In 1992, during the 6th Meeting of the Operational Network for Regional Cooperation of Maritime Authorities (ROCRAM), held on November 5, the Latin American Agreement on Port State Control was approved.

Initially, this Agreement was signed by Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela. This marked an important milestone for Latin America, as through this initiative a set of international standards was established in the region to promote safe practices and operations in maritime activities.

Through these actions, the aim was to exclude all substandard vessels, materials, equipment, and crews, as well as any poor practices that could pose a potential threat to the optimal development of the maritime, port, and logistics industry.

Thus, by means of Resolution 5 of that meeting, these 10 countries began the path toward implementing an inspection system aligned with international conventions, granting Latin America a high level of prestige on the global maritime stage.

To date, 15 countries have joined this agreement, including Cuba since 1995, Bolivia since 2000, Honduras in 2001, and Guatemala and the Dominican Republic in 2012.

Over more than 30 years, the Argentine Naval Prefecture has hosted the Secretariat of the Agreement and the Information Center of the Agreement (CIALA), playing a fundamental role in Port State Control oversight and in the effective coordination with the Maritime Authorities of the participating Member States.

For more information, visit the Viña del Mar Agreement website
https://alvm.prefecturanaval.gob.ar/