SIRE 2.0 in 2026: what the new Human Factor pillar actually changes for your vetting preparations

In short.
The Human Factor pillar shifts the SIRE inspection from the document to the practice: the inspector no longer assesses only whether a procedure exists, but how the crew applies it. Traditional preparation, centred on certificates, is no longer enough to cover this area.

SIRE vetting is not what it used to be.

For years, preparing for a SIRE inspection rested on a well-established documentary logic: making sure certificates were up to date, procedures were posted, records were complete, and the crew knew how to answer the OCIMF inspector’s recurring questions. A good SIRE 1.0 inspection was 80% rigorous documentation and 20% presentation.

SIRE 2.0 partly reverses that equation. And the pillar that most radically changes the nature of the inspection (the one that most surprises shipowners who have not yet adapted their preparation) is called the Human Factor.

What SIRE 2.0 changes structurally

Before turning to the Human Factor specifically, let us recall what changes in SIRE 2.0 as a whole.

The digital format. The inspector works on a tablet. Questions are asked dynamically: that is, the answer to one question determines the next ones. There is no longer a fixed, predictable list of 500 questions that your superintendent can go over with the crew the day before. The inspection is adaptive and non-linear.

The number of questions. A SIRE 2.0 inspection can generate between 200 and 400 questions depending on the vessel’s profile and the crew’s answers. Its dynamic nature means that a partial answer or a moment of hesitation can trigger a series of follow-up questions.

Transparency of results. SIRE 2.0 reports are more detailed, easier to compare between vessels, and available more quickly to charterers via the OCIMF SIRE platform. A mediocre report travels fast.

The Human Factor as a pillar in its own right. This is the most significant new feature. SIRE 2.0 introduces a chapter dedicated to the human element, which assesses not only what procedures say, but what people do, understand and feel on board.

The Human Factor pillar: what the inspector really assesses

The Human Factor in SIRE 2.0 covers six main domains. Each one changes vetting preparation in a specific way.

1. Safety culture on board

The inspector assesses whether safety is a lived value or a posted procedure. They do this through direct questions to crew members: not to the master, not to the chief officer. To the quartermaster. To the bosun. To the second engineer.

What they look for: Does the crew know the procedures for reporting near-misses? Do they actually use them? How many near-misses were reported this month? If the answer is zero, is that because there were none, or because nobody reports them?

What changes in preparation: Training on board can no longer be limited to procedures. It must include reporting drills, real discussions of recent near-misses, and a culture in which reporting is not seen as a fault.

2. Fatigue management

SIRE 2.0 goes well beyond checking watchkeeping records. The inspector assesses whether the crew understands the risks linked to fatigue, whether there are real mechanisms for reporting it, and whether watch schedules reflect operational reality: not just what is written in the record.

What they look for: Inconsistencies between recorded hours and operations carried out (a complex port entry carried out by an officer whose record shows 8 hours of rest in the previous 12 hours: is that credible?). The quality of individual statements about the fatigue actually experienced.

What changes in preparation: Hours of work and rest records must be not only compliant but consistent with the logbook and the operations carried out. Any inconsistency, however minor, triggers a series of follow-up questions.

3. Bridge Resource Management (BRM) and Engine Resource Management (ERM)

The inspector observes (and questions) how bridge and engine room teams work together. Not the written procedure: the actual practice.

What they look for: How are watch briefings conducted? Does the second officer feel free to challenge a decision by the master? How is information handed over between watches? Is the use of navigation tools active or passive?

What changes in preparation: BRM/ERM exercises can no longer be annual theoretical training sessions. The inspector looks for evidence that these practices are built into daily life on board: recent briefing reports, documented examples of constructive challenge, active use of communication checklists.

4. Individual operational competence

SIRE 2.0 introduces targeted competence assessments. The inspector may ask an officer to demonstrate a procedure: not describe it, demonstrate it. They may set emergency scenarios and assess the quality of the response.

What they look for: Does the officer really know the procedure, or do they know where it is written down? The difference is fundamental in a real emergency.

What changes in preparation: Reviewing procedures is no longer enough. Application exercises (real scenarios, real demonstrations) must be part of regular preparation.

5. Communication on board and with the company

The inspector assesses the quality of communication channels between ship and office, and within the crew. They look for evidence that information flows, that lessons from experience are passed up, and that instructions from the office are understood and not merely received.

What they look for: DPA visit reports, feedback on company circulars, procedures for passing on lessons learned. How recent and how real these documents are.

