Short answer
Get a second opinion by commissioning an independent inspection from a rigger or rig surveyor with no commercial interest in the resulting work, giving them the same photographs and history but not the first assessment. Ask both to justify findings against the specific components they examined rather than against the rig’s age.
A second opinion is worth having when a recommendation is expensive, when it rests on age rather than findings, or when the person recommending the work is the person who would be paid for it. None of that implies bad faith — it is simply how to make a large decision well.
Withhold the first opinion initially. Give the second inspector the same photographs, records and usage history, and let them reach their own conclusion. Then compare. Two independent assessments that agree are far stronger evidence than one confirmed after the fact.
Ask both for component-level reasoning. "The rig is twelve years old" is a prompt, not a finding. "The lower terminal on the port cap shroud shows cracking at the swage mouth" is a finding, and it can be photographed, re-examined and acted on.
A rig surveyor with no repair arm has no stake in the answer. Where the numbers are large, that independence is usually worth the fee. See how much a rig inspection costs.
Key facts
- Worth commissioning when
- The recommendation is large, or rests on age alone
- Method
- Same evidence, withhold the first opinion until the second is formed
- Ask for
- Component-level findings, photographed and located
- Strongest source
- A rig surveyor with no commercial interest in the repair
Full background: read the guide