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RightShip Guide

THE DEEPDRAFT · RIGHTSHIP PREPARATION

Drug and alcohol policy and testing

RISQ 2.9Section 2 · Certification and personnel managementSource marking: V & M

Applicability: All vessel types; apply the conditions stated below.

What is being checked

An SMS policy and testing procedure address drug/alcohol abuse and fitness for duty.

Ready on board

0 / 8 checked

Use the vessel’s actual documents, records and arrangements. Checklist points are drawn from RISQ 3.2.

Have the SMS policy define who it covers, prohibited substances/behaviour, permitted prescription use, fitness for work, contractor alignment and applicable local requirements.Show clear stand-down procedures, consequences and a fair review process for positive results.Have the date of the last drug/alcohol test by an independent agency, or controlled onboard sampling with independent analysis, and the last unannounced onboard alcohol test available for comments.Show validated sampling/testing processes, trained personnel, chain of custody and medical review of non-negative laboratory samples, as described by the guide.Have personnel consent and refusal-to-test arrangements described, and confirm that permitted prescription use is supported by a valid prescription or the ship/terminal medical arrangements described by the guide.Keep blood and breath limits separately stated: not greater than 0.05% blood alcohol concentration or 0.25 mg/L in breath. Do not substitute an assumed conversion; urine interpretation is addressed with the testing contractor.Check the source-recommended screening arrangements: pre-employment, for cause/post-incident and return-to-work as required; unannounced random/periodical testing once a year OR sufficiently often to deter misuse.Check that unannounced testing arrangements allow company initiation, including the ability to test the Master.

Practice questions

DeepDraft preparation prompts based on this RISQ entry, not an official inspector interview script.

1Why should the policy list blood and breath limits separately?

The source warns that the media and units differ and physiological/test variation makes assumed conversion unreliable. It states 0.05% BAC and 0.25 mg/L in breath.

2Must the inspector verify that the manager obtained legal advice?

No. The source expressly excludes that verification during physical inspection, while advising managers to account for jurisdictional requirements.

Where a finding may arise

An absent or ineffective SMS policy/procedure, unclear limits or unsupported testing arrangements may prevent a satisfactory answer. The stated screening schedule is a source recommendation, not an invented universal monthly-testing rule.

Past observations for practice

Anonymised reports, manually reviewed before publication. These are reported experiences, not additional inspection requirements.

No reviewed observations have been added for this entry.

Share an observation for private review

Remove vessel, company and inspector names, report numbers, exact dates and confidential information. Do not paste a complete inspection report.

Source clarification

This is a preparation summary of the attached guidance, not jurisdiction-specific legal advice. The source does not require the inspector to verify that legal advice was obtained.

References and source status

RightShip Inspection Ship Questionnaire, November 2025, version 3.2. Section 2, page 22–23, reference 2.9.

The explanation, checklist and practice answer derive from the supplied questionnaire. Reported observations are separately contributed and manually reviewed; they are not official RISQ guidance.

Independent DeepDraft preparation guide, based on the supplied RISQ 3.2 questionnaire. Not an official RightShip product or inspection report.