The RightShip team is pleased to showcase the RightShip platform – here you’ll find all of our products in one place.

Our platform has been designed to provide you and your team with an improved and more transparent experience. The enhanced offering is an amalgamation of our comprehensive data sets, advanced analytics and the technical expertise of RightShip staff.

All RightShip services are available through the RightShip platform, and we aim to provide greater transparency, faster responses and seamless communication between all industry participants. With just a click of a button, you can request vets, book vessel inspections, fill out terminal questionnaires, close out incidents and verify your GHG Rating all in one place. We have also improved connectivity of our platform, allowing our customers to get closer to the action. You will receive requests for information and have the option to upload the required content directly in the platform, allowing you to stay connected to our industry experts. This means our services, such as vessel vetting, are easier to use and results can be returned faster.

Through RightShip’s new platform technology, you can access these business solutions:

• Safety Solutions
  • RightShip vessel Inspections
  • Vessel vetting
  • Screening
  • Safety Score
• Sustainability Solutions
  • GHG Rating
  • Carbon Accounting
  • Maritime Emissions Portal

Optimised workflows

With enhanced cloud-based servers, plus mobile and tablet-friendly options, the platform has increased stability and provides more versatility for you, our customer. We aim to provide transparency, fast responses and seamless communication between RightShip and our customers. You can also respond to RightShip requests for information directly in the platform, allowing you to upload vessel information and certificates anywhere, while on the go.

In addition, you’re able to check the status of vets, request inspections and benchmark all vessels' Safety Score and GHG emissions from the same vessel page.

The RightShip platform has several features which provide improved functionality and more streamlined communication with our experts. This means our services, such as vessel vetting, are easy to use and results can be returned faster. The advanced search tool provides a customisable, efficient search for vessels. You can also set up notifications and alerts to monitor your vessels, inspections and vetting status.

Transparency to an individual vessel’s score and to drive improvements in the industry was a design priority. In our platform offering, you’ll find more information about the Safety Score and the GHG Rating, including how the vessel has been scored or rated as well as benchmarking each vessel within its peer group. This helps you to clearly understand where the vessel sits versus similar type and size vessels.

Through our platform, we provide an easier way for RightShip and ship owners and managers to communicate so that those in charge can take actionable steps to improve safety standards for that vessel.

Vessels found to have incidents or detention which has not been closed out with RightShip, will have alerts clearly displayed. By contrast, vessels with an acceptable RightShip inspection, achieved in the past 12 months, will be rewarded with the RightShip inspection badge.

1) Safety Score

At each stage in the Safety Score, customers can clearly see where they can improve their score.

Rules that govern if a vessel has a SS1 and SS2 are clearly highlighted on a vessel’s page and vessel owners are provided with the required action to release the vessels from these scores.

Customers can see a clear and concise explanation of the elements that factor into the Safety Scores model, which provides scores of 3 - 5, and how they contribute to their overall score.

2) Vetting

RightShip’s new platform is easy to use, taking the confusion and stress out of the vetting process. Within the platform you can request a vet directly from the vessel page. This immediately lands in our vetting team’s workflow and gives you instant access to RightShip’s staff. Improved vetting services included:

Vet status transparency

Track your vet from within the platform – including the status, requests for additional information or if an inspection is required.

Real time notifications

You’ll receive real time notifications from RightShip superintendents. These notifications will include instructions outlining your next steps and allow you to upload required information directly into the platform.

3) Inspections

Inspection requests are now processed digitally – linked directly to the vessel page and our vetting services. If a vessel needs an inspection as part of the vetting process, all parties will be informed through the platform’s communication tools.

RightShip provides an inspections badge on a vessel’s page to reward vessel owners who are committed to investing in best safety practices for their fleet.

Customers can request an inspection simply by filling out the required forms located within the platform. This request will be immediately added to our inspections team’s workflow. Any additional requests for information will be made through the platform.

At RightShip we believe that a successful voyage is one that is safe, sustainable, supports the welfare of our seafarers and is also commercially successful.

In our new platform, we combine our vast data, leading digital tools and analysis by our subject matter experts to benchmark operational performance consistently. This allows us to show “what good looks like” by highlighting best practice and supporting continuous improvement across the three dimensions below.

For the purpose of this article, we will focus on safety.

RightShip’s Safety Ecosystem

We support risk reduction and improved business outcomes for our customers by integrating, analysing, processing and assessing the many inputs to our platform using innovative technology. Our safety ecosystem due diligence process is comprised of the Safety Score, vessel vetting and inspections. All components should be evaluated together to improve the overall view of safety of your supply chain operations and pending voyages.

RightShip’s Safety Score

The Safety Score is designed to provide a composition of the world’s fleet and delivers a transparent view of best practice operations. It is intended to help our risk assessment customers gain an initial perspective on the operational performance of a vessel as part of a comprehensive due diligence process, while simultaneously encouraging shipowners to invest in improved processes and technologies that make the entire supply chain safer.

This clear and consistent benchmark of historic safety performance provides a reference point for all participants at the start of the vetting process. Find out more about the Safety Score methodology here.

Our expert vetting process

While the Safety Score provides an initial indication of a vessel’s safety and performance, our vetting process provides systematic due diligence, which is performed by our experts.

Utilising RightShip’s platform, our vetting superintendents provide an assessment based on the RightShip Standard, which may be supplemented with bespoke customer criteria, and ultimately make a suitable recommendation for a vessel on a nominated voyage.

RightShip’s vessel vetting service leverages our unique data, leading technology and due diligence processes to advise whether a nominated vessel would be recommended for a future voyage, based on several factors including route, environmental impact and cargo type.

We use all data and reporting collected in the RightShip platform, including outcomes from RightShip Dry Bulk Inspections, along with the vessel’s safety and GHG emissions profile to provide the complete picture of the condition, emission profile and operational history of a vessel.

Our experts then assess the vessel against our RightShip Standard and, where applicable, use any special vetting criteria requested by our vetting customers to address their specific risk profile. This could include berth fit, terminal questionnaires or other complex, bespoke requirements to suit their marine assurance needs.

At the end of the vetting process the vet requestor will receive a recommendation, in which the vessel is deemed ‘acceptable’ or ‘unacceptable’ for the nominated voyage.

Dry bulk inspections

Physical inspections enable RightShip to provide an added assessment of onboard safety management systems, operating and maintenance standards, safety culture, standards of welfare, crew wellbeing and environmental management on board. This process factors in inspection items that go beyond the physical condition and regulatory compliance, which may materially affect the operations of the vessel.

Completing inspections provides an additional assessment of operating practices and standards onboard. Inspections may identify opportunities for improvement or confirm that corrective action has been successfully implemented onboard.

How to use complementary RightShip’s products and services to reduce risk

The data from RightShip’s Safety Score and dry bulk vessel inspections, combined with our due diligence service allows our customers to take a holistic approach to risk and safety. While you will find the Safety Score and bulk inspection outcomes useful for real time performance and quality background checks, our vessel vetting service will help you carry out your internal risk assessment and assess the suitability of a vessel for your cargo, terminal or company risk profile. When all of these products are engaged, you have a complete view of a vessel’s suitability.

During our vetting process, we consider a range of inputs and assessments, including the Safety Score, to provide a reliable recommendation.

