Digital maritime safety platform RightShip has lowered its inspection age trigger in response to evolving market conditions and continuing safety risks in the dry bulk and general cargo sectors.
RightShip said that it will implement a phased approach to require inspections of vessels at an earlier age. Phase 1 (2025) will see RightShip’s age trigger for inspection of dry bulk and general cargo vessels change from 14 years to 12 years, after which an annual acceptable RightShip inspection will be required. Phase 2 (2026) will see the age threshold further reduced, requiring inspections for vessels aged 10 years or older.
Additionally, RightShip will require vessels less than 8,000 dot to undergo similar inspection making the safety standard more consistent across the global dry bulk and general cargo fleet.
“Our decision to lower the inspection age from 14 to 10 years, in a phased approach, reflects the desire from stakeholders for more physical inspections of vessels to counter challenges the dry sector faces in achieving operational excellence. This change reflects our commitment to raising safety standards globally and comes at a critical time as the global dry bulk fleet now averages 14.7 years in age and will continue to rise,” explained Christopher Saunders, chief maritime officer at RightShip. “Data shows there is a strong correlation between performance in a RightShip Inspection and the risk of detentions and incidents,” he added.
Looking at the dry bulk sector, RightShip said that it lags critical safety metrics compared to other sectors, with bulk carriers experiencing the highest incident ratio at 1.49 percent, followed by oil (0.96 percent) and LNG (0.89 percent). Additionally, bulk carriers have a port state control detention ratio of 4.69 percent. This is four times higher than that of oil tankers, highlighting the significant safety concerns associated with bulk carrier operations.
The RightShip analysis of vessel size and age indicates a strong correlation between the age of bulk carriers and increased safety risks, particularly after vessels exceed 10 years. Larger vessels (over 200,000 dwt) see a notable rise in incident and detention ratios as they age, especially between 10-13 years. This trend is also evident in smaller vessels, where incident and detention ratios peak at 14-19 years.
Moreover, deficiencies per inspection increase with vessel age across all categories. This emphasises the need for proactive safety interventions well before the 14-year mark to support owners and managers in mitigating risks, inform chartering decisions and enhance operational efficiency.
This pattern mirrors the challenges faced by general cargo vessels, highlighting the broader issue of ageing fleets in maritime safety, said RightShip.
“As we navigate the challenges associated with an ageing fleet, we must collectively strive for safety and transparency across the shipping industry. It is incumbent upon the entire maritime ecosystem to embrace and champion improved safety standards,” said Steen Lund, ceo of RightShip.
