Insights · Vetting
RightShip from 1 January 2027: ten-year-old bulk carriers need an inspection
RightShip’s age trigger comes down in three steps. What changes, what RISQ 3.2 covers, and what to do before a vessel turns ten.
RightShip is lowering the age at which a dry bulk vessel needs an acceptable RightShip inspection. The change comes in three steps, and the last one brings ten-year-old ships into scope on 1 January 2027.
The three steps
- From 1 April 2026: vessels aged 12 years and over.
- From 1 July 2026: vessels aged 11 years and over.
- From 1 January 2027: vessels aged 10 years and over.
RightShip has said that its vetting criteria and the Safety Score move together, with a single implementation date at each step. For the owner of a ten-year-old Supramax, the inspection becomes part of being chartered by RightShip users rather than an optional extra.
What the inspection covers now
Inspections follow the RightShip Inspection Ship Questionnaire, now RISQ 3.2. RightShip reports more than 150 adjustments in this version, with 30 questions consolidated or removed, and expects inspections to take about two hours less. The changes touch training, navigation, ISM processes, machinery spaces, pollution prevention, cargo management and mooring.
Hybrid inspections are growing: RightShip counted more than 860 in 2025 across 261 DOC holders, averaging 11.5 hours on board against 14.1 hours for a standard inspection.
What to do before a vessel turns ten
- List the vessels that reach ten years of age in 2027, by build date, and any vessel of 11 or more without a recent inspection.
- Read the RISQ 3.2 questions for the ship’s trade, grain or other solid bulk, and note what changed since the version you last prepared for.
- Check certificates, surveys and records for anything that expires before the likely inspection window.
- Choose a port call where she can be inspected without delaying cargo work, and leave time to close findings before it.
- Do the groundwork remotely first: questionnaire, photographs and documents. Attend on board once the gaps are known.
How we help
We write the questionnaire for the vessel against RISQ 3.2, review the answers and documents remotely, track the close-out of findings and attend for a full pre-vetting before the inspection. Afterwards we help with the comments and corrective actions on any observations.