The Safety Score provides distinct and clear lines as to the operational performance of a vessel for our due diligence customers, however any vessel with a Safety Score between one and five could be recommended by RightShip after completing the whole vetting process satisfactorily:

• SS N/A: Vessels which are out of scope for the Safety Score. In some cases, these vessels may receive an “acceptable” recommendation once the vetting process has been completed.
• SS 0: Vessels which have been flagged as sanctioned. These vessels cannot receive a positive vetting outcome therefore the “request a vet” button is disabled for these vessels.
• SS1 & 2: Vessels which need improvement to achieve the industry agreed standards of “good” operations. These vessels may be recommended by RightShip’s Vetting Superintendents but will require investigation and more information from the vessel’s manager.
• SS3 – 5: Vessels which are working towards best practise in safe operations. In order to complete the full RightShip due diligence process, customers must complete a vet for these vessels. The outcome includes a timestamped recommendation based on the vessel’s specification, particular cargo and determined voyage.

The due diligence process may also be supported by the results of a physical inspection onboard to confirm the required improvements to address historic operational performance concerns have been implemented onboard satisfactorily.

See below for a summary of these products and services to understand how they complement one another:

The Safety Score provides a very different view of a vessel than the Qi Predictive Risk Rating. It is not a like for like replacement and therefore cannot be used in the same way as the Risk Rating.

We recommend that all references to a minimum Risk (or Star) Rating in any commercial contracts instead be replaced with the requirement to complete the vetting process. As explained above, the vetting process is designed to consider additional factors and clarifications beyond the Safety Score to produce a clear and trusted recommendation.

Building a blueprint for operational excellence

Finally, our safety ecosystem and all the complementary parts have been developed to serve all the customers and stakeholder in the supply chain.

Charterers, regulators, financers, insurers, ports and terminals all have their role to play in supporting an improved safety culture and standards across the board. True leadership from all key stakeholders is crucial to provide the transparency and collaboration required for real progress.

This is particularly important when allocating scarce resources and identifying where operating budgets should be maintained to avoid incidents and reputational damage in the future.

We encourage all vessel owners to view their ratings on the GHG Rating summary page and the GHG Rating factors page, which outlines each criterion in the GHG Rating equation. With industry support, we can ensure the data is verified and the ratings are calculated as accurately as possible.

The GHG workflow in the new RightShip platform has been built with you in mind. We’ve listened to your feedback and implemented the following workflow enhancements:

Reward for positive actions

We’ve highlighted energy saving equipment, so vessel owners who invest in efficiency are easily recognised and charterers have greater insight into these measures when selecting vessels.

We understand sustainability measures require investment and we value owners who proactively make efficiency improvements. In turn, we now reward those owners with recognition for their efforts – they’re front and centre for potential charter.

Fast-tracked GHG verification workflow

In an effort to reduce emails, we’ve built direct communications tools into our platform. You can now talk to us directly, using the Request a GHG verification button. This will help you to verify a vessel’s GHG Rating and energy saving equipment quickly and easily.

Here you will complete a questionnaire that is tailored to your vessel requirements, rather than sending several emails to our team.

Improved GHG transparency

You’ll now receive greater insight into the individual factors that make up your vessel’s GHG Rating and have full access to data sources. This bolsters transparency for both the owner and charterer, in turn ensuring more accurate ratings.

Best practice GHG benchmarking

RightShip’s new platform provides comprehensive analysis of the make-up of your fleet, and a comparison of the world fleet’s efficiency, so you gain comparative context. It also provides owners with verification status of their vessels, so they’re well placed to determine where work is needed.

Get the job done in one place

You can now complete GHG verification requests, receive outcomes and communicate with our team in one location within the RightShip platform. With GHG Ratings and vetting housed within the platform, you’ll experience a seamless, holistic vetting process.

What is RightShip’s Safety Score?

Since 1991, RightShip has provided due diligence and risk management tools for the maritime industry. As technology and marketplace requirements have evolved, so has our capability to measure, monitor and describe safety standards.

The Safety Score benchmarks the historical operational performance of the world’s fleet. It is intended to help our risk assessment customers gain an initial perspective on the operational performance of a potential vessel as part of a comprehensive due diligence process, while simultaneously encouraging shipowners to invest in improved processes and technologies that make the entire supply chain safer.

Today the RightShip Safety Score has three main objectives which combine technology advancements, expert review and industry feedback:

• Transparent: The Safety Score has been designed to provide a clear and concise explanation of the elements that factor into the score and outcome.
• Explainable: The model has been carefully designed to make it simple to identify changes in ratings
• Useable: It provides a much clearer view of both the positive and negative performance of a vessel in the due diligence process. Ship owners are provided with actionable steps to improve safety and to benchmark against other vessels in the world fleet

How does the Safety Score work?

The RightShip Safety Score incorporates various maritime data sets, industry standards, expert review and statistical model into one easy to understand score, which provides an indication of a vessel’s safety performance today. The Safety Score is calculated through the following process:

First, every vessel is checked against a series of industry standard safety performance rules, which, if triggered, provide a vessel with a Safety Score of N/A, zero, 1 or 2. Each rule has a specific “road to resolution”, which is reviewed RightShip’s internal governance department. Once the vessel is provided with a positive review, or if no rule is triggered, the vessel is scored by the Safety Score model. Depending on the vessel’s historical performance, vessels can achieve a score of three, four or five. A 5 out of 5 indicates best practice attention to safety over the last five years.

Which vessels receive a Safety Score?

All cargo carrying commercial vessels (>1,000 DWT):

• Dry bulk vessels
• Tanker vessels (inc. Bunkering, FSO)
• Container Vessels
• LNG, LPG and Multigas vessels
• General cargo vessels (inc. Vehicle carriers)

What data is used to calculate the Safety Score?

RightShip’s Safety Score model is built on a foundation of cleaned and verified data, which comes from several sources including maritime analytics associations and government institutions. We gather information contributed by our customers, source our own first-hand data and utilise dedicated data stewardship experts to deliver comprehensive and accurate results.

As there is no one golden record of data in the maritime industry, RightShip is required to collect data from multiple sources, which can occasionally show conflicts. In order to combat this, RightShip data is cleansed through automated processes and expert analysis, which constantly refines the data. The data that contributes to a vessel’s Safety Score is clearly made available on a vessel’s activity timeline.

The Safety Score is calculated through a combination of industry standard rules and statistical modelling, including expert review of vessels. It has been designed to ensure that RightShip correctly identifies the vessels that are N/A, zero, 1 and 2 using a standard set of rules and to provide a prospective resolution for those vessels, on their continuous path to improvement.

We believe results coupled with actionability helps us to better service our due diligence customers and the shipping community. We recommend charterers use the Safety Score as an initial indicator when considering which vessels to put forward for vetting, taking into account the information available about the vessel on the platform, the overall score, sub scores, inspection status and GHG rating.

For vessel owners, the platform provides details as to why a vessel has achieved a specific score as well as actionable mechanisms to improve maritime safety.

Safety Score Rules (Safety Scores of N/A, 0, 1 & 2)

The Safety Score rules focus on what is already accepted as “good” industry practice. These binary rules are resolutions-focused and support the industry’s position on good operations. We aim to support all ship operators on their path to optimal safety and performance.

The Safety Score rules represent an initial risk assessment and present the first step in our customers’ due diligence process before submitting vessels for vetting. The rules also provide a heuristic check to ensure vessels currently identified as Safety Score N/A, zero, 1 or 2 are correctly identified. Each rule also has a definitive resolution, providing clear actions to resolve each of the rules and release vessels from being scored one or two. These resolutions are described next to each Safety Score rule.

Vessels can trigger multiple rules, with the lowest Safety Score rule set as the vessel’s overall Safety Score. The lowest Safety Score rule triggered needs to be resolved before it can be moved to a higher score. For example, if a vessel has triggered a SS1 and a SS2 rule, the SS1 rule will need be resolved before the vessel can achieve an overall score of 2, which in turn must be addressed before the vessel can achieve a score of 3 to 5.

