Chris Balls

Master Mariner, Fellow Royal Institute of Naval Architects, Associate Fellow Nautical Institute. 25 years at sea in the deck department before coming ashore as Marine Surveyor with the UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency for 10 years, then 4 years as Chief Surveyor at the Antigua and Barbuda Department of Marine Services, then 7 Years at Cayman Maritime as Principal Surveyor and Port State Control Officer. The shore-based jobs have all involved regulatory compliance aspects including port state control. He has presented papers at various forums such as ISMASS, on MASS focused on varying aspects such as application to superyachts, small commercial vessels and PSC.

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Presentation

Preparation for port state control inspection of MASS

This paper will outline some of the discussions that have taken place at the Caribbean Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control (CMoU) Technical Standards Working Group concerning port state inspection of autonomous vessels, in particular the sub-24m type. It will include details about the development of guidance for PSC officers, such as a draft aide-mémoire. The paper will also outline CMoU preparations for PSC activities for visiting autonomous vessels; depending upon the timing of the first such inspection in the Cayman Islands, it may include a description of this and the lessons learned.