5. Bilsel Uluslararası Harput Bilimsel Araştırmalar Kongresi, Elazığ, Turkey, 22 - 23 March 2025, pp.560-566, (Full Text)
Maritime transportation is widely regarded as one of the cornerstones of global trade, and ship inspections play a critical role in maintaining safe transportation. Port State Control (PSC) is an inspection system that checks the safety and environmental standards of foreign-flagged ships to ensure compliance with international regulations.In PSC inspections, the age and type of ships are among the determining factors in the deficiency detection process. The present study undertakes an examination of the results of PSC inspections carried out in Kocaeli ports, with an analysis of the effect of ship type and age on deficiency rates. The study utilises the Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) method (one of the statistical analysis techniques) to compare deficiency rates according to different ship types and age groups, and to evaluate the frequency of inspection of ships according to risk level. The results reveal that ships aged 12 years and older have more deficiencies, with general cargo ships in particular requiring more stringent inspections. While the efficacy of inspections was found to be substantial, it was determined that the process should be made more efficient. In this context, it is recommended that ship risk assessment criteria should be expanded and inspection processes should be optimised according to ship age and type. In addition, it is hypothesised that better preparation of ship operators before the inspection may increase the effectiveness of the process. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of PSC inspections in Kocaeli, one of the largest ports in Turkey, and to provide recommendations to improve the safety of maritime transportation.