where we attend
Where the vessel is decides the court, the enforcement office and the timing. Istanbul directly; other ports through correspondent counsel.