The Safety Score model (Safety Scores of 3, 4 & 5)

If all Safety Score rules have been resolved, or no rules have been triggered, the vessel’s Safety Score is calculated by the Safety Score model. The model is made up of six sub-scores and more than 20 safety considerations, providing indications of historical safety performance. Each has been chosen to encourage all participants in the supply chain to work towards the highest standard in maritime safety practices.

It is calculated from a vessel’s five-year historical performance, with various risk factors considered at the vessel, DOC, Class and Flag level. The output is a score between three and five, where a vessel which has achieved a five out of five indicates best practice attention to safety over the last five years.

After listening to the industry, we have removed size, type and builder. Age is also not included in the Safety Score model, however only dry bulk vessels over 14 years old with a valid RightShip inspection are included. with the result is a model which is centred on safety performance indicators that operators can affect. Shipowners can see which sub scores they need to improve and benchmark their safety procedures against the industry’s best performers.

What does a vessel’s Safety Score mean?

Through extensive industry consultation, RightShip’s safety products have evolved from a passive indicator to being the initial step in risk assessment. The Safety Score provides distinct and clear lines as to the operational performance of a vessel for our due diligence customers, however any vessel with a Safety Score between one and five could be recommended by RightShip after completing the whole vetting process satisfactorily:

• SS N/A: Vessels which are out of scope for the Safety Score. In some cases, these vessels may receive an “acceptable” recommendation once the vetting process has been completed.
• SS 0: Vessels which have been flagged as sanctioned. These vessels cannot receive a positive vetting outcome therefore the “request a vet” button is disabled for these vessels.
• SS1 & 2: Vessels which need improvement to achieve the industry agreed standards of “good” operations. These vessels may be recommended by RightShip’s vetting superintendents but will require investigation and more information from the vessel’s manager.
• SS3 – 5: Vessels which are working towards best practise in safe operations. In order to complete the full RightShip due diligence process, customers must complete a vet for these vessels. The outcome includes a timestamped recommendation based on the vessel’s specification, particular cargo and determined voyage.

Ship owners can easily see the areas required for improvement for each rule triggered or sub-score below five out of five and the action they need to take to improve their overall score.

Benchmarking the Safety Score

The RightShip platform provides a full break down of every vessel’s Safety Score and benchmarks a vessel’s score across the industry. This provides a transparent view of the score’s distribution and helps you understand where that vessel is placed in its peer group. This will help members create comparisons of similar performance and rank best practices.

Moreover, the distribution shows that very few vessels can achieve the highest Safety Score, and there is often room for improvement. We support the entire industry in their continued path towards outstanding operational standards.

For our due diligence customers, this means that vessels at the lower end of the distribution may be suitable for your risk requirements. However, we recommend that you vet each vessel to receive a recommendation based on your safety and sustainability profile.

Safety Score Hybrid rules DOC Subscore Update

Vessels with a Safety Score N/A

Sometimes we are unable to provide a vessel with a Safety Score, in which case we will highlight this. There are many reasons we why may be unable to provide a score.

Vessel types not included in the Safety Score:

• Small, light pleasure craft such as motorboats
• Tugs and barges
• Ferries, RORO
• Vessels under Government Service or within the U.S Reserve Fleet
• Pleasure craft such as Cruise
• Offshore supply, construction and platform vessels

Vessels types over a certain age do not receive a Safety Score (unless the vessel has valid RightShip inspection):

• LNG, CNG, CO2 & Combination Gas Tankers> 40 years
• Dry Bulk (including Lakers), Container Ships, General Cargo, Ro-Ro> 35 years
• Chemical Tankers, Product Tankers, LPG Tankers, Bunkering Vessels, FSO's and Well Stimulation Vessels, Combination Carriers> 30 years

Other vessels include:

• Vessels no longer in service or still under construction.
• Smaller vessels, less than 1,000 DWTs
• Any other vessels not currently supported under the Safety Score
• Vessels with unknown Management Company for less than 3 months

Rule for vessels with a Safety Score of zero

Sanctioned vessels will have a Safety Score of zero and users will be clearly informed of the sanctions, in order to meet regulatory requirements.

RightShip collects sanctions information from several sources. We identify any vessel or company with associations to a sanctioned country by checking their DOC, technical manager, beneficial owner, registered owner, commercial manager, vessel operator and Flag on a best endeavours basis.

We maintain lists of vessels and companies flagged as being sanctioned by the European Union (EU), Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC), Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and the United Nations (UN).

Note – as at 1 March 2022, we are actively monitoring sanctions being applied linked to the Russian conflict with Ukraine. These are being updated in our Platform daily.

If no rules are triggered against the vessel, the vessel has received a positive Safety Score rule review, the Safety Score model will calculate the vessel’s score, providing a score between 3 and 5.

The Safety Score is made up of six sub-scores, providing indications of historical safety performance. Each has been chosen to encourage all participants in the supply chain to work towards the highest standard in maritime safety practices and focuses on various risk areas which are weighted and combined to create the overarching Safety Score in a “balanced scorecard” approach. Incidents and the performance of the DOC holder have the highest impact on the Safety Score, while the performance of flag and class has the lowest overall impact of the six sub-scores.

The six sub-scores

Highest Impact on the Safety Score model

Incidents

The Safety Score is calculated from the total number of incidents a vessel has had over the past five years and make note of how recent those incidents were. Incidents are defined as activities that occurred on the vessel that affected the condition of the ship or endangered the safety or environment for passengers and crew.

The type of incident can also indicate the level of safety practices on board a vessel. Therefore, each incident is categorised by the severity of each incident which is based on the damage to the vessel and the environment, as well as its effect on crew welfare. Category A incidents have the highest impact on the vessel’s overall score.

The vessel's DOC Holder

RightShip develops an average score for a typical vessel’s safety performance under each DOC holder through four key risk areas: the number of detentions, PSC deficiencies* and incidents along with the severity of these incidents.

The DOC sub score focuses only on events that occurred when vessels were under the management of the current DOC holder. This includes vessels currently and or previously managed by a DOC. However, if a vessel had an incident, PSC deficiency or detention before moving to a new DOC, they will not impact the new DOC sub-score.

The size of the DOCs fleet is also factored into the Safety Score model calculation to ensure small and large DOCs are handled fairly – and that the number of detentions, PSC deficiencies*, and incidents along with their severity are standardised against the size of the DOC fleet at the time they occurred.

Medium Impact on the Safety Score

Vessel PSC deficiencies

The number and recency of a vessel’s deficiencies will have an effect on a vessel’s safety score. However, the regional practices of Port State Control vary, which may result in a higher number of deficiencies* reported on certain trade routes. The model mitigates the risk of vessels working on specific routes being penalised by comparing each PSC Inspection against the average for that location.

Detentions

Instances in which vessels are detained by Port State Control in response to serious deficiencies will impact the Safety Score. The model will tally the total number of detentions over the past five years and how recent they were. A period without detentions will improve the score.

Lower Impact on the Safety Score

The vessel's Flag State

The Flag State Performance Table from the International Chamber of Shipping is used to measure the performances of each flag state. If a large number of positive indicators are shown as being absent, this might suggest that performance is unsatisfactory.

The vessel's Classification Society

Only IACS Classification Societies are included in the Safety Score model. However, safety standards vary from one Classification Society to another. We measure the safety standards of each class across detentions and deficiencies to determine a vessel’s Safety Score. This provides an overall score for a Classification Society’s historical performance, divided by the fleet size, to get an average per vessel in their fleet.

Similar to the DOC, the Class sub-score focuses only on events that occurred to vessels when they were under the current Class. If a vessel had a detention before moving to a new Class, that detention will not impact the score of the Class, and a detention on a vessel after it has passed to a new Class will not impact the previous Class.

