For thirty years, a tanker was vetted against the same fixed checklist every other tanker faced. Since September 2024 that is over. SIRE 2.0 builds a different inspection for every vessel, does it on a tablet in real time, and puts the crew, not just the hardware, on trial.
The Biggest Change to Tanker Vetting in a Generation
SIRE, the Ship Inspection Report Programme, is the tanker vetting system run by the Oil Companies International Marine Forum, OCIMF. It is not a regulatory inspection like Port State Control. It is a commercial one. Oil majors, charterers, and terminals rely on SIRE inspection reports to decide whether a given tanker is acceptable to carry their cargo. For a tanker owner, a SIRE report is not paperwork. It is a licence to trade with the biggest players in the market.
On 2 September 2024, OCIMF replaced the long-standing programme with SIRE 2.0, retiring the old Vessel Inspection Questionnaire, VIQ7, as an option from that date. It was the first major overhaul of the programme since SIRE was created in 1993, and it changes the inspection so fundamentally that preparing for it the old way no longer works.
The shift matters well beyond the tanker deck. It signals where marine assurance is heading across the industry: away from static, one-size checklists and toward digital, risk-based, human-focused assessment. Understanding SIRE 2.0 is useful even for operators outside the tanker trade, because the model is likely to spread.
From Fixed Checklist to Bespoke Questionnaire
The single biggest change is that SIRE 2.0 is no longer a fixed list of questions. The old VIQ applied the same questionnaire to every vessel. SIRE 2.0 draws from a large question library to compile a unique inspection for each ship, shaped by that vessel’s type, age, inspection history, and overall risk profile. Two tankers berthed side by side can face materially different inspections.
A pre-inspection questionnaire: The operator submits vessel data ahead of the inspection, which feeds into how the questionnaire is compiled.
A compiled, risk-based questionnaire: Questions are drawn from the library into a Compiled Vessel Inspection Questionnaire tailored to that specific ship.
Four question types: Core questions apply to every inspection, while Rotational, Conditional, and Campaign questions vary by vessel and by current industry focus areas.
Three assessment elements: Each question can be examined across hardware, process, and the human element, so a single topic is tested from several angles.
The practical consequence is that a crew cannot memorise the questionnaire in advance, because there is no single questionnaire to memorise. Preparation shifts from rehearsing answers to genuinely running a sound operation that holds up whatever the inspection asks.
The Human Element Is Now Under the Microscope
The old regime leaned heavily on hardware and documentation. Is the equipment fitted, is the certificate valid, is the procedure written down. SIRE 2.0 keeps all of that but adds a dimension that has changed how inspections feel on board: the human element. Inspectors now assess whether the crew can actually perform and explain their tasks, not just whether the paperwork says they should be able to.
SIRE 2.0 does not just ask whether the procedure exists. It asks whether the officer in front of the inspector can carry it out and explain why it is done that way.
This is a profound change. A vessel with immaculate documentation and well-maintained equipment can still return a poor report if the crew cannot demonstrate competence when questioned. It rewards operators who invest in genuine training and familiarisation, and it exposes those who have relied on paperwork to paper over thin operational depth. The assessment reaches the people, not just the ship.
Digital, Real-Time, and Photographed
SIRE 2.0 inspections are conducted by accredited inspectors on a tablet, in real time, during the inspection itself. Observations and photographs are captured on the spot. This digital, on-the-spot approach leaves far less room for the informal back-and-forth and after-the-fact clarification that the paper era sometimes allowed. What the inspector records is captured then and there, with images attached.
For operators, that raises the stakes on getting things right in the moment. A deficiency observed and photographed on the tablet is documented before the inspector leaves the gangway. The upside is a richer, more consistent data set. OCIMF has been clear that SIRE 2.0 gathers deeper and higher-quality marine assurance data than the programme it replaced, which feeds more comprehensive assessments of a vessel and its crew over time.
Why This Hits Commercial Tradability
The reason SIRE 2.0 commands so much attention is not safety in the abstract. It is money. Because charterers and oil majors use SIRE reports to decide whether to accept a vessel, a weak report can quietly shut a tanker out of business with the most desirable counterparties. A strong one keeps the vessel in the pool of ships that premium cargo owners will use.
That makes SIRE 2.0 performance a direct commercial asset, on the same footing as the vessel’s physical condition. An owner who treats vetting as a compliance chore rather than a competitive edge risks watching charter opportunities go to better-prepared tonnage. In a market where acceptance decisions turn on the report, the inspection is part of the commercial offering.
Preparing a Vessel and Crew
Because the questionnaire is bespoke and the crew is assessed directly, preparation looks different from the VIQ era. The effective approach is less about pre-loading answers and more about operational readiness that survives scrutiny from any angle.
Under SIRE 2.0 you cannot cram for the inspection, because there is no fixed test to cram for. The only reliable preparation is running the ship well enough that any question finds a good answer.
That is ultimately the point of the redesign. By making the inspection unpredictable, digital, and focused on people as much as plant, OCIMF has made it far harder to present a well-run ship that is not actually well run. For operators who genuinely invest in competence and maintenance, that is an advantage. For those who do not, there is nowhere left to hide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is SIRE 2.0 a regulatory requirement like Port State Control?
No. SIRE is a commercial vetting programme run by OCIMF, not a flag or port State regulation. However, because oil majors, charterers, and terminals use SIRE reports to decide whether to accept a tanker for their cargo, a poor report can effectively bar a vessel from lucrative trade. In commercial terms it can matter as much as a regulatory inspection.
What is the main difference between SIRE 2.0 and the old VIQ7?
VIQ7 was a single fixed questionnaire applied to every vessel. SIRE 2.0 compiles a unique, risk-based questionnaire for each ship from a large question library, is conducted digitally on a tablet in real time with photographs, and directly assesses the human element, meaning whether the crew can actually perform and explain their tasks, not just whether the hardware and paperwork are in order.
When did SIRE 2.0 come into force?
SIRE 2.0 went live on 2 September 2024, when it became OCIMF’s only tanker inspection tool and the option to request the older VIQ7 inspection was withdrawn. It followed a phased, multi-stage rollout designed to let the industry test and adjust to the new regime before it became the standard.
How should a crew prepare when the questionnaire is different every time?
Because there is no fixed checklist to rehearse, preparation shifts toward genuine operational readiness. That means accurate pre-inspection vessel data, crew who can both perform and explain their duties, real familiarity with the ship’s own systems and safety management, well-maintained equipment, and procedures that are actually followed day to day rather than only documented.
Sources: OCIMF Annual Report 2025, on SIRE 2.0 (via SAFETY4SEA) · Marine Log, SIRE 2.0 go-live 2 September 2024 · AJOT, SIRE 2.0 now live (CVIQ, accredited inspectors) · OCIMF SIRE 2.0 programme documentation