When OCIMF’s SIRE 2.0 permanently replaced the VIQ7 regime on 2 September 2024, a lot of operators treated it as a version update — a new questionnaire to learn, broadly business as usual. A year of live inspections has made clear that it is something more fundamental. The way a vessel is assessed, graded, and recorded has changed, and the preparation approach that worked under VIQ7 actively fails under SIRE 2.0.

From a fixed questionnaire to a bespoke one

Under VIQ7, every tanker faced essentially the same questionnaire. Crews could — and did — rehearse answers. SIRE 2.0 generates a Compiled Vessel Inspection Questionnaire (CVIQ) that is unique to each inspection, drawn algorithmically from a large library and tailored to the vessel’s type, age, history, and risk profile. Roughly half the questions are core questions that always appear; the remainder are rotational and conditional. You cannot rehearse a questionnaire you cannot predict.

Three dimensions on every question

SIRE 2.0 assesses each question across three dimensions: Hardware (is the equipment present and working), Processes (is there a procedure, is it adequate), and Human Factors (does the crew actually understand and apply it). This last dimension is the one most operators underestimate. An inspector is no longer satisfied by a manual on a shelf and a tidy checklist; they assess whether the officer in front of them genuinely understands why the procedure exists and how to execute it under pressure.

Grading replaced pass/fail

VIQ7 observations were essentially binary. SIRE 2.0 grades responses on a four-tier scale, producing a far more granular picture of a vessel’s condition and the operator’s safety culture. A vessel can be technically compliant and still grade poorly if the human-element responses are weak. That granularity is exactly what charterers want — and it means a vessel’s vetting profile is now a more honest reflection of how it is actually run.

The human element is now measurable

SIRE 2.0 formalised the assessment of the human element through nine Performance Influencing Factors — fatigue, competence, communication, and the like. Inspectors are trained to observe these, and the questions are written to surface them. For operators, this means crew preparation is no longer about memorising answers; it is about genuine familiarity and a safety culture that holds up under questioning.

The photo repository and the digital record

Inspections are now conducted on a tablet, with photographs captured in real time and GPS-verified. The vessel’s photo repository must be current — generally within six months — and the entire inspection becomes part of a permanent digital record. Negative observations and their closure are tracked over time. A deficiency papered over rather than genuinely fixed will resurface, visibly, at the next attendance.

What effective preparation now looks like

The old model — a pre-vetting visit that drilled the crew on likely questions — is obsolete. Effective SIRE 2.0 preparation means:

  • A genuine gap assessment across Hardware, Processes, and Human Factors, against the current question library rather than a fixed list.
  • A photo repository review to ensure currency and completeness.
  • Crew engagement focused on understanding, not recitation — particularly on the human-element dimensions.
  • Mock inspections that replicate the graded, tablet-based, photograph-driven reality of a real attendance.
  • Converting every observation into an auditable corrective action, because the digital record remembers.

SIRE 2.0 rewards operators who actually run their vessels well and exposes those who only prepared to look as though they did. That is a healthier regime — and one worth preparing for properly. Our Marine Survey & Compliance practice provides SIRE 2.0 readiness assessments and mock inspections built around the current regime.