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.
Vessel Vetting within the RightShip Platform
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 requestor to monitor the vet’s progress.
The RightShip Standard and your vetting criteria
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.
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.
The new vetting criteria will be applied from 30 June, 2021. Charterers may choose to adopt the new standards early by emailing [email protected].
Vetting outcomes: acceptable or unacceptable
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 which may include a RightShip Inspection, 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.
RightShip’s Safety Score and Vessel Vetting
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.
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.
Vessels with a zero or N/A Safety Score will not be recommended to the end user until the reasons for the score have been investigated and addressed, with all supporting information provided to the satisfaction of RightShip. Examples of vessels with a zero Safety Score include vessels that appear on international sanctions lists or have received an ‘unacceptable’ RightShip inspection. A vessel is given a N/A Safety Score when no known DOC, flag or class is recorded in the RightShip database.
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