RightShip in P&I collaboration

MELBOURNE-founded RightShip and UK P&I club NorthStandard are to work together to reduce unnecessary duplicate inspections and strengthen loss prevention services.

This first-of-its-kind collaboration will see NorthStandard leverage RightShip's safety and risk intelligence by accessing existing, high-quality inspection reports.

Developed and tested with the support of dry bulk ship management company Orion Reederei, this collaboration aims to ease the operational burden on vessel crews by minimising redundant condition surveys while maintaining robust, industry-leading risk oversight, the partners say.

As part of the collaboration, NorthStandard can request existing RightShip inspection reports through RightShip's secure report-sharing capability, helping to reduce unnecessary duplicate inspections.

Andrew Roberts, executive director, EMEA & Americas, RightShip, said NorthStandard shared the belief that better safety and risk outcomes depend on making trusted information easier to use across the maritime value chain.

“Through this collaboration, NorthStandard will use RightShip's safety and risk intelligence to enhance loss prevention and improve visibility of risk across its portfolio. Secure inspection report sharing is an important part of that, helping reduce duplicate inspections while making better use of inspection information that already exists.”

Simon MacLeod, loss prevention director, NorthStandard, said the collaboration "gives us access to trusted safety and risk data that supports initial risk evaluations, strengthens loss prevention and helps us better understand and support our members".

“Requesting Rightship inspection reports ensures we can make better use of existing, high-quality inspection data reducing the need for separate club condition surveys. This minimises duplication of inspections, eases pressure on crews, and supports a more efficient, proportionate and focused approach to vessel assurance," Mr MacLeod said.

“At a time when seafarers face increasing operational demands, this is an important step in supporting safer, more effective vessel operations while maintaining robust risk oversight.”

In an explanatory addendum RightShip said across the dry bulk and general cargo industry, "vessel owners and managers are frequently required to undergo inspections requested by multiple stakeholders, many of which assess similar aspects of vessel operations".

"This duplication increases operational disruption, places additional demands on crews and consumes resources that could be better directed towards managing risk," RightShip stated.

"Reducing duplicate inspections represents an opportunity to strengthen how inspections are undertaken across the dry bulk and general cargo sector by improving consistency, transparency and collaboration.

"As RightShip continues to strengthen its inspection framework, the focus is on enabling trusted inspection information to be used more effectively - reducing unnecessary duplication while ensuring inspection effort is directed where it delivers the greatest value to maritime safety."

RightShip chief maritime officer Christopher Saunders, said the dry bulk and general cargo industry didn't need more inspections, rather "it needs better use of trusted inspections".

"At RightShip, we believe inspections should be consistent, trusted and focused on identifying genuine safety risk rather than repeating work that has already been done," Mr Saunders said.

NorthStandard is one of the leading providers of global marine insurance products and services across the maritime industries.

Established through the merger of North P&I Club and the Standard Club in February 2023 and ‘A’ rated by S&P Global, NorthStandard has a premium income around US$800M and provides cover for over 365 million GT of owned and chartered tonnage.

NorthStandard is a leading member of the International Group of P&I Clubs (IG) and is fully committed to upholding the shared objectives of its 12 independent member clubs, which provide liability cover for approximately 90% of the world’s ocean-going tonnage.