RightShip announces expanded vetting requirements to improve safety and sustainability
The renowned third-party maritime inspection firm added more requirements in its vetting criteria to improve safety and sustainability. Apart from increasing its assessment items from 20 to 50, RightShip added separate and brand-new sections for flag and class, ship structures, engineering, and a comprehensive section on human rights.
Focus on human rights
Binary failings have also been made clearer, with the new standard removing any grey areas and enhancing communication of acceptable levels for recommendation. In the aspect of human rights, RightShip implemented the criterion where a vessel is disapproved for recommendation: Any vessel flagged with a country that is not adopted and ratified the 2006 Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) and without and equivalent level of compliance (for example a valid ITF Agreement).”
The dry cargo trade will now have MLC checks in place, with our vetting superintendents providing recommendations based on international maritime law and agreements with trade unions. This ensures all charterers include social welfare into consideration each time a vessel is deployed.
All vessels will be reviewed and receive an “acceptable” recommendation only upon a positive outcome. This mandate minimises confusion regarding safety, sustainability and social welfare practices. Steen Lund, CEO of RightShip remarked, “The new standard provides far more consistency for all of our chartering customers. We have listened to feedback to ensure it is a unified standard which will be used by all hundreds of chartering customers. This is a positive step forwards in safety standards for the industry.
“We have seen an increased focus on social welfare for a vessel’s crew during 2020. In response, we have added clear expectations regarding human rights, which were not part of the last version. This ensures all charterers now take social welfare and right of our seafarers into consideration every time they select a vessel for a voyage.”
The new vetting criteria will take effect from 30 June 2021. Charterers may choose to adopt the new standards early.
Source:
Rightship