Where a vessel is a member of multiple class associations, we will select one of the Classes for use in the Safety Score calculation.

*PSC Deficiencies

The Safety Score includes PSC deficiencies when reviewing the operational performance of the vessel, DOC holder and Classification Society. The number and type of PSC deficiencies can vary between port state authorities. To avoid penalising a vessel for frequently visiting specific ports, the model takes into account the average number and type of PSC deficiencies for each place of inspection.

If the port of inspection is unknown or there are less than 100 inspections in total for that port, the model considers the average number of PSC deficiencies for the country of inspection. If the country of inspection is unknown or there are less than 100 inspections in total for that country, PSC deficiencies are relative to the port state authority of inspection.

Where vessels have not been inspected during a 12-month period, their performance is assumed to be “average” for that time period. If the vessel was not inspected in the last five years, the overall score will be a 3 which represents “average”. This is to provide fairness and to ensure vessels with limited PSC exposure are not scored unfairly nor penalised for having an inspection with stricter inspection rules.

Indicative scoring

Indicative Scores are generally used to notify or caution our customers of the following:

• The vessel’s rating may need to be less reliable due to a lack of data, such as trading behaviour not exposing the vessel to normal levels of inspection/reporting. In these cases, there is potential for the Safety Score to be higher than it would be had the same vessel been more active or trading in an area with higher levels of inspection/reporting.
• There is outstanding vessel information that should be reviewed by a vetting superintendent as part of the due diligence vetting process.
• Notify vessel operators that there is outstanding or missing information for their vessel that could limit their ability to achieve their best Safety Score.
• Identify riskier vessels through RightShip management or those companies associated with abandonment cases. This is to deliver on our commitment to safety and welfare.

To ensure that vessels are achieving the right score and that companies can progress from Safety Score 1 and 2 to Safety Score 3 to 5, RightShip’s expert superintendents review the “resolution” of some rules within the RightShip platform.

The RightShip platform includes full systematic governance, where all correspondence, certificates and decisions are recorded within the RightShip platform and are fully auditable.

When each vessel triggers a Safety Score rule, the RightShip platform automatically places a notice on the vessel page highlighting the rule which has been triggered.

To resolve the rule, and achieve a score of 3 to 5, ship owners can request to have the Safety Score reviewed. The review process will require written justification and any associated documentation such as a Root Cause Analysis (RCA) or Corrective Action Plan (CAP). You can find the required resolution for each rule in the Safety Score methodology.

Each resolution must undergo a multi-approval process. This means that every review is escalated for a second review, undertaken by a second superintendent. The review cannot be completed until a second review of the evidence has taken place.

RightShip makes no guarantee that a vessel’s Safety Score will improve as a result of the review or the Safety Score rule will be removed from the vessel. There may be cases where insufficient evidence is provided to demonstrate that the rule can be cleared and for the model to score the vessel at 3 to 5. Furthermore, as a result of any review and subsequent investigation a vessel’s Safety Score may also decline.

In our process, we have combined advanced analytics with our 20-year industry expertise, focusing on what will drive positive action in the industry. This means the RightShip Safety Score has been optimised through sophisticated use of data science and reviewed by RightShip’s subject matter experts.

The model consistently weighs more recent incidents, detentions, deficiencies as having a larger impact on the Safety Score, while measuring the action taken by the vessel owner/ operator in response to any incidents, detentions and deficiencies in closing out incidents on the RightShip platform.

As safety standards improve and there is a greater need to review sustainability and social welfare practises as part of a robust due diligence process, RightShip reserves the right to, from time to time, add, amend or remove Safety Score rules as part of RightShip’s continuous effort to improve the RightShip’s Safety Score and as the evolution of our offering.

The Safety Score model design has been tested against its main objective to change behaviour in the industry towards operational excellence. The Safety Score is validated across various KPIs for each of the six sub scores and five objectives, such as transparency, fairness and accuracy.

Testing of the Safety Score occurs every day as new data is added into the system and vessel’s trigger and resolve Safety Score rules.

Incidents are categorised according to their severity, and the severity rating determines their impact on the score. Category A incidents have a more significant impact than Category B, and Category B has a greater impact than Category C. The impact of incidents diminishes over time, with a 40% reduction in effect after six months and an additional 40% reduction every subsequent 12 months within five years.

The key distinction between a proactively reported (transparent) incident and a non-proactively reported incident lies in the 40% immediate reduction in impact for proactively reported incidents, while non-proactively reported incidents receive the 40% impact reduction after six months.

Incident transparency aims to incentivise proactive reporting and data completeness and accuracy.
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Instruction for Completing Document

The online Deck and Engineer Matrix should be completed and send to RightShip Dry Inspection team and the nominated inspector at least 24 hours prior to commencement of inspection. It is the responsibility of the vessel’s manager to ensure the document is properly filled out and up to date.

All fields of the Matrix must be completed as per below:

Rank

Use a drop-down list and select an appropriate rank as per Seafarers Employment Agreement. Please do not include the cadets in the matrix.

Gender

New Field

Nationality

Record the nationality of Officers and Engineers as per their passport.

Certificate of Competency (COC)

Use the drop-down list and select an appropriate Certificate of Competency that the deck or engine officer is holding.

Issuing Country

Record the name of the country issuing the Certificate of Competency.

Endorsement- vessel's administration

An endorsement is a document which is issued so that foreign seafarers may use foreign certificates issued by a maritime administration of a country, other than the administration of the ship’s Flag State. The Flag Administrator of the ship may allow a seafarer to serve for a period not exceeding three (3) months if a Certificate of Receipt of Application is readily available.

Radio Qualification

Select “Yes” if the officer has GMDSS certification.

Year in Service-Vessel Manager

Record the number of years that the officer has been with the vessel’s manager.

Years in Service-Rank

Record the number of years of sea service that a seafarer has been in rank on board this type of dry cargo ship as a certificated officer.

Years in Service-Dry Cargo Ships

Record the number of years of sea service that the officer has served on board dry cargo ships as a certificated officer.  

Date of joining

Record the date that the seafarer joined this vessel.

Months on board

Record the number of months the seafarer has been on board this vessel.

Years Watchkeeping

Applicable to the ranks below Chief Officer or Second Engineer- Record the number of years of sea service as a watchkeeping officer on all ship types.

English Proficiency

Please select Elementary, Limited Professional, Professional Working, Full Professional, Native/Bilingual from the drop-down list.

The new drive towards digitalising our inspections program enables RightShip to offer two new inspection types that facilitate different approaches to minimise the time inspectors spend on board your vessel: hybrid and dual inspections. 

1) The hybrid inspection

The dry bulk hybrid inspection is an initiative by RightShip to reduce the amount of time an inspector spent on board of the vessel. Unlike the conventional inspection where all questions are answered during a physical inspection; ship managers can request an advanced review of pre-selected documentation before vessel arrival. These documents have to be provided to RightShip no later than 72 hours (3 days) before vessel arrival. 
 

The benefits

The RightShip dry bulk hybrid inspection reduces the amount of time an inspector spends on board of the vessel. This: 

1. Minimises the contact between the inspector and the crew. 

1. Enable RightShip to perform an inspection despite having a shorter port stay. 

How do I request a hybrid inspection?

In the request form, simply select “hybrid” before submission.  

After submission, you will receive an email with an URL link for document submission. 

What documents do I need to provide to RightShip?

Click here to find out more on the list of documents needed for RightShip Dry Bulk Hybrid Inspection. 

