Quick Answer

Riding crews — external teams embarked temporarily for maintenance projects — are typically more expensive per square metre of work than trained permanent crew, deliver inconsistent quality, and leave the vessel dependent on the next external team. Training permanent crew in structured corrosion maintenance removes that dependency and has been shown to reduce paint OPEX by 25–40%.

The Standard Assumption — and Why It Is Wrong

The default assumption in fleet management is that riding crews are the practical solution for serious corrosion maintenance work. Permanent crew handle daily operations; external specialists handle the repairs.

This assumption has a cost that rarely appears on a single invoice.

When a riding crew departs, the vessel’s corrosion condition begins to deteriorate again — because nothing in the underlying system has changed. The same crew, using the same tools and the same methods, continues daily maintenance. Six months later, the condition has degraded to the point where external intervention is needed again.

The cycle repeats. The cumulative cost is significant.

What Makes Riding Crews Expensive

Direct costs:

  • Flights, accommodation, and daily rates for the team
  • Extended mobilisation and demobilisation time
  • Consumables and paint brought in specifically for the project

Hidden costs:

  • Work quality depends on the skill level and supervision of the team
  • Permanent crew learn nothing — capability does not transfer
  • The vessel remains dependent on the next riding crew engagement

Planning risks:

  • Riding crews arrive without complete knowledge of vessel condition
  • Scope creep is common when the actual state of areas is discovered onboard
  • Unrealistic project objectives frequently result in incomplete work

What Changes When Permanent Crew Are Trained

Permanent crew are already onboard. They know the vessel. They work every day.

Training them in structured corrosion maintenance — correct surface preparation, proper tool use, painting procedures, documentation — converts daily exposure into daily maintenance output.

The difference in outcomes:

Approach — Typical repair lifetime

Reactive riding crew model — 6–12 months per repair

Structured permanent crew — 3–5 years per repair

BSO Svendborg has documented these outcomes across 320+ vessels including tankers, bulkers, and MPP carriers.

When a Riding Crew Is the Right Choice

Riding crews are a legitimate tool in the right circumstances:

  • Getting a severely deteriorated vessel back to a workable baseline
  • Intensive dry dock preparation where additional labour is genuinely needed
  • Specific technical work outside the scope of permanent crew capability

The question to ask before booking a riding crew: will this engagement leave the vessel in a better position to maintain its own condition — or will we be back here in six months?

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a riding crew in shipping?

A riding crew (also called voyage painters or a riding gang) is a temporary external team embarked on a vessel specifically to carry out maintenance work, typically corrosion maintenance and painting. They are not part of the permanent crew and leave the vessel after the project is complete.

Are riding crews worth the cost?

For getting a severely deteriorated vessel back on track, yes. As a recurring maintenance strategy, no. Riding crews do not build permanent capability onboard. The vessel returns to the same maintenance cycle as before.

How much can ships save by training permanent crew?

BSO Svendborg has documented 25–40% reductions in paint OPEX across 320+ vessels by replacing recurring riding crew cycles with trained permanent crew operating under a structured maintenance system.

What do permanent crew need to do corrosion maintenance properly?

The right tools (HP blaster, abrasive discs, DFT gauges), training in surface preparation and painting procedures, a structured maintenance plan, and a documentation system so progress and quality can be tracked and verified remotely.

What is the difference between corrosion maintenance and dry docking?

Dry docking is periodic out-of-service maintenance that addresses condition comprehensively. Corrosion maintenance performed by trained permanent crew on vessels in operation maintains condition between dry dockings — reducing the scope and cost of work required when the vessel comes out of service.