Getting started with our updated vessel vetting standard criteria

During 2020, the standard Vetting Criteria for dry bulk, and tankers, tugs and barges was assessed and revised, based on customer feedback and the latest industry requirements and best practices. The revised standards will be effective from 30 June 2021 across all vets. These standards are now available below for our vet requesting customers to review. We are encouraging our vet requesting customers to prepare for the transition early, with your process to implementing the new vetting criteria outlined below.

Benefits of the new standards

These standards provide the minimum requirements for delivery of due diligence on behalf of RightShip’s customers, and provide consistency for charterers, ports, terminals and owners. In addition, the updated standards are closely linked to the Safety Score rules.

While the vetting standards have been refreshed consistently in the past 10-12 years, this is a significant expansion. RightShip has added separate and brand-new sections for flag and class, ship structures, engineering, and a comprehensive section on human rights.  

General additions to the new standards

• The new standard extends beyond the previous standard from 20 assessment items to 50 items, including new sections for flag and class, ship structures, mechanics, and human rights.  
• We have drilled down further in terms of incidents and PSC performance and looked at operator performance in more detail.  
• We have tried to make clear binary failings. This means if a vet fails on one of these hurdles, the vessel cannot be recommended at all.  
• The new standard removes the grey areas and explains more about the standard of where an owner needs their ships to be in order to be eligible for recommendation 
• Where appropriate, customers can add more stringent safety or additional geographical criteria on top of RightShip’s Standard. However, the new standard provides greater clarity around the specific criterions that covers safety, the environment, human rights, operational excellence with the aim to create a unified standard for the industry.  Any additional vetting criteria is defined with our vet requesting customers on a case-by-case basis and based on their specific risk requirements.

Customers can download the new criteria from help.rightship.com after logging into the RightShip Platform.

When will the new standards come into effect?

The new vetting standards will become the only criteria used in all RightShip vets from 30th June 2021. While there are still some months before this deadline, we encourage our vet requesting customers to start their transition to the new standards early to ensure your teams are trained and ready, allowing enough time to add any additional criteria to your account.

What you, our vet requesting customer, needs to do:

• Let your key account manager know the most appropriate contact within your organisation to manage the transition to the new standard. You can do this by emailing info@rightship.com. This will assist our operations team in any clarification required, and in planning to transition your criteria to the updated standard.
• Customers can download the new vessel vetting standards from Help.rightship.com. Please review them against the risk profile of your organisation, and your specific customer criteria currently in place.
• If necessary, send through any additional criteria that your company requires. You can send this to your key account team via info@rightship.com and we will set up the required review and confirmation from our Global Operations team.
• Tell us the date you would like to switch to the new standard. This can be any day before 30th June 2021. Please send this to your key account manager via info@rightship.com.

For more information please contact info@rightship.com