2) Dual Inspections

Having a dual inspection is another way inspections could be done in ports with shorter port stay. The dual inspection is similar to the standard one only being performed by two inspectors that will split the questionnaire between themselves and execute different sections, 

The Benefit  

The RightShip dry bulk dual inspection reduces the overall time inspection would take by engaging two inspectors.  This enables RightShip to perform a vessel inspection despite having a shorter port stay 

How do I request a dual inspection? 

Currently there is no request option for a dual inspection. If during the review of your request for inspection RightShip Inspections Team believes there is not enough port stay time to perform a standard inspection the team may investigate if the 2-inspector option is suitable. During this investigation different parameters are considered, such as: 

• The duration of the port stay 
• The port location 
• Availability of additional RightShip inspector in the area 

• Additional travel cost implications, 
• If, after the investigation, the RightShip Inspection Team believes that the dual inspection is a suitable approach they will contact you to confirm the details. 

RightShip is the world’s largest third party maritime operational due diligence organisation. Our vessel vetting service is used for thousands of voyages, to assess the suitability of a nominated vessel for safe cargo transportation. The practise of vetting upholds global standards for safety, environmental and social welfare practices and is at the core of RightShip’s drive towards standards beyond compliance.

Primarily developed for stakeholders needing to move cargo, vetting is an in-depth and bespoke method of verifying a vessel’s suitability for your specific risk profile. Customers work with RightShip to build on the RightShip standard, which represents the minimum requirements for a RightShip recommendation, against which all vessels are assessed to check their safety, risk, sustainability and social welfare standards. Through vetting, customers can add their additional bespoke criteria, such as berth fit requirements.

Our vessel vetting takes place within the RightShip platform, harnessing the latest technology to deliver reliable, timely recommendations. The sophisticated vetting rules engine searches and returns the required data from RightShip’s proprietary database, while our in-built communication channels make automated requests for additional information and documentation as required. Our vetting superintendents use their expertise to analyse the information and documentation gathered to provide an ‘acceptable’ or ‘unacceptable’ recommendation for the specific vessel and voyage under consideration.

Customers request vets directly on the vessel page and can track their vet status and outcome in real time. All vet request outcomes are stored with your RightShip account, date and time stamped when your vet is complete, and cannot be altered

RightShip’s experienced global vessel vetting team uses the unique data collected from all of our products services, in conjunction with leading technology and due diligence processes.

By drawing on all data collected in the RightShip platform, vetting can be combined with RightShip’s other products including our dry bulk inspections, GHG Rating and Safety Score. This ensures a holistic view of a vessel’s suitability for use.

A confirmed vetting outcome, marked with an ‘acceptable’ or ‘unacceptable’ recommendation will be logged in RightShip’s platform and an email notification will be sent to the vet requestor.

RightShip’s vetting process is delivered through our innovative digital platform. The vetting criteria is housed in the RightShip vetting rules engine. The rules engine searches and retrieve the RightShip standard against our proprietary data; and our inbuilt communication channels will automatically send out Requests for Information (RFIs) when the vet is first triggered. All of this information is gathered for both the RightShip Vetting Superintendent and the vet requester in real time, allowing the requester to monitor the vet’s progress.

Terminal Questionnaires (TQs)

Terminal Questionnaires help to improve safety and ensure transparency. Some terminals use a Terminal Questionnaire (TQ) as part of their ship scheduling and nomination process. The TQ is administered by the terminal and facilitated by RightShip.

Every ship scheduled to enter their port is required to submit an online terminal questionnaire containing specific vessel information around mooring configuration, loading and deballasting rates and helicopter suitability prior to berthing.

As part of the ship scheduling and nomination process the ship’s master or their nominated agent will receive an email from RightShip on behalf of the terminal. The email will share a link to an online Terminal Questionnaire (TQ) containing pre-populated data from the RightShip Platform. The recipient of the email is required to complete and submit the TQ.

Vessels must have an acceptable, validated electronic TQ or they may be refused entry to the terminal. If information submitted in a TQ is found to be incorrect, the vessel may be deemed not suitable to load or to return to the terminal and the vessel may be denied future nomination acceptance.

Click here to learn how to submit a Terminal Questionnaire in the RightShip platform

Feedback Reports (FBRs)

Feedback Reports (FBRs) can include a dry berth or tanker terminal feedback report, which are submitted in the RightShip platform after a vessel has called at the port.

The information in these reports provides RightShip with an operational history of the vessel, which is taken into account when assessing the suitability of the vessel in future vets.

RightShip will pursue any issues or negative feedback with the vessel operators until a satisfactory close-out has been received.

Click here to learn how to create a Feedback Report in the RightShip platform

RightShip assesses all vessels against our RightShip vetting criteria, which represents our minimum requirements for good operational practices. From June 2021, RightShip’s vetting criteria has been expanded from 20 to 50 items, in line with the launch of our Platform and Safety Score.  

The existing criteria includes, but is not limited to: 

• Incident review, performance and resolution
• PSC performance review, performance and resolution – inclusive of targeting activity and bans
• Certification and compliance status
• Class records (conditions, status)
• DOC performance (ISM)
• Prior RightShip history and database
• Physical validation (RightShip Inspections)
• Special vetting criteria (customer-specific rules and checks)

General additions to the new criteria are as follows:   

• The new criteria 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.   
• A comprehensive review of incidents, PSC performance and operator performance in more detail.    
• Clearer binary failings. If a vet fails on one of these hurdles, the vessel cannot be recommended at all.    
• The new criteria 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 criteria provides greater clarity around the specific items that cover safety, the environment, human rights, operational excellence with the aim of having a unified standard for the industry.  

We acknowledge that each customer may have their own special vetting criteria, which is applied on top of the RightShip standard. Additional vetting criteria is based on customer risk appetite and can be designed around a specific location or risk factors for that trade. A vessel which does not meet the RightShip standard will not be eligible for an ‘acceptable’ recommendation from RightShip, regardless of the vessel’s performance against additional customer vetting criteria.

You can download and review the Dry Bulk and Petroleum, Gas and Chemical vessel vetting standards against the risk profile of your organisation, and your specific customer criteria currently in place.

When a new customer signs up for vessel vetting, our vetting superintendents will provide in depth information about RightShip’s vetting standard and discuss any additional bespoke vetting criteria if required.

RightShip employs a global team of vetting superintendents, with varied experience and background by ship type and trade, who fully understand ship operations, compliance and risk. They are located strategically across RightShip’s offices to cover all time zones and share expertise in order to provide an ‘acceptable’ recommendation that meets our standard criteria.

The superintendent team will review all open items, including detentions, deficiencies and incidents. Where there are performance gaps, additional checks will be undertaken. Unless the necessary corrective actions are completed by the operator, to the satisfaction of the RightShip vetting superintendent, RightShip will not be in the position to make a recommendation on that vessel for the voyage under consideration.

A vessel that receives an ‘acceptable’ recommendation may exhibit the following operational performance standards:

• High standard of close-outs into any incident, PSC, detention or adverse report
• No on-going abandonment cases
• Not appearing on any PSC MoU banned lists
• No overdue surveys or conditions of class
• No history of being Dis-Classed or Class suspended as a result of performance or failure to complete class requirements
• Vessels with a valid ‘acceptable’ RightShip dry bulk inspection

Once all the checks are complete, with all data and responses reviewed, the RightShip vetting superintendent provides a recommendation on the vessel under consideration. Each vetting recommendation is specific to the vet requestor and is only valid at the time of recommendation for the nominated vessel and voyage under consideration. A new vet will be required to consider a new vessel for the same voyage, or once the original recommendation expires.

Our vetting process involves a range of inputs and assessments, in addition to the Safety Score, to establish whether your chosen vessel is a suitable partner, based on our vetting standard and your bespoke vetting criteria.

