USCG releases latest flag state control domestic report

The U.S. Coast Guard’s Office of Commercial Vessel Compliance has announced the publication of the 2023 Flag State Control Domestic Annual Report. This report highlights U.S. domestic fleet inspection, deficiency, and marine casualty statistics and serves as a tool that highlights trends, identifies key performance indicators, and draws attention to findings over the past calendar year.

The report presents information reflecting the U.S. flag fleet including: barges, cargo vessels, passenger vessels, vessels operating on the Outer Continental Shelf, research and school ships, fishing vessels, and towing vessels.

The flag state control domestic report is the place to go if you want to get answers on such things as “what is the average age of vessels in the U.S. flag fleet?” (The answer is 27 years).

A few key findings in the flag state control report:

• In 2023, the U.S. flag fleet contained 17,577 vessels subject to inspection, with Coast Guard Marine Inspectors (MI) conducting 20,647 inspections. The number of inspections has continued to increase since 2020.
• There were 1,821 reportable marine casualties reported in 2023 involving 2,146 inspected vessels.
• The number of reportable marine casualties was a slight decrease from 2022.
• In 2023, there were 38 flag state detentions, a decrease of one from 2022.

You can access the report HERE