19 January 2023 (Lloyd's List) - PORT state control inspections in China are getting back to normal after Beijing relaxed its Covid rules. Remote operations, which largely replaced onboard mode during the pandemic, are declining while the number of detentions is expected to increase. According to data from Tokyo MoU, 148 inspections have been implemented at Chinese ports since January 8 when the government withdrew from its lockdown measures and eased its border control. Of those, 43 were carried out psychically and the recovery has accelerated in recent days. Over half of the onboard inspections happened in Shanghai. Other ports involved include Guangzhou, Changchun, Taicang, Haikou, Caofeidian, Taizhou, Zhanjiang, Zhangjiagang and Zhoushan. The Yangshan Deepwater Port of Shanghai resumed its "normalised" PSC inspections on foreign-flagged vessels on January 16, having boarded CMA CGM Georg Forster and MSC Valeria, the port authority said in a statement on social media. It said the onboard checking is more efficient and less time-consuming, which allows ships to leave the port in a faster and safer manner. The number of PCS officials on ships in China is increasing rapidly and a ramp-up of PSC detention is anticipated, especially after the Chinese New Year holiday, according to ship survey sources. Since January 8, a total of four detentions were recorded by the Tokyo MoU database from onboard inspections and just three from remote practices at Chinese ports.