a ship should be inspected for being neat and tidy - expressed in another way

[JACEK1]

Hello everybody!

Suppose that I am the owner of a ship and I want her to be looked after well. I would like to make sure that there is no mess on board her.

Does the sentence in question describe the situation well?

A ship should be inspected for being neat and tidy or ships should be inspected for neatness and tidiness.

Thank you.

 

[Grumpy]

It all depends on the context. Assuming you are giving specific guidance about the particular ship which you own, then it should be phrased in the singular. Also, it's not enough to specify that the ship should be "inspected": that only ensures that you will find out whether it is neat or not. You must also state that you want it to be maintained in a neat and tidy condition. Try "This ship is to be kept neat and tidy at all times".
If you wish to add something about inspections, then you could add "...at all times, and is to be regularly inspected to ensure that this standard is maintained."