FFA e-PSM now also transferring ARPEs into PSMA GIES
Advance Requests for Port Entry (ARPEs), a mandatory notification under the FAO Agreement on Port State Measures (PSMA) for vessels seeking entry into a designated port, are from today being shared automatically into the PSMA Global Information Exchange System (GIES) by the electronic port State measures (e-PSM) system of the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA).
FFA follows the steps taken by the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) which started sharing ARPEs automatically with GIES at the end of April.
This is an important achievement in the global commitment towards combatting illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
The PSMA GIES – an information tool which enhances the effectiveness of the PSMA by facilitating the transfer of confidential information securely among relevant entities – already includes reports of inspections carried out on relevant vessels, as well as port entry or use denials. ARPE was added to the PSMA GIES in 2024 allowing the port State to be in a better position to approve or deny port entry or use to the incoming vessel, and any action taken is then communicated to the vessel through the PSMA GIES.
The number of ARPEs made available in the PSMA GIES is an important baseline for the PSMA, providing amongst other, a measure of the relative responsibility of Parties as port States as well as the basis for determining the annual level of inspections. Additionally, individual ARPEs provide access to the vessel profile information, thus strengthening risk analysis and port State decision-making processes following requests by new vessels in designated ports.
The IOTC and FFA e-PSM systems are now fully connected to GIES sharing ARPEs, Denials and Inspections.
More than 4200 inspection and denial reports have to date been exchanged through the GIES on more than 1300 vessels, of 58 flag States and 56 States of master nationality, Parties and non-Parties to the PSMA. To date, 65% of Parties with designated ports and receiving foreign vessels, are reporting to the GIES.