A team from the University of Cádiz has developed a methodology aimed at improving the effectiveness of inspections carried out on merchant ships and facilitating the detection of deficiencies related to maritime safety and pollution prevention. The work, published in 2025 in the scientific journal Oceans, has received the Best Paper Award 2025, awarded to the article with the highest scientific quality and impact published by this journal during the year.
The research has been prepared by José Manuel Prieto, David Almorza, Juan J. Muñoz-Pérez, and Bismarck Jigena-Antelo, researchers from the University of Cádiz, along with Víctor Amor-Esteban from the University of Salamanca. The team proposes to use multivariate statistical techniques to analyze the results of port inspections and determine which deficiencies appear most frequently in each vessel category.
The method is based on the consideration that different types of vessels do not necessarily share the same risk profiles. Structural characteristics, installed equipment, type of cargo, operating conditions, and the services provided by each ship can influence the nature of the non-compliances detected during an inspection.
The methodology allows relating each category of vessel with the deficiencies that are recorded most frequently. This information can help inspectors direct controls toward those elements that present a higher likelihood of non-compliance, without limiting the review of the rest of the equipment and procedures required by international regulations.
Every year, thousands of vessels are subjected to inspections in European ports within the control system by the port state, internationally known as Port State Control. This mechanism allows maritime administrations to verify that foreign ships calling at their ports meet the requirements established in the main international conventions.
Among these regulations are the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, SOLAS, and the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, MARPOL. Inspections cover issues related to navigational safety, machinery, lifesaving devices, fire-fighting systems, working conditions of the crew, and the prevention of discharges and harmful emissions.
The planning of these controls is usually supported by factors such as the vessel's history, age, flag, classification society, previously detected deficiencies, and the behavior of the company responsible for its management. The study incorporates a more detailed classification into this process based on the characteristics and risks associated with each type of vessel.
To prepare the work, the researchers analyzed a total of 186,255 inspections carried out between 2018 and 2022 in ports belonging to the Paris Memorandum. This regional agreement coordinates the control of foreign ships in the ports of its member states and has one of the main international databases on inspections, deficiencies, and detentions.
From these records, the team applied a correspondence analysis, a statistical technique that allows studying existing relationships between different categorical variables. In this case, the procedure served to link the types of ships with the classes of deficiencies identified during inspections.
The results show differences between the problems recorded in container ships, bulk carriers, tankers, passenger vessels, and other categories. Certain ships concentrate a higher proportion of deficiencies related to machinery, watertightness, pollution prevention, or the condition of operational equipment.
In passenger vessels, for their part, the analysis identifies a closer relationship with fire prevention and fighting systems. This differentiation allows establishing inspection priorities tailored to the operational profile of each vessel and distributing the available resources according to the likelihood of finding certain irregularities.
The proposal does not replace the procedures established in port control regimes but incorporates an additional tool to support decision-making. The use of statistical models on large volumes of information can facilitate the selection of elements that require more detailed review during inspectors' visits.
Early detection of failures in equipment, facilities, or procedures can reduce the likelihood of accidents, breakdowns, and marine pollution incidents. It can also help limit the consequences arising from deficiencies that, without a specific inspection, could remain unidentified during the vessel's operation.
The work combines knowledge of maritime engineering, applied statistics, and analysis of large databases. Its results may have applications in the administrations responsible for port control, especially in inspection planning and in identifying patterns associated with the different segments of the merchant fleet.
The award granted by Oceans recognizes the methodology used, the volume of information analyzed, and the potential application of the results in the field of maritime transport. The research is integrated into the lines of work of the University of Cádiz related to navigation safety, ship management, and marine environment protection.
