Which agency is responsible in practice for checking compliance of ship's environmental certificates?

• A. Flag State Authority
• B. Classification Society
• C. Coastal Guard
• D. Port State Inspectors

Answer: (D)

Port State Inspectors are the ones who check in practice that a vessel entering or in a port holds valid environmental certificates and is compliant with MARPOL and related rules. They verify the certificates during port-state control inspections, confirm that surveys have been completed, and can detain a ship if any certificate is missing or invalid. The flag state authorizes and oversees the issuance of certificates and the classification society conducts the surveys needed to support those certificates, but the routine, on-the-spot verification of environmental certification happens at the port by port state authorities. The coastal guard isn’t the standard body for this type of verification in routine maritime environmental compliance.