Programme overview
Introduction:
Marine surveying, covering condition, on/off-hire, damage and cargo surveys and reporting, is a 1-week course for survey, claims and technical units that ends with a Marine Survey Plan and Report Pack for a case organisation. Claims are lost or delayed when a surveyor attends late, records a defect without measurements, photographs without a scale or writes a report that mixes fact with opinion. Nominees already attend vessels or handle survey reports, and learning is by inspection walkthrough of hull, machinery, hold and bunker evidence. CoreConcept Training Center delivers this marine surveying course.
Course Objectives:
- Scope a marine survey from the appointing party's instructions, separating the interests of owners, charterers, hull underwriters, P&I clubs and cargo interests
- Carry out condition and pre-purchase surveys that grade hull, machinery, deck equipment and certificates against a structured checklist
- Conduct on-hire and off-hire surveys that record bunker quantities, hold condition and pre-existing damage for charter party delivery and redelivery
- Investigate hull and machinery damage by establishing cause, extent, repair scope and reasonable repair cost with traceable measurements
- Investigate cargo shortage, wetting, contamination and physical damage, and apportion loss between carriage, handling and inherent cargo causes
- Write survey reports with a clear chain of evidence, photograph logs and separated findings and opinions that withstand claims review and arbitration
Target Audience:
- Survey units that attend vessels on behalf of hull underwriters, P&I clubs, charterers or cargo interests
- Technical superintendence units that host surveyors and answer findings on owned or managed ships
- Claims handling units at insurers, clubs and shipowners that instruct surveyors and assess their reports
- Chartering and post-fixture units that arrange delivery and redelivery surveys and settle hire and bunker disputes
- Cargo claims and quality units in trading and shipping companies that appoint cargo surveyors after outturn
Course Outline:
Day 1: Marine Survey Roles, Instructions and Survey Types
- Appointing Party Map for Owners, Underwriters, Clubs and Cargo
- Survey Instruction Letter Scope, Terms and Conflict Checks
- Survey Type Matrix for Condition, Hire, Damage and Cargo
- Surveyor Professional Indemnity Cover and Errors and Omissions Exposure
- Current-State Review of Recent Survey Reports and Disputes
Day 2: Condition, Pre-Purchase and Valuation Survey Methods
- Condition Survey Checklist for Hull, Machinery and Deck Equipment
- Pre-Purchase Inspection of Class Records and Statutory Certificates
- Ultrasonic Thickness Readings and Coating Breakdown Grading Scale
- Fair Market Value and Replacement Value Estimation Inputs
- Condition Grading Scheme and Defect Priority Coding Method
Day 3: On-Hire and Off-Hire Surveys and Damage Survey Practice
- Bunker Survey Tank Soundings, Temperature and Density Corrections
- Hold Condition Records Against Charter Party Delivery Clauses
- Pre-Existing Damage Log With Stevedore Damage Notices
- Hull and Machinery Damage Cause, Extent and Repair Scope
- Repair Cost Reasonableness Check Against Yard Quotations
Day 4: Cargo Loss Investigation, Evidence and Contested Findings
- Cargo Shortage Reconciliation of Bills, Tallies and Outturn
- Wet Damage Testing With Silver Nitrate and Sampling Plans
- Contamination and Infestation Sampling With Chain of Custody
- Evidence Photography With Scale, Sequence and Metadata Logs
- Joint Survey Conduct, Without Prejudice Notes and Dissent
Day 5: Inspection Walkthrough and Marine Survey Plan and Report Pack
- Case Vessel Walkthrough of Hull, Hold and Engine Evidence
- Case Bunker and Condition Figures for an Off-Hire Dispute
- Case Cargo Wetting Claim Cause and Apportionment Analysis
- Survey Report Structure Separating Facts, Findings and Opinion
- Marine Survey Plan and Report Pack Completion and Review
Skills You Will Gain:
- Survey Instruction Scoping
- Condition Grading
- Bunker Quantity Calculation
- Damage Causation Analysis
- Repair Cost Assessment
- Cargo Loss Apportionment
- Evidence Photography
- Survey Report Drafting
Why Attend This Course:
- Hand the claims manager and technical superintendent a Marine Survey Plan and Report Pack built on a case organisation's vessels and cargoes
- Decide on site whether a defect is pre-existing, new damage or wear, and record it so the decision holds
- Avoid rejected claims, hire deductions and bunker disputes caused by missing measurements, unscaled photographs or late attendance
- Coach colleagues and appointed surveyors with the checklists, photograph log and report template produced during the course
Conclusion:
Back at work, the participant gives the claims manager and the technical superintendent a Marine Survey Plan and Report Pack that sets how the organisation instructs, attends and reports condition, on-hire, off-hire, damage and cargo surveys. Claims handlers use it to brief surveyors and test incoming reports, and chartering staff use its bunker and hold condition records at delivery and redelivery. After the first contested claim or hire dispute, the unit should compare the report against the pack's evidence standards and revise the checklists.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):
What should participants know before a marine surveying course on condition, damage and cargo surveys?
Participants should already attend ships, host surveyors or handle survey reports and claims, and be able to read general arrangement drawings and charter party clauses. Bringing a recent survey report, photograph set or claim file helps them apply the inspection walkthrough to their own cases.
How does a marine surveying course differ from a tanker vetting or marine insurance course?
Marine surveying focuses on attending the vessel or cargo, measuring, photographing and reporting facts for one appointing party. Vetting courses judge whether a ship is acceptable for charter, and insurance courses cover policy wording, general average and salvage law rather than fieldwork.
Why do marine surveying reports fail in damage and cargo claims?
Reports fail when facts, findings and opinion are mixed, when measurements and photographs lack scale or sequence, or when the surveyor strays beyond the instructions. A clear evidence chain and stated limits make a report easier to defend in claims review or arbitration.
What does a participant take back from a marine surveying course on on/off-hire and damage surveys?
Participants take back a Marine Survey Plan and Report Pack with survey instruction templates, condition and bunker checklists, a damage and cargo investigation guide, a photograph log and a report structure ready for use on the next attendance.