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Here are quick answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about Rightship. If you have other questions, please contact us.
Who is behind RightShip?
RightShip was initially created as a boutique joint venture company, operating independently but backed by the resources of major shippers BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto.
The original Ship Vetting information System (SVIS) combined the data resources and knowledge the two companies had developed over many years in their own in house expert vetting systems. The joint venture partners’ aim was to improve their own vetting processes, and at the same time raise standards across the industry so the commercial disadvantages of choosing quality ships were minimised.
Since being formed in 2001, RightShip has grown substantially to serve a global client base far beyond its parent companies. Cargill acquired a one third stake in RightShip in September 2006. RightShip’s independent management team operates and improves the system in the interests of its broad client base.
Why is ship vetting important?
Managing risk is about weighing up reliable information and making sound decisions. Given the scale of risk in marine operations, it makes sense to “vet” – get all the relevant information you can – about a ship you are considering using, or asked to accept.
The more reliable and comprehensive the information, the more useful the vetting process – and the faster and better designed the vetting process, the more useful it is in commercial decision-making.
Why does anyone need an external vetting system?
A good vetting system makes sure your marine risk is managed, and your decisions are consistent and based on reliable information.
An in house system is very expensive and time-consuming to develop and maintain. With RightShip you can have all the advantages of an in house system straight away, at a fraction of the cost. You can even put your own vetting system on our secure host server to improve access and security and reduce costs.
What makes RightShip different to other systems?
- Our system is the most comprehensive available, with extensive data about over 54000 dry bulk, petroleum and liner ships.
- The only system that gives you an acceptability rating for the ship, as well as more detailed data about it.
- Assesses each ship’s suitability for a specific task.
- The fastest way to get this quality of information online.
- Easy online access via web and simple user interface.
- Low subscription rates for 24/7 access.
How does someone access your system?
Just go to www.rightship.com and type in your user name and password for full access to our online vetting system, or a hosted vetting system of your own. Easy, and available 24/7 to anyone with internet access.
How do you prove your system helps reduce risk?
Our growing client base, and growing use of the system by existing clients, demonstrates the value that users find using our system as part of their risk management.
Each year the system gives clients the information to reject higher risk ships and exclude them from their supply chains. On occasion we see casualities, or ships listed as unacceptable by ports, which have already been marked as unacceptable by our system and therefore avoided by our clients.
An early indication that the system could raise standards was that in RightShip’s first two years of operation, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority reported a 15% reduction in deficiencies found during port inspections in Western Australia, where a high proportion of visiting ships were chartered by our clients.
Does the system help identify “the bad guys” and the “ships of shame”?
It will show by giving a one or two star rating that a ship is unsuitable for a nominated task. (Reasons could be related, for example, to the ship’s building, age, casualty or terminal/port inspection history, its ownership, management, flag or class society.) We do see vessel casualties, or vessels ‘blacklisted’ by ports, that have earlier been rated as unacceptable by our system, and therefore avoided by our clients.
The system also rewards “good guys”. Better risk ratings go to ships whose managers and owners have good records, have been audited by us as ‘preferred suppliers’, or who have been accredited by a quality partner like Green Award.
How can shipping companies help the process, or get better ratings?
The better the data, the better the system. We look to partners around the world to help us improve the system by providing data.
Companies who want to improve their vessels’ ratings must demonstrate a genuine commitment to quality, shown through their performance. We give better risk ratings to operators and owners who have been audited by RightShip and judged ‘preferred suppliers’, or who have been accredited by a recognised quality partner like Green Award.
Are your evaluations based on physical inspections?
RightShip’s system is not based solely on vessel inspections. We have developed a risk matrix approach, that uses many sources of information to determine the vessel’s risk rating.
If the system’s evaluation indicates a higher risk, we may carry out a physical inspection to verify the ship’s condition and operation is suitable before recommending the ship to a client. If the system rates the ship as an acceptable risk, we do not normally undertake a physical inspection unless it is specifically requested.
How do you guarantee the accuracy of the data used in the system?
Our expert staff test the data that goes into the system. We also select partners who will provide the system with reliable, accurate data.
What does it cost to use the system?
There is a low subscription rate for unlimited 24/7 access. We also offer customised reporting from the system, and we develop and host vetting systems to meet clients’ individual needs.
Talk to us about your needs and the costs involved.
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