All foreign vessels entering Brazilian ports are subject to port state
control. Port state control in Brazil is performed by qualified naval
inspectors accredited by the Department of Ports and Coasts (DPC),
as per regulations set forth in the NORMAN-04 Ordinance. The
DPC has, inter alia, the authority to contribute to:
• the guidance and control of the merchant marine and related
activities in the interests of national defence;
• the safety of waterway traffic;
• the prevention of pollution by vessels, platforms and the support
stations thereof;
• the formulation and enforcement of national policies relating to
the sea;
• the implementation and inspection of laws and regulations at sea
and in inland waterways; and
• the qualification and certification of personnel for the merchant
marine and related activities.
According to article 3, for the attainment of its purposes the DPC may:
• prepare guidelines for:
• qualification and registration of professional and amateur
seamen;
• traffic and permanence of vessels in waters under national
jurisdiction, and the entry and exit thereof to and from ports,
anchorages, and marinas;
• naval inspections and surveys;
• gross tonnage, establishment of freeboard, capacity, identification
and classification of vessels;