Survey Services

Survey services for vessels and cargo — tasks for survey companies

Survey services are independent expertise, inspection and assessment of the condition of a vessel, cargo, equipment or the conditions of their transport. The surveyor acts as a neutral party between shipowner, charterer, insurance company and cargo owner. Their report has legal force and is used in claims settlement, insurance, customs clearance and technical inspection. The Steel Water task board publishes tasks for all types of survey services — from pre-loading cargo inspection to technical survey of a vessel and damage assessment.

Tasks are posted by shipowners, shipping companies, technical managers, insurance companies, P&I clubs, cargo owners, freight forwarders, shipyards and ports. Contractors are survey companies, inspectors, experts, qualified specialists with approvals and maritime industry experience.

Types of survey services on the task board

• Pre-loading cargo inspection — assessment of cargo condition before loading, quantity, quality, packaging, marking check
• Loading and discharging inspection — process control, damage recording, tally, draft survey
• Draft survey — determining cargo quantity by vessel draught before and after loading
• Technical survey of vessel — assessment of hull, machinery, systems before or after repair
• Damage assessment — expertise in accident, collision, grounding, fire, flooding
• Cargo damage inspection — determining causes and extent of damage, drafting the act
• Bunker survey — measurement and quality check of fuel, control during bunkering
• Liquid cargo survey — control of loading and discharging of petroleum products, chemical cargoes, gases
• Container and tank container survey — condition, tightness, compliance check
• Survey for insurance — expertise at the request of an insurance company or P&I club
• Survey for vessel sale and purchase — condition survey, pre-purchase inspection
• Survey at the request of classification society — participation in surveys, expertise, testing

What to specify in a survey task

• Vessel or object — name, type, IMO, flag, class, location
• Type of service — which survey is required: cargo inspection, draft survey, technical expertise, damage assessment
• Purpose — for whom, for what the report is needed (insurance, court, customs, class)
• Cargo or object of inspection — what exactly to inspect, weight, quantity, characteristics
• Place and time — port, anchorage, terminal, warehouse, inspection timeline
• Documents — bill of lading, invoice, packing list, previous acts, drawings, technical requirement
• Requirements for surveyor — certificates, approvals, experience with similar cargo or vessels
• Report format — what the surveyor must produce: act, report, conclusion, certificate
• Urgency — scheduled or urgent (tied to vessel delay, claim, accident)

What matters for survey companies

A surveyor is an independent expert whose report has legal force. When responding to a task, specify: availability of certificates and approvals (IFIA, SGS, Bureau Veritas, independent surveyors), experience with similar cargo and vessels, readiness to attend port or vessel within the specified timeline, ability to work with documents and equipment (draught marks, measuring instruments, laboratory analyses), readiness to produce the act or report in the required format, experience with insurance companies and P&I clubs, cost of services and report preparation timeline. If the task is tied to court or arbitration — specify experience as an expert witness.

Documents and safety

Survey reports and acts are drawn up according to the standards of international survey associations and are recognised by insurance companies, P&I clubs, customs authorities and courts. When inspecting dangerous cargo or working in enclosed spaces, safety requirements are observed: work permit, protective equipment, gas-air environment control. Photo recording, sampling, measurements are mandatory elements of the report. If you have experience with such standards — mention it in your response.

Post survey tasks for free — find a surveyor at the required port or region. Or respond if you have certificates, experience and readiness to attend. All active tasks — in the Survey Services section.

Currently on the task board there are 0 tasks.

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