RightShip can vet any vessel with a Safety Score between one and five. Provided the vessel meets RightShip’s minimum vetting standard and the customer's additional criteria, the vessel could receive an ‘acceptable’ recommendation.

Indicative scores

Additional checks are carried out for vessels with an indicative Safety Score. These types of scores are provided to customers as an indication that further data or investigation is needed. Examples of vessels with an indicative Safety Score include vessels with a lack of historical data, such as its trading behaviour, inspection and reporting. There could be outstanding information that needs review by a vetting superintendent. Alternatively, indicative scoring can be used to identify riskier vessels associated with abandonment cases.

Safety Score N/A and Zero

Vessels which are marked N/A are out of scope for the Safety Score. In some cases, these vessels may receive an “acceptable” recommendation once the vetting process has been completed.

However, vessels with a Safety Score of zero have been flagged as sanctioned. These vessels cannot receive a positive vetting outcome therefore the “request a vet” button is disabled for these vessels.

Safety Score 1 and 2

In the case of lower performance at the vessel and / or DOC levels, our vetting process includes additional checks that will be performance to support the recommendation of the vessel. This takes place before the final recommendation. These final risk mitigation steps could include:

• Full review of the Safety Score
• Request the close out report for PSC deficiencies
• Request for an up to date Class and Statutory Survey Status
• Additional review on the vessel technical manager/ DOC holder
• Close out reports for any open incidents
• Valid RS inspection if vessel is showing unsatisfactory performance

Safety Score 3 - 5

These vessels have been highlighted as working towards best practise in safe operations. In order to complete the full RightShip due diligence process, customers must complete a vet for these vessels. The outcome includes a timestamped recommendation based on the vessel’s specification, particular cargo and determined voyage.

Verifying your vessel's GHG Rating

On the RightShip platform, we display if a vessel’s GHG Rating has been verified by the shipowner. An unverified rating provides an indication of vessel performance as it is based on vessel specific IHS inputs, IMO assumptions and sister vessel data.

To help gather accurate data in the GHG Rating, RightShip provides all shipowners with the ability to submit documentation to confirm the inputs used in the calculation. Once checked through by our Sustainability team, the vessel is shown as having a verified GHG Rating on the vessel page.

Owners will benefit from verifying their vessels because the GHG Rating can be used as part of RightShip’s due diligence and risk assessment vessel vetting service. Our online vetting process notifies the owners of unverified vessels when the GHG Rating of their vessel is impacting the outcome of a vet. However, the delay associated with obtaining the relevant verification documents from the owner means that there is a commercial incentive for vessel owners to pro-actively verify their vessel’s ratings.

A fully verified vessel, which meets customer’s vetting criteria for the GHG Rating, passes through the vetting process in a seamless manner. This positions a verified vessel at competitive advantage over peer vessels that are unverified.

Incentivising new build designs

Our overarching goal is to improve sustainability standards in the maritime industry. To achieve this goal, we aim to reward owners who have prioritised efficiency with superior design, consideration of engine performance and build of their vessels.

Our GHG Rating aims to shine a light on the top tier of vessels operating in a segment, which will enable charterers, banks and shipowners to have more transparency in their decision making.

We understand that some of the biggest efficiency gains can be had at the design stage of a vessel. Therefore, we work with shipowners by providing pre-assessments of GHG Ratings prior to the final build stage, insights into efficient shipyards to build vessels, as well as benchmarking of previous vessel performance.

Continual improvement over a vessel’s life

RightShip also recognises the huge need to promote those who invest in sustainability advances in their current fleet. By investing in energy saving equipment, existing vessels can improve their efficiency and move up the GHG Rating bands.

Vessels that have been upgraded with energy saving equipment to operate more efficiently than designed are recognised through the rating. A vessel’s GHG Rating may improve and/or a plus sign (+) will appear next to the GHG Rating. The plus sign (+) increases visibility of a vessel among its peers. It also allows owners to clearly display the actions they have taken to improve their vessels environmental performance and then market them accordingly.

How RightShip GHG’s Rating incorporates EEXI alongside EVDI and EEDI

RightShip’s GHG Rating is the industry’s first rating to incorporate EEXI, EVDI, and EEDI, and this change has necessitated a shift in how we define a vessel’s theoretical CO2 emissions.    

GHG Rating 1.0 rated a vessel based on engine power, using characteristics of the ship at build, like capacity, engine power, and fuel consumption. This is a strong methodology, but it doesn’t allow for the efficiency variables introduced by engine power limitation (EPL), which is expected to be adopted on a large proportion of the world fleet to comply with EEXI.  

GHG Rating 2.0 addresses this issue by moving to a speed corrected methodology. This approach evaluates all vessels within a peer group at a common speed and focuses on the emissions in the range of a vessel’s market operating speeds, applying a minimum speed logic for calculating the speed corrected intensity.    

In other words: the GHG Rating 1.0 graded vessels according to their efficiency at 75% of the engine power. Rating 2.0 grades vessels according to the efficiency at a common speed.  

This change ensures that the GHG Rating remains fair and transparent when considering EEXI and continues to function as an effective relative measure of efficiency between similar vessels.  

The Admiralty principle and EPL

The sea trial and associated speed-power performance data is obtained within the IMO framework and guidelines to arrive at a no wind, no wave, no sea current, depth and water temperature correction. However, there is a gap, as widely known and discussed with the market, wherein sea trials are completed at ballast draft conditions, as single or few point speed trial runs, which are then extrapolated to form the whole Speed-Power curve.

Considering the above limitations, a theoretical approach based on known design principles of Naval Architecture, specifically around the ‘Admiralty Coefficient’ - sometimes referred to as propeller law - is taken to arrive at a speed corrected gCO2/tnm.  

What is RightShip’s position on the Power Limitation (EPL/ShaPoli) for the EEXI Compliance, and how will this affect vessels’ GHG Rating?  

RightShip’s GHG Rating now accepts multiple EPL/ShaPoLi, and below MPP Level 1. The use of the Admiralty principle in the new speed corrected approach will remove the influence of EPL/ShaPoLi on a vessel’s rating. Class certified EEDI and EEXI Technical files are accepted.

GHG Rating and CII

The RightShip GHG Rating has moved to a 5-point A-E scale primarily due to the IMO’s adoption of an A-E scale for the Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII) rating. CII and GHG are fundamentally different – CII measures how a vessel actually performed in the past, while GHG Rating measures the designed potential to perform. A vessel’s CII does not impact its GHG Rating. However, we believe it’s important to give stakeholders the chance to understand these two ratings in relation to each other.  

For example: A vessel rated ‘A’ GHG gets chartered out for one year. It is returned to the vessel owner after one year, but it is CII rated ‘C’ due to the way it was traded. This CII rating, which may impact the vessel’s commercial viability, does not reflect the vessel’s potential or future performance. That’s what makes RightShip’s GHG Rating so important: it ensures that vessel’s are treated fairly, on a level playing field, and are measured according to their potential, not their past performance.

The easy-to-use online tool provides ports with readily available emissions inventory data, combined with analytic tools to report on and extract the inventory that can be used to manage the local air quality in a more informed way.  

The MEP leverages RightShip’s ship-specific emissions methodology, unique vessel database, and when combined with Automatic Identification System (AIS), delivers an estimation of ship-sourced emissions.  

The emissions inventory is typically provided for GHG CO₂e (CO₂, CH₄, N₂0,), and air pollutants SOx, NOx, PM10 PM2.5 and VOC specifically associated with port activities.

Emissions inventory methodology  

The MEP is built on leveraging established technologies, validated data and proprietary emissions methodology to generate detailed emission inventories per vessel.  

