Most owners ask what SIRE 2.0 preparation costs. The better question is what it costs not to prepare. A vetting inspection is not a certificate that is renewed once a year. It is a report that stays visible to charterers for 12 months, built from a question set that cannot be predicted, and scored across hardware, process and human factors. For the Marine Superintendent, the case for readiness is a numbers case: observation counts, repeat findings, preparation hours and the commercial cost of a weak report. This page sets out the data that is public, a simple ROI worksheet you can fill with your own figures, and a rhythm for continuous readiness. Start a free trial of Marine Inspection to run self-inspections, evidence and follow-up in one place.
READINESS LEDGER
What an Early Start Buys: The Numbers on One Receipt
Findings from a Kaiko Systems analysis of 1,300 SIRE 2.0 reports across 25 tanker fleets.
Observations per inspection, thorough preparation
2.9
Industry benchmark
5.2
Fewer observations vs no preparation
30%
Fewer with 80% or more of the questions covered
31%
Best time to start preparing
3 to 6 weeks out
Net effectAbout 2.3 fewer observations per inspection
Free trial available. Or book a walkthrough built around your own fleet.
VENDOR DATA
The preparation figures come from Kaiko Systems, a vendor of pre-vetting software, and describe association, not proof of cause. OCIMF has not published average observation counts or rejection rates. Use the figures as a guide and measure your own fleet's observation history.
Where the Cost of a Weak Report Comes From
1
Preparation time
Shoreside and crew hours spent in the last weeks. Operators report preparation time has doubled in some cases.
2
Observation volume
One defect can cascade across hardware, process and human factors, with up to six observations recorded for one issue.
3
Rework and follow-up
Every negative observation needs a response, a corrective action and proof it was closed.
4
Commercial exposure
Reports stay available to charterers for 12 months, so a weak report follows the ship into later vetting decisions.
5
Crew pressure
Crew interviews now test whether people can explain procedures, which last-minute coaching rarely fixes.
Compiled from the Anglo-Eastern and World Ports Organization commentaries on SIRE 2.0 and OCIMF's report validity rules.
Kaiko Systems analysis, late 2024 to August 2026. Bars are scaled to the benchmark of 5.2.
Kaiko Systems analysis. Comparisons are against vessels doing less of each activity. These are associations, and the groups may differ in other ways.
Question coverage was the strongest signal in this data. See how Marine Inspection tracks question coverage per vessel across inspections, so gaps show before the inspector does.
The Preparation Timeline: When to Start
Week -6 to -4
Start
Open a self-inspection, cover the question categories, collect dated photos.
Week -4 to -2
Close
Raise findings, assign owners, close as many as possible with evidence.
Day -2
Pre-inspection
Complete the pre-inspection questionnaire work. OCIMF asks for it at least two days ahead.
Inspection day
Inspect
The onboard inspection takes about eight hours.
+14 days
Respond
The master has 14 days to comment on negative observations after the draft report is released.
Kaiko found that preparation starting three to six weeks out did better than preparation spread over three months or more, and recommends starting about four weeks ahead. Timings after the inspection come from OCIMF's SIRE 2.0 guidance.
Repeat Problems Are the Cheapest to Fix
10 of ~300
Questions drive 40% of observations
A short list of questions causes a large share of findings across the fleets studied.
1 in 4
Observations were raised before
One in four observations had already been raised on the same vessel.
25%
Of inspections had a particulars mismatch
The vessel questionnaire did not match the vessel's data, and it reappeared on 40% of vessels with prior issues.
Kaiko Systems analysis of 1,300 reports. Anglo-Eastern also notes that avoidable errors in the HVPQ and PIQ questionnaires generate negative observations.
Stop Paying for the Same Observation Twice
Turn each negative observation into a task with an owner, a deadline and proof of closure, so repeats do not return in the next inspection.
Free trial available. Or book a walkthrough built around your own fleet.
ROI Worksheet: Put Your Own Numbers In
| Cost line | How to estimate it | Illustrative example |
|---|---|---|
| Preparation cost | Shoreside hours + crew hours, each multiplied by an hourly cost | 40 shore hours + 60 crew hours at assumed $60 and $40 per hour = $4,800 |
| Observation rework | Observations x hours to answer and close x hourly cost | 5.2 observations x 6 hours x $60 = about $1,870 |
| Lost fixture | Idle or re-positioning days x your daily earnings | 5 days x assumed $30,000 per day = $150,000 |
| Total exposure | Sum of the lines above | About $156,700 in this example |
Our own illustrative model. The hourly rates, earnings per day and idle days are assumptions for the example, not market data. Replace them with your own figures, and compare the total with what readiness costs you each year.
What Marine Inspection Adds to Continuous Readiness
COVERAGE
Question tracking
See which question categories each vessel has covered, and where the preparation gaps are.
EVIDENCE
Photo repository
Keep current, dated photos on file and refresh them on a schedule.
FOLLOW-UP
Observations to tasks
Turn observations into maintenance tasks with deadlines, responsible persons, evidence and audit trails.
PEOPLE
Crew and certificates
Track crew competency and certificate expiry alongside the inspection work.
Features as described on Marine Inspection's own SIRE 2.0 guide. See the product for the current feature set.
How much does SIRE 2.0 preparation cost?
There is no published industry figure. Cost depends on shoreside and crew hours, observation rework and any lost earnings. Use the worksheet on this page with your own rates.
How many observations are normal?
OCIMF has not published an average. A Kaiko Systems analysis of 1,300 reports put the benchmark at 5.2 per inspection, against 2.9 for thorough preparation.
When should we start preparing?
Kaiko recommends starting about four weeks before the inspection, covering at least 80% of the questions and closing as many findings as possible. Book a walkthrough of self-inspection planning to set this up for a vessel.
Does a weak report really affect charters?
Charterers and terminals use SIRE reports in vetting decisions, and reports stay available for 12 months. No public data shows how often a report causes a rejection, so track your own experience.
Why can one defect create several observations?
SIRE 2.0 assesses a question across hardware, process and human factors. Anglo-Eastern reports up to six observations from a single issue.
Make Readiness a Habit, Not a Scramble
One place for self-inspections, evidence, observations and follow-up across every tanker in the fleet.
Free trial available. Or book a walkthrough built around your own fleet.
