In 2007, the Riyadh MoU selected Shared System to implement the Port State Control information system for the Gulf region. The system was deployed at the Information Center located in Muscat, Oman.

The Riyadh Memorandum of Understanding (Riyadh MoU) on Port State Control in the Gulf region is an agreement signed by 6 Gulf countries to enhance maritime safety, security and environmental protection through effective implementation of port state control measures – a mechanism used by maritime authorities to inspect foreign vessels visiting their ports to ensure compliance with international maritime regulations, conventions and standards. The Riyadh MoU establishes a cooperation framework between member states to conduct such inspections and ensure compliance with relevant regulations. Member states of the Riyadh MoU are Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. These countries collaborate by sharing information, coordinating inspection activities and implementing joint initiatives to improve maritime safety and security in the region.

The objective was to study the required needs in terms of functional architecture for inspection management. To achieve this goal, several key aspects were considered:

Inspection process: It was essential to analyze in detail the different steps and activities involved in ship inspection processes. This includes inspection planning, data collection, inspection report generation and results management.

Data flow: It was important to determine what types of data needed to be collected and exchanged. This could include information about ships, crews, certificates, previous inspections, inspection results, etc. A clear understanding of data flows would enable the design of an appropriate functional architecture.

Data exchange and integration with other systems: It was crucial to consider integration of the shared information system with other existing systems.

Users and roles: An analysis of users and their roles in the inspection process had to be conducted. This would help define access permissions and available functionalities for each user or user group, thereby ensuring effective inspection management.

By studying these requirements for the functional architecture of inspection management, we were able to design an appropriate architecture ensuring successful implementation of the information system.

We recommended an n-tier web solution for the information system implementation based on a robust architecture: The n-tier approach allows clear separation of different application layers, such as presentation, business logic and data persistence, with centralized data access. This facilitates information exchange between member countries, ensures integrity of shared data, and provides better system modularity, scalability and maintainability.

The project included, in addition to developing the Information System, the implementation of the production platform which involved:

• Installation and configuration of Dell application and database servers
• Network and security: CISCO
• System deployment at the Muscat center
• And deployment of a dedicated backup server at Maroc Telecom’s Datacenter