Expansion of RightShip vetting includes human rights and crew welfare

In a move that RightShip said was designed to drive shipping beyond base compliance the number of items under assessment of its vetting system has been expanded from 20 to 50.

With the expansion RightShip has added separate and brand-new sections for flag and class, ship structures, engineering, and a comprehensive section on human rights. 

In terms of social responsibility Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) compliance or similar will be a basic requirement. The criteria states: “Any vessel Flagged with a country that has not adopted and ratified the 2006 Maritime Labour Convention and without an equivalent level of compliance (for example a valid ITF Agreement).” 

 “We have seen an increased focus on social welfare for a vessel’s crew during 2020. In response, we’ve added in clear expectations regarding human rights, which were not part of the last version. This ensures that all charterers now take social welfare and the rights of our seafarers into consideration every time they select a vessel for a voyage,” said Steen Lund, CEO of RightShip.

Human rights and the social welfare of seafarers have been in the spotlight over the last year with crew working onboard for periods well beyond the maximum’s stipulated in the MLC due to Covid-19 travel restrictions and the resulting crew change crisis. Some dry bulk charterers have blocked crew changes from taking as part of contracts.

The new vetting criteria will be applied from 30 June this year

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Major expansion of RightShip vetting includes human rights and crew welfare