Abuja MOU: Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control for West and Central African Region

The Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control for West and Central African Region (Abuja MoU), is a regional port state control agreement focused on maritime safety and pollution prevention. It enables port states on the Atlantic seabord of Africa to inspect foreign vessels in their ports and implement measures to ensure they comply with international regulations, including maritime safety standards and pollution control standardsset out in global conventions such as MARPOL, SOLAS, and the BWM Convention. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has developed global guidelines for port states on how to conduct vessel inspections to check for compliance with these agreements. The broader legal underpinning for port state control measures is provided by UNCLOS. The Abuja MOU was agreed and came into force in 1999. The implementation of the agreement is supported by a secretariat based in Lagos, Nigeria. The Abuja MOU is one of several regional port state control agreements that have been developed in different parts of the world. These agreements all aim to contribute towards an overarching goal, which is the eventual elimination of sub-standard vessels.