Rightship Is Reviewing Its Vessel Inspection Schedule Following Industry Concerns
Marine safety platform RightShip has announced a review of its minimum ship inspection age, lowering its threshold from 14 years to 10 years through a four-stage approach.
In October 2024, RightShip introduced a two-stage approach to conducting pre-vessel inspections in response to changing market conditions and current safety risks in the dry bulk and general cargo sectors.
The move is intended to support improved safety standards across the shipping industry’s global conventional fleet.
However, industry associations, including the International Association of Dry Cargo Shipowners (Intercargo) and the Hellenic Shipowners’ Federation, expressed concern that the decision was made without prior consultation.
Following discussions with customers and key industry groups, including Intercargo, RightShip has refined its approach to better align with operational realities.
The revised schedule addresses industry concerns and gives shipowners and operators more time to prepare for the new inspection regime.
“Our updated approach directly addresses the concerns of some key stakeholders, balancing inspection workload and providing flexibility while maintaining strict safety standards,” said Christopher Saunders, RightShip’s Maritime Director.
“We are also committed to greater operational transparency to provide greater clarity through dialogue with the industry in the future. “Our goal is to continue to support shipowners, operators and crews to adapt seamlessly without compromising the quality required to maintain safety at sea. ”.
The expanded timeline now includes four phases, allowing for smoother budget adjustments, crew training and inspection schedules.
Vessels will receive at least one year’s notice before their safety scores are impacted in any way.
In addition, the final phase of the ten-year ship inspection will coincide with the second special inspection dry dock three months after completion.
To ease the transition, RightShip has taken steps to provide scheduling flexibility and is committed to increasing the number of certified inspectors by 90% by October 2025.
An early inspection incentive has also been established, providing a $1,000 credit for vessels built after October 1, 2011, and completing inspections between January and June 2025 to encourage early participation and manage peak inspection volumes.
In addition, the inspection requirement has been extended to vessels under 8,000 tonnes to ensure uniform safety standards across the global dry bulk and general cargo fleets.
“RightShip reviews ship inspection schedules following industry concerns” was created and published by Ship Technology, a trademark of GlobalData.