Vessel Tracking – Satellite (AIS) data  

The Automatic Identification System (AIS) is an automated tracking system which is extensively used in the maritime industry for the exchange of navigational information.  

AIS data defines the vessel entry and exit from the port boundaries, together with detailed movement and vessel speed. AIS data is reported every three minutes while the ship is moving and every 20 minutes when stopped.  

A vessel call is determined by a ship entering and leaving the port boundary. During a call, each operating mode is calculated for each vessel and the vessel location data is also utilised to calculate speed. The AIS data is linked with RightShip’s unique database to determine ship characteristics that are required for calculating emissions.  

Port mapping 

The port boundary is ‘geo-fenced’ to define the project boundary. The subsequent terminals, anchorages, points of interest are also defined.  

Once the port areas are mapped, each ship mode is modelled per emissions profile: 

• Anchorage: anchored within the port boundary,  
• Transiting: transiting within a ship channel or open ocean,  
• Manoeuvring: approaching a berth or terminal, and  
• Alongside: loading or unloading a cargo 

Vessel particulars 

RightShip’s vessel database includes more than 60,000 ocean going vessels, and the various tugboats, offshore support vessels and port specific vessels which operate across the globe. We utilise the various vessel specific particulars including deadweight, main engines, auxiliary engines, boilers, etc. to enable the calculation of vessel emissions.  

RightShip’s database allows the application of specific vessel data, rather than applying generic estimates or assumptions. The application of vessel specific data significantly improves the accuracy of the emissions estimations.  

The MEP methodology covers the following vessel types: 

• Ocean going vessels: bulk carriers, crude & product tankers, LPG tankers, LNG tankers, general cargo, containerships, cruise & ferry and ro-ro cargo ships.
• Offshore support vessels: vessels that specifically serve operational purposes such as oil exploration and maintenance / construction work on the open ocean. 
• Tugboats: used to manoeuvre other vessels by pushing or pulling them either by direct contact or by means of a tow line, also used for towing barges. 
• ‘Other port specific vessels’: vessels usually based within (or routinely visiting) the port area that provide specific services.  

Vessel emission calculations 

RightShip’s proprietary emissions methodology leverages AIS tracking technology and validated vessel specific data to generate a detailed emission inventory. 

The methodology is based on industry standard methods including USEPA, California Air Resources Board, ENTEC (Entec UK Limited), and IMO guidance documents. 

The approach offers reduced uncertainties and data burden on ports whilst increasing the accuracy of the emissions inventory. Displayed securely online, ports can explore their emissions data quickly and simply via the custom-built user-interface.  

This ensures that the most robust approach can be applied for each specific air pollutant and reflects specific industry regulations that have been introduced over time to curb certain pollutants.  

A peer review of the methodology was conducted by independent scientists to ensure that the technical work products developed are correct, consistent, and based on the highest quality science.  

Overall, the independent peer review found that ‘the scientific and technical work product used high-quality science in its assessment and was found to be in line with existing guidelines and conducted in a rigorous, appropriate, and defensible way’.  

Greenhouse gasses and core pollutants 

The MEP Methodology covers the core GHGs and air pollutants associated with shipping activity.  

• CO₂ – Carbon Dioxide. A colourless and odourless gas that is naturally present in the atmosphere but also enters through burning fossil fuels that contribute to climate change.  
• CH₄ – Methane. A colourless and odourless gas that occurs naturally, as well as a product of fossil fuel combustion. Methane is mroe efficient at trapping radiation than carbon dioxide. It has a significantly higher global warmer potential than carbon dioxide.
• N₂O -  A colourless, non-flammable gas that is commonly known a laughing gas. It's global warming potential is approximately 298 times larger than carbon dioxide over a hundred year period. It also has the potential to contribute towards ocean acidification. 
• SOx – Sulphur Dioxide. A gas formed by fossil fuel combustion that can impact human health, biological processes, and form acid rain. 
• NOx – Oxides of Nitrogen. A gas that is formed by fossil fuel combustion that can impact human health and can form acid rain. 
• PM2.5 – Particulate matter including and less than 2.5 microns in diameter. Produced from a wide range of industrial processes including fuel combustion. The particles can impact visibility and once inhaled, can cause serious health effects. 
• PM10 – Particulate matter including and less than 10 microns in diameter.  Produced from a wide range of industrial processes including fuel combustion. The particles can impact visibility and once inhaled, can cause serious health effects. 
• VOCs – Volatile Organic Compounds. Grouping of a wide range of organic chemical compounds. They contribute to photochemical smog, react with nitrogen to produce ozone, and can cause serious health effects.

There is an urgent need to tackle the systemic challenges creating human rights and labour rights risks for seafarers worldwide. Seafarers have a right to a workplace where their rights are respected, that is safe and secure, where they have fair terms of employment that are delivered through decent living and working conditions, fair wages and social protection covering medical, employment and retirement issues.   

Ensuring that seafarers’ rights are respected is a critical element of the shipping industry’s social responsibility journey, underpinned by the need for healthy, safe and secure work environments, rewarding careers, as well as a diverse and inclusive maritime workforce. Improving attention to seafarers’ rights can also provide added benefits such as reducing risks of incidents and undesirable ship culture that could undermine productivity and staff retention. 

Current issues with crew welfare in the maritime industry 

Protecting and respecting seafarers’ rights was thrust into the public spotlight in 2020 when 400,000+ seafarers were stranded at sea due to crew change restrictions as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Alongside this increased public awareness of the role of seafarers and the need to support them, there is a growing demand from consumers, investors, business partners, civil society and governments for more transparent and sustainable supply chains that address social concerns including human and labour rights alongside environmental concerns. 

Areas for improvement in crew welfare  

Presently, there is no consistent guidance for how to manage long-term, systemic risks to seafarers’ rights. The approach taken varies across the diversity of maritime sectors, and overall, there is low awareness of seafarers’ rights throughout the industry. And the limited action which has been taken is often reactive rather than proactive, and at the same time punitive rather than focused on continual improvement. This is all compounded by limited available data on welfare commitments during voyages.  

Areas for improvement include:

Reactive 

Responses to violations take place after crew suffering has already occurred, often over a period of many months or years. This leaves both crew and charterers exposed. 


Punitive 

Focus is entirely on penalising those who violate MLC requirements and basic human rights. There is no existing measure to effectively reward the many instances of positive action being taken within the industry. 


Data 

Action on seafarers’ welfare and human rights is limited by the availability of credible data on MLC violations. Primarily received via Port State Control detention reports or high-profile events captured in the maritime press. 



Code of Conduct and Self-Assessment Tool 

Prior to the Covid-19 crew change crisis, the Sustainable Shipping Initiative (SSI) and the Institute for Human Rights & Business (IHRB), in collaboration with the Rafto Foundation for Human Rights, formed a working group with a number of SSI members to research and address human and labour rights risks throughout the maritime supply chain.  

This resulted in the joint development of an industry Code of Conduct and Self-Assessment Tool, based on international labour and human rights standards, that would enable organisations across the sector to enhance their commitments and approaches to respecting seafarers’ rights.   

You can download the Code of Conduct here.

