Port State Control (PSC) performance plays a critical role in how vessels are assessed for safety and risk. While counting the number of deficiencies provides a consistent benchmark, it doesn’t capture the varying levels of severity—limiting the depth and fairness of vessel assessments.
On 20 August 2025, RightShip is introducing a major update to its Safety Score that changes this: deficiencies will now be weighted by their severity, classified using a methodology developed by experienced RightShip experts.
Launched in 2021, the Safety Score provides a comprehensive, data-driven assessment of vessel safety performance, replacing the older star rating model.
Its goal is simple:
The Safety Score is made up of several sub-scores, each reflecting a different aspect of vessel performance—such as incidents, Port State Control (PSC) outcomes, class performance, and flag performance.
One of these key sub-scores relates to PSC deficiencies, which, up until now, was based on counting the total number of deficiencies identified during inspections, benchmarked against the average for that region (Port, Country or MoU).
While this approach offered a consistent and objective measure, it did not fully capture the context or relative importance of individual deficiencies. The latest update enhances this by incorporating severity levels, providing a more balanced and meaningful view of vessel safety performance.
Expert-Led Classification Process
Instead of treating every deficiency equally, RightShip has developed a tiered severity framework—high, medium, or low—based on a thorough review of more than 2,000 unique PSC deficiencies across different defect categories.
The nature and impact of each deficiency will directly influence its weighting—recognising that a critical equipment fault carries different implications than a minor clerical oversight.
Key changes include:
This process was led by:
Malcolm Collins, Acting Vetting Superintendent and former AMSA surveyor, described the process as:
“Every classification (approx. 2000 times) was debated until we reached unanimous agreement.”
The outcome was a rigorously defined severity framework—ensuring consistency and clarity in how each issue is assessed.
Real-World Examples of Severity Classification
To bring this to life, consider two vessels inspected in the same port, each with two deficiencies:
Under the old model, both vessels would have been scored the same.
Under the new model, their Safety Scores reflect the actual risk posed by each deficiency. Severity categories include:
Additionally, deficiencies deemed invalid or already managed with Flag or Class authorities are excluded from the Safety Score, ensuring vessels aren’t unfairly penalised for non-relevant findings.
This change makes Safety Scores more accurate, fair, and transparent:
As Christopher Saunders, Chief Maritime Officer at RightShip, noted:
“This change recognises the real difference between minor and critical deficiencies — making the Safety Score a more accurate reflection of vessel safety.”
Alongside the new severity-based framework, several model enhancements are being introduced to ensure the Safety Score remains balanced, transparent, and fair:
These updates work together with the new PSC severity framework to deliver a model that is fairer, more representative, and easier to understand.
The updated Safety Score model — incorporating the new severity framework and 2025 enhancements — will go live on 20 August 2025. From this date forward, all new Port State Control inspections will be assessed using this refined approach, ensuring that scores better reflect the PSC Inspection deficiency severity of each vessel.
RightShip is committed to continuous improvement of its tools to provide greater transparency, fairness, and actionable insights for the maritime industry.
To explore the full context behind these changes, watch the full webinar recording above.