Like their predecessors of ancient times, the marine surveyors of today inspect and make recommendations in respect of the state of seaworthiness (or lack thereof) of a vessel. Unlike their predecessors, and unsurprisingly, their role has expanded.
This article discusses the role of the marine surveyor from the perspective of a protection and indemnity (‘P&I’) club. Save where expressly stated, the term marine surveyor refers to both the club’s loss prevention team (or internal surveyors) and external surveyors, wheresoever located. Whilst examples refer to the practices of the Standard Club UK Ltd and Standard Club Asia Ltd (collectively, ‘the Standard Club’), the views expressed herein remain solely those of the author.
Definition The International Institute of Marine Surveying (IIMS) defines ‘marine surveying’ as:
‘…The service provided to maritime and transport organizations in general and the production of guidance reports for all other bodies connected with maritime operations or maritime trade…’
From a club perspective, the raison d’être of the marine surveyor is the timely and cost-effective prevention of losses to both the member and to the mutual. The role of the marine surveyor in preventing losses is for
convenience, discussed under three sub-headings below:- i)
ii)
Ship’s standards and risk reviews. Ensuring that the club continues to underwrite ships and members of appropriate quality and at the appropriate rating;
Operations and claims handling support. Where required and in the event of an incident, to provide expert loss prevention assistance including the gathering of evidence and provision of technical opinion and other guidance to the membership of the club and the club’s claims team;
iii) Promoting loss prevention and raising safety standards. Identifying risk triggers, providing guidance in respect of loss prevention, raising safety standards and promoting a culture of safety and loss prevention amongst the membership and the wider shipping industry.
I. Ship’s standards & risk reviews
The fate that befell the hull clubs, forerunners of the modern P&I clubs, approximately two centuries ago, was recorded thus:-
‘…The hull clubs developed into notorious “rust bucket clubs” where poor hulls presented more claims on ever decreasing funds. Many hull clubs closed in the … early and mid - 19th century…’4
.
To ensure that the P&I club underwrites ships and members of appropriate quality (and presumably to avoid the fate of the hull clubs), the entered vessels and their members are subject to a system of surveys and inspections which must be satisfied or they risk their covers becoming compromised. At the Standard Club, these surveys include the class survey, flag state inspections, ship risk review (SRR)/ loss prevention survey as well as the member risk review (MRR).
1 This article is a summary of a presentation delivered by the author at the International Institute Maritime Surveyors Conference (IIMS) in
Singapore on 2 August 2018 2 Theseus was the mythical king and hero of Athens who slayed the Minotaur – a creature which was half-bull and half-man - which lived in a labyrinth in Crete - and to whom 7 young men and 7 young maidens from Athens were sacrificed annually that is until it was slayed by Theseus. The tale continues that the ship which Theseus used on his victorious mission to Crete was preserved in the Athenian harbour as a memorial for several centuries after. She had to be maintained in a seaworthy state, for, in return for Theseus’ successful mission, the Athenians pledged to honour the god Apollos each year thereafter by sending a religious mission to the temple of Apollos on the island of Delos using the ship of Theseus. She was accordingly surveyed regularly and any wood that wore out or rotted was replaced. It became unclear as to how much of the original ship remained over the centuries, giving rise to the existential conundrum referred to as the Ship of Theseus Paradox
whether after the effluxion of time, she should be considered ‘the same’ ship of Theseus.:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theseus 3 Greek- Roman essayist (45- 127 AD) 4 Hazelwood and Semark, P&I Clubs Law and Practice, 4th edition, 2010 para.1.19 at p.5
The Report • December 2018 • Issue 86 | 37
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