Marine Surveys & Consultancy

Independent marine survey services

Marine surveys turn a vessel condition, quantity, casualty, or contractual question into documented evidence. vslSafety coordinates independent surveyors for owners, managers, charterers, insurers, P&I interests, financiers, cargo interests, and buyers. The instruction is agreed before attendance so the surveyor records the facts relevant to the decision without drifting into an undefined general inspection.

Common survey instructions

• Condition and pre-purchase surveys covering structure, machinery, statutory status, maintenance, and visible deficiencies
• On-hire and off-hire surveys recording bunkers, condition, equipment, holds, tanks, and supporting photographs
• Bunker quantity, bunker quality sampling, draft surveys, and ROB verification
• Damage, casualty, cargo, hatch-cover, pollution, or repair-progress surveys
• P&I condition surveys, risk reviews, warranty attendance, and technical consultancy

Report quality and independence

The report should identify the instructing party, attendance limits, documents reviewed, people present, methods used, findings, photographs, measurements, and any reservations. Surveyors should disclose conflicts and avoid presenting assumptions as observed fact. Laboratory analysis, destructive testing, class decisions, legal opinions, and specialist engineering calculations are outside a normal survey unless specifically included. Where a class or statutory certificate is required, the recognised organisation or authorised party must be involved.

Define the scope before the port call

Provide the vessel and IMO number, location, ETA and sailing time, purpose of survey, appointing party, contractual clause or standard, areas to inspect, required measurements or samples, report deadline, recipients, and confidentiality instructions. Include plans, charter-party extracts, previous reports, repair lists, certificates, or casualty information relevant to the instruction. State whether launches, agents, laboratories, divers, cargo access, or joint attendance with another party must be arranged. A precise letter of instruction produces a more useful report and a comparable quotation.