RightShip issued Version 4.0 of its Vetting Criteria on 1 October 2026, bringing a significant change in the way vessels are assessed. Each criterion now sets a clear baseline expectation, a review trigger, and the action needed for close-out. The scope now extends to general cargo vessels in addition to dry bulk. In practice, a vessel is no longer judged only on the number of detentions or incidents, but on the quality of the evidence used to close them out.
In this context, PSC deficiencies and incidents remain open, and the vessel stays under review until RightShip has received, assessed and closed the operator’s submission. A short reply is no longer enough: RightShip now requires a full description, a methodical root cause analysis, corrective actions on board, preventative measures across the fleet, and supporting evidence. In parallel, exposure now reaches the company level, as recurring incidents with a common root cause are treated as an SMS failure, and one weak close-out on one vessel can affect the commercial availability of the whole managed fleet.
Alpha Marine Consulting can support shipping companies throughout this process through incident investigation, deficiency close-out and root cause analysis, Management of Change (MOC / VTOP) and DBCE support, SMS upgrade, and pre-RightShip preparation both ashore and on board. A short desktop assessment of your fleet is a good starting point to identify its current status.
For further details, please refer to the attached circular or contact us.