The Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) Registry’s Fleet Operations team works closely with owners and operators to support compliant operation of the RMI fleet worldwide. While nautical inspectors often meet face-to-face with local port State control (PSC) officers, the Registry’s Fleet Operations Team engages headquarters and regional PSC representatives to support information sharing and compliance at all levels.
“Port State control authorities and flag State Administrations are critical safety nets for vessels and seafarers,” said Brian Poskiatis, Senior Vice President, Fleet Operations. “Having an open dialogue between the two authorities regarding safety, security, and protection of seafarers and the marine environment results in greater transparency in operations and better safety outcomes.”
As part of those efforts, the fleet operations team recently held two headquarters level meetings with PSC authorities in the Paris Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
In November 2025, Brian Poskaitis and Captain Theodore Lalas, Fleet Operations Manager, Piraeus, met with Captain Pierluigi Milella, Chief Warrant Officer Michele D’Arcangelo, and Lieutenant Commander Stefano Carnevali at Italy’s Guardia Costiera headquarters in Rome. As Italy is often a first port within the Paris MoU for RMI-flagged vessels traveling around Africa, the Registry has made an investment over the last several years to expand inspection resources, inspector training, and crew awareness across the fleet. Registry representatives have also met with regional PSC offices across Italy to strengthen information sharing and cooperation. The November 2025 meeting offered Guardia Costiera headquarters an opportunity to review the Registry’s performance data across Paris MoU ports over the last two years, as well as details on the Registry’s capabilities and resources. The continuing open dialogue with Italy’s Guardia Costiera enhances understanding, trust, and transparency between PSC and the flag State and has resulted in better overall cooperation.
At the United Kingdom’s Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) headquarters in Southampton, Brian Poskaitis and Mohammad Sabir, Vice President, Maritime Services, met with MCA’s Prasad Panicker, Deputy Director (Acting) Technical Operations and Suzanne Capper, Head of Technical Inspections in late November 2025. The meeting built upon the Registry’s Fleet Operations Team presentation at the MCA’s 2024 annual meeting of inspectors. At the November 2025 meeting, Brian and Mohammad provided updated performance data and offered MCA insight into new and expanding capabilities aimed at managing risk within the fleet. Participants discussed ways to improve cooperation and recent inspection trends.
Registry representatives also attended the Tokyo MoU annual meeting in Hong Kong and will schedule a meeting with the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) in early 2026. At the Tokyo MOU meeting on PSC, the Marshall Islands was supportive of the New Inspection Regime to better reflect the performance of ROs based on the functions delegated to them by flag States. As the Marshall Islands only uses the high performing IACS members for ROs on its deepwater fleet, this change is welcomed. The Marshall Islands also supported the new initiative to publish a listing of high-performing companies to recognize those operators that continually invest in safety and compliant operations.
As part of the Registry’s philosophy of top-to-bottom support, these meetings offer PSC headquarters and high-level representatives the opportunity to interface and collaborate directly with Registry personnel and allow Registry representatives the opportunity to hear of trends and areas of interest. Meeting information is communicated throughout the Registry to owners and operators, the Marshall Islands Quality Council, nautical inspectors, and other stakeholders to continually offer information to mitigate risk and improve compliance efforts. Tools such as the Critical Items Checklist, which is mandatory for vessels coming into ports in the United States, China, and Australia, have recently expanded to global availability to help crew identify and address potential areas of concern in advance of an inspection.
“The bottom line is that better coordination and enhanced communication between PSC and the Registry results in safer seas, safer ports, and safer ships,” concluded Brian.
