Global shipping is operating under increasing assurance pressure. Charterers, terminals, regulators, insurers, and operators are all seeking greater visibility into vessel performance and operational risk — while crews and managers continue to absorb the growing weight of inspections, questionnaires, reporting obligations, and closeout requirements. The challenge explored during this session was not whether inspections remain necessary, but how assurance systems can evolve in ways that improve safety outcomes without creating unnecessary friction across the industry. The session opened with an address from Christopher Saunders , Chief Maritime Officer at RightShip, who outlined the thinking behind RightShip’s evolving inspection framework and the broader shift toward more consistent, proportionate, and operationally realistic assurance practices. Moderated by Capt. Sachin Singh , Executive Director, Customer Value and Solutions at RightShip, the panel discussion then brought together operational and inspection leadership from RightShip: Christopher Saunders , Chief Maritime Officer, RightShip Darren Ryan, Chief Operating Officer, RightShip Across the discussion, the panel examined how inspections are changing in response to increasing industry expectations around transparency, consistency, usability, and trust — while also acknowledging the operational realities faced onboard vessels and ashore. Rebalancing inspections around operational risk A consistent message throughout the session was that assurance systems need to become more focused on the risks that genuinely matter. In his opening remarks, Christopher Saunders acknowledged that parts of today’s inspection environment can feel overly administrative, particularly where effort does not always align with the severity of risk being addressed. He stressed, however, that the answer is not fewer standards or weaker oversight, but “better alignment between how the system is designed and how it is experienced