6. Stress and well-being management on board

New for many shipowners: the SIRE 2.0 inspector may raise crew well-being. Internet access, quality of accommodation, support mechanisms in case of personal difficulty. This is not a subjective assessment: it is an assessment of whether the resources exist and are accessible.

What traditional preparation no longer covers

Here is the gap that most shipowners have not yet closed.

SIRE 1.0 preparation was essentially documentary and procedural. Certificates were checked, procedures were reviewed with the crew, records were brought up to date. An experienced superintendent could prepare a vessel in 3 to 5 days with a well-designed checklist.

SIRE 2.0 adds a behavioural and cultural dimension that a checklist cannot cover on its own. The inspector no longer seeks only to verify that procedures exist: they seek to verify that they are alive.

This means preparation must now cover two distinct layers.

The documentary layer: unchanged in principle, more demanding in its consistency. Rest-hour records must be consistent with operations. Reported near-misses must be real and recent. Briefing reports must exist and be dated. BRM/ERM training must be documented with participants and content.

The behavioural layer: entirely new in its formalisation. The crew must be prepared not only to answer questions but to demonstrate behaviours. The bosun must be able to explain the near-miss system without hesitation. The second officer must be able to describe a recent example of using a BRM tool. The chief engineer must be able to cite the latest lesson learned received from the office.

Documentation as the foundation: what Optivalue.ai changes for DPA teams

The Human Factor pillar does not reduce the importance of documentation; it raises the requirements for its consistency and accessibility.

A SIRE 2.0 inspector who spots an inconsistency between a rest-hour record and the logbook will dig deeper. They will ask for the company’s fatigue management procedures. They will cross-check against the declared operations. They will ask for the reports of the latest DPA visits. If your superintendent takes 20 minutes to find these documents (or if the version they find does not match the version on board), that is a finding.

For DPA teams who manage several vessels and are preparing SIRE, PSC and charter party vettings at the same time, managing compliance documentation is a growing challenge.

Optivalue.ai lets you centralise all fleet documentation: SMS (Safety Management System), procedures, certifications, previous inspection reports, DPA reports, company circulars, and answer vetting questionnaires in a few minutes by drawing directly on this document base. Every answer is sourced: document, section, date of last revision.

The instance is private and dedicated. Your safety procedures, your accident records and your inspection reports do not leave your perimeter. This is a non-negotiable requirement in the maritime sector.

The SIRE 2.0 Human Factor preparation checklist

📎 To use before the inspection, 4 to 6 weeks ahead of the vetting

Documentation to check

• [ ] Hours of work and rest records: consistency with the logbook over the last 3 months
• [ ] Near-miss and safety observation record: recent entries (less than 30 days old) and closure of corrective actions
• [ ] Watch briefing reports (bridge and engine room): dated, signed, consistent with operations
• [ ] BRM/ERM exercise record: date, participants, scenario, lessons learned
• [ ] Fatigue management procedure: version in force, consistent with company policy
• [ ] Reports of the latest DPA visits: open and closed actions
• [ ] Latest lessons learned received from the office: circulated and signed by the crew
• [ ] Individual training record, up to date for each crew member
• [ ] Previous SIRE reports: corrective actions dealt with and documented

Crew preparation to carry out

• [ ] General SIRE 2.0 briefing: explain the dynamic format and the Human Factor pillar
• [ ] Near-miss scenario exercise: simulate a report, from filling it in to closing it
• [ ] BRM review with officers of the watch: emergency communication scenario, constructive challenge
• [ ] Random individual questions: every officer able to cite a recent near-miss and a lesson learned
• [ ] Check internet access and well-being resources: working and known to the crew

What the best-prepared shipowners have understood

The companies that achieve the best SIRE 2.0 results do not prepare their vessels for the inspection. They prepare them to operate in a way that naturally passes the inspection.

The difference is fundamental. Preparation geared towards “passing the inspection” produces crews who know how to answer questions. Preparation geared towards “operating properly” produces crews who have real examples to give, embedded BRM practices and a living near-miss culture.

A SIRE 2.0 inspector can tell the difference in five minutes. The vessel that has rehearsed its answers and the vessel that lives its procedures do not give the same impression, and do not receive the same report.

SIRE 2.0 is more demanding. It is also fairer: it rewards companies that genuinely invest in safety on board, not just in safety documentation.

Optivalue.ai enables DPA teams to prepare SIRE vetting questionnaires by drawing directly on fleet documentation: SMS, certifications, inspection reports, company circulars. Dedicated private instance, hosting in France, answers sourced section by section. Request a personalised demonstration →