What Actually Gets a Vessel Detained at Chittagong
ISM deficiencies, DG documentation, and the ballast water scrutiny that's tighter than it used to be.
Port State Control at Chittagong runs under Bangladesh's Department of Shipping, and the procedures it follows are lifted directly from the standard international PSC framework, which means the deficiencies that get a vessel flagged here are largely the same ones getting vessels flagged anywhere else in the region. Knowing the pattern in advance is the easiest way to avoid being the vessel that gets boarded and held. Statutory acceptance remains with the competent authority, flag, class, port State or terminal; the local agent can coordinate attendance and records but cannot certify the vessel or guarantee clearance. Confirm operational particulars against the latest agent report and relevant authority position for the vessel and date.
What's actually shifted in PSC focus globally, and it applies here too
The inspection emphasis has moved noticeably from pure equipment checks to operational compliance, crew familiarity with procedures, training records, ongoing maintenance evidence rather than just whether a certificate exists on paper. ISM-related deficiencies consistently top the list of both the most common and the most detainable findings industry-wide, which tells you where a PSC officer's attention goes first: not "do you have a Safety Management Certificate" but "can your crew actually demonstrate the procedures that certificate represents."
Dangerous goods and pollution prevention are where Bangladesh-specific scrutiny is tightest
Given the country's recent history with DG-related incidents at port depots, expect closer-than-average attention to dangerous goods documentation, packaging condition, and segregation compliance if your cargo includes anything IMDG-classified. The standard PSC deficiency categories that apply broadly, damaged or leaking DG packages, absence of a valid International Sewage Pollution Prevention Certificate, sewage treatment plant not properly certified, missing garbage management plan or record book, are all things a PSC officer here is specifically trained to look for, and any one of them genuinely can support a detention decision rather than just a noted deficiency.
Ballast water is the area getting more attention than it used to
This isn't unique to Bangladesh, but it's worth flagging because it's a relatively recent shift: ballast water management compliance has become a standing Concentrated Inspection Campaign focus internationally, and PSC officers everywhere, Chittagong included, are checking Ballast Water Management Certificates and actual record-keeping more carefully than they were even three or four years ago. A vessel with a valid certificate but inconsistent ballast water record book entries is exactly the kind of finding that used to get waved through and increasingly doesn't.
What actually keeps a vessel from getting detained
The honest answer is unglamorous: have your last PSC inspection report ready and show that any noted deficiencies were genuinely closed out, not just acknowledged. Make sure crew can speak to procedures, not just produce the certificate. And if you're carrying dangerous goods, have the documentation airtight before arrival, declaration accuracy, packaging certification, segregation plan, because that's the one category where a Bangladesh PSC officer today has every institutional reason to be more thorough than the global average, not less.
Preparing for a PSC Inspection?
Send vessel name and IMO number, flag and class, latest PSC record, relevant certificates or deficiency details, ETA and intended facility. The duty desk will coordinate local attendance, while statutory acceptance remains with the competent authority, flag, class or terminal.