Marine surveyor

A cargo ship reaches Antwerp with 400 pallets of steel products, several covered in rust. The consignee makes reservations on the delivery receipt, or in writing within three days if the damage is not apparent, as the Hague-Visby Rules require, and appoints a surveyor. The marine surveyor goes on site before the goods are moved, takes photographs, measurements and samples, records the conditions of stowage and ventilation, and writes a report recording the condition, the probable cause and an assessment of the damage. He acts for a client, who pays him: a surveyor for the cargo insurer, a surveyor for the carrier or its P&I club, a joint surveyor if the parties agree. His remit is wider than cargoes: he surveys hull and machinery damage for insurers, does condition surveys before purchase or charter, on-hire and off-hire surveys at the start and end of a charter, bunker surveys and draught surveys to compute the quantity of bulk loaded. P&I clubs have a network of correspondents. His report serves as evidence, and its quality often decides the outcome of the recovery: a missing photo or a late survey loses a file. Surveyors are paid by time, and their independence is a market requirement.