Ready to get started? Shipowners and managers can start their Self-Assessment today

Showcase your commitment to seafarers by completing the Crew Welfare Self-Assessment, for DOC holders

The Sustainable Shipping Initiative 

The Sustainable Shipping Initiative (SSI) is a multistakeholder collective of ambitious and like-minded leaders, driving change through cross-sectoral collaboration to contribute to – and thrive in – a more sustainable maritime industry. Spanning the entire shipping value chain, SSI members are shipowners and charterers; ports; shipyards, marine product, equipment and service providers; banks, ship finance and insurance providers; classification societies; and sustainability non-profits. 

www.sustainableshipping.org | @SustShipping 

 

The Institute for Human Rights and Business (IHRB) 

Founded in 2009, IHRB is the leading international think tank on business and human rights. IHRB’s mission is to shape policy, advance practice, and strengthen accountability in order to make respect for human rights part of everyday business. 

www.ihrb.org | @ihrb 

The Rafto Foundation for Human Rights 

Founded in 1987, the Rafto Foundation is non-profit organisation dedicated to the promotion of human rights globally. 

www.rafto.no | @RaftoFoundation

The Sustainable Shipping Initiative and the Institute for Human Rights and Business, in collaboration with the Rafto Foundation for Human Rights, have developed a landmark Code of Conduct - Delivering on Seafarers’ Rights. Based on international labour and human rights standards and principles, the Code of Conduct goes beyond the ILO Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) and focuses on the full spectrum of seafarers’ rights and wellbeing, from fair terms of employment and crew protection to availability and appropriate management of grievance mechanisms. 

It brings together shipowners, ship operators and charterers/cargo owners to drive positive change in the industry, through individual and collective action and increased transparency to deliver on seafarers’ rights. 

Purpose  

The shipping industry is required to comply with the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) and other international conventions covering the human rights (which include labour rights) of workers. Like all industry sectors, companies in the shipping sector have a responsibility to respect the human rights of seafarers, including when they are workers in their supply chain, in accordance with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs). 

This Code of Conduct seeks to reinforce compliance with the MLC and other relevant maritime conventions, but also to go beyond, focusing on valuing seafarers and the full spectrum of their human rights.  It aims to address systemic risks and impacts experienced by seafarers through: (i) emphasising rights in the MLC that are not being adequately enforced; and (ii) covering rights and issues that are important to seafarers but not currently covered in the MLC.  

The Code of Conduct deliberately does not cover more technical health and safety issues that are equally important to the rights to life and health of seafarers, as these are covered in the MLC and other more detailed conventions, regulatory requirements, standards, codes and inspections.  It assumes that the issues covered by this Code of Conduct will be integrated together with these health and safety requirements into the overall management of all aspects of shipping that affect seafarers.  

The Code of Conduct can be used by shipowners and ship operators to understand the extent to which current operations meet their responsibilities, and by charterers/cargo owners to strengthen due diligence that in turn informs chartering-related decision-making. It will be supplemented by practical Self-Assessment Tool but provides an important set of commitments as is. The Code of Conduct was developed by the Sustainable Shipping Initiative in collaboration with the Institute for Human Rights and Business and the Rafto Foundation for Human Rights.  It brings together shipowners, ship operators and charterers/cargo owners to drive positive change in the industry, through individual and collective action and increased transparency to deliver on seafarers’ rights. 

Given the rising attention to human rights, implementing this Code of Conduct is also a way of meeting the growing demands highlighted above and reducing risks through improved compliance.   

You can download the Code of Conduct here 

Accompanying the Code of Conduct is a Self-Assessment Tool, which provides guidance on how to meet the Code of Conduct as well as how to track progress against three levels: basic, intermediate and excellent. Addressing social responsibility issues is a journey, and the Code of Conduct and Self-Assessment are not intended to be a one-time snapshot or overnight change, but rather showcase demonstrable progress over time to secure lasting and positive change for our seafarers. Naturally the earlier we all can secure the much-needed improvement and progress the better for all. 

Hosted by RightShip, the Self-Assessment Tool is free for any shipowner or manager to fill in. On completion, a Crew Welfare badge will appear on the company’s vessel page within the RightShip Platform. Ship owners and managers will be sent a pdf summary of your submission to share with clients and other interested stakeholders, and will be reminded to re-submit after a year. Having a Crew Welfare badge markets your vessel directly to RightShip’s due diligence customers in the RightShip platform and showcases your commitment to and investment in crew welfare best practices. Company self-assessments will not be made public with only anonymised, aggregated data used for progress reporting. 

The full content of the self-assessment submissions will not be visible to external parties on the RightShip platform. However, for all companies that complete a self-assessment declaration, a badge will appear on the company and vessel pages to signify your commitment to Crew Welfare. Data entered is unverified and does not affect your RightShip Safety Score, GHG Rating, Dry Bulk Inspection or Vessel Vetting outcomes. 
 

The Self-Assessment and your due diligence process 

We are reviewing how submissions could be verified as part of our vessel vetting and Dry Bulk Inspections process and welcome discussion from participants willing to collaborate. However, this is an opportunity to implement a consistent guide for long-term, systemic risks to seafarers, uniting all parties in a standardised approach to improve the working lives of all members of the maritime industry.   
 

If you are a ship owner or manager and an existing RightShip user: Once you complete the self-assessment, you will be able to log in to the RightShip platform to view your Crew Welfare badge on the company and vessel pages. You will also be able to see the status badge for other participating owners and operators. After completing the self-assessment, you will be provided a PDF summary of your submission via a confirmation email from RightShip. 
 

If you are a ship owner or manager but not an existing RightShip user: You do not need to be a RightShip user to submit or view your self-assessment. After completing the self-assessment, you will be provided a PDF summary of your submission via a confirmation email from RightShip. Should you want to see your badge on the RightShip platform please contact RightShip for a demo. 

Click here to get started with your Self-Assessment 

Our seafarers are the essential workers who keep the maritime industry moving. Every person working at sea has the right to safe and secure working conditions.

At RightShip, we believe that the welfare of seafarers is paramount to ensuring the continued safe operations of ships. Once you have created an account on the RightShip platform, you will be able to check the current crew welfare self assessment status of any vessels and companies.

Use this information to help drive committed behaviour towards crew welfare and good ship management, helping us all to keep shipping safe.

Click here to start checking Crew Welfare Self-Assessment status now.

Introduction to RightShip Management Audit

RightShip provides management audits to shipowners and managers who want to demonstrate their commitment to operating at higher ESG standards and create a culture of care across their organisations.

Performing an audit allows a ship owner to measure themselves against recognised industry standards. The outcome is a comprehensive report, charting a path to excellence by benchmarking where you are today and setting clear objectives.

By carrying out an in-depth Management Audit from RightShip, shipowners and managers can benefit from an external review by an independent, non-biased and trusted company. An audit is also mark of commitment towards zero harm. The audit report can also be used to show potential investors, charterers, financiers their commitment towards ESG excellence. 

Management Audit Frameworks 

Companies can select from a range of industry frameworks or choose specific criteria and focus areas from within a framework to get the most out of the Management Audit.  

How do I book a Management Audit? 

Request a Management Audit to speak with RightShip’s Management Audit team. They will help you to pick a framework in accordance with your desired outcomes. Choose multiple frameworks or specific areas within individual frameworks to be assessed.  

Customers will need to download a self-audit form of the framework. We ask customers to work through your internal processes in advance of RightShip’s assessors' arrival, to gather the evidence and documentation to demonstrate your adoption of the framework.  

RightShip’s Management Audit team will arrange a suitable time to carry out your audit. The audit process can take up to 2 weeks, with 2 to 4 days in the office. 

Outcome of the report and next steps 

An audit report will be given to the ship owner, measuring your operations against all criteria of the chosen framework, and highlighting specific areas for improvement. A consultation service can be provided on request to assist with the shipowner to work through the areas.  

On completion of a successful Management Audit, all DOC holders are rewarded with a completion badge on their RightShip vessel pages, highlighting their commitments to prospective customers.  

By completing management audits regularly and in conjunction with vessel inspections and vessel screening services , shipowners are able to achieve a holistic view of their operational standards. Development plan across all areas of your business can be worked on and improved, supporting you on your continual path to excellence.