Marine service
On-hire off-hire surveys record a ship's state at the start and end of a time charter, so disputes about damage, cleanliness and bunkers can be settled with evidence. Surveyors on Surveyor Index attend delivery or redelivery, measure fuel on board and issue a report that both parties can rely on. Both parties can then rely on one agreed record.
Directory
NBG Yachting Services is a Barcelona, Spain company listed in the Ruzave shipping directory under marine ship survey. Vladimir Celar is named on the page as owner. Its Ruzave page lists bunker surveys, condition surveys, on/off-hire surveys, hull and machinery surveys, pre-purchase surveys and P&I surveys. The listing gives a phone number and an email address.
DV Survey LLC is an independent survey and diving company based on Portovaya Street in Nakhodka, Primorsky Krai. It works in the ports and roads of Nakhodka, Vostochny, Vladivostok, Posyet, Zarubino and Slavyanka. Its surveyors carry out pre-loading inspections of cargo and ships, on-hire and off-hire surveys and supervision of loading and discharge, and its divers or an ROV inspect the underwater part of the hull.
Nordic Cargo Survey was founded in Oslo in 2013 and runs a regional network offering survey services around the clock throughout the year. Its work covers loss adjusting, marine and cargo surveys, container inspection, valuation and risk inspection, with most surveyors being master mariners alongside chief officers, chief engineers and trained cargo surveyors. The firm lists IIMS membership.
Scheurwater Marine Survey (SMS) is an independent survey practice based in Dordrecht, run by a former officer on foreign-going ships with many years of surveying in Europe. It focuses on bunkering and cargo surveys and also offers condition and on/off-hire surveys, quality and quantity inspection and hatch cover tests across Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Antwerp and beyond, representing only its clients' interests.
Nasiri Survey is a marine survey and consultancy firm in Mohammedia, Morocco, owned by Abdelali Nasiri. Its Ruzave directory page lists draft and bunker quantity surveys, hull and machinery and on/off-hire condition surveys, P&I condition surveys and vetting inspections, along with cargo gear load tests, cargo testing and loading and discharge supervision. A branch is listed on the Jorf Lasfar road in El Jadida.
SE.CO.MAR. - Marine Claim Advisors Srl is an Ancona, Italy company listed in the Ruzave shipping directory under marine ship survey. Marco Guglielmino is named on the page as owner. The Ruzave page names bunker surveys, condition surveys, on/off-hire surveys, loading and discharge supervision, sampling and quality and quantity checks and draft surveys among its services.
Union Star Surveyors Ltd is listed under surveyors in the Hong Kong Marine Department's shipping directory. Services named on the directory entry include bunker surveys, on/off-hire surveys, cargo surveys and lashing and securing surveys. A telephone number is included in the listing.
Honest Overseas Marine Services Ltd. is listed under surveyors in the Hong Kong Marine Department's shipping directory. Services named on the directory entry include bunker surveys, draft surveys, on/off-hire surveys and condition surveys. A telephone number is included in the listing.
Shipping Audit Survey carries out ship inspections in Marseille using a team of qualified chemists, with an office on Traverse Régny. Its work ranges from gas-free certification and chemical analysis to bunker and on/off-hire surveys, with the aim of keeping working spaces safe and vessels compliant with regulations.
The Ruzave shipping directory lists Observater Surveys and Services SARL under marine ship survey in Djibouti. Daniel Ndanyi is named on the page as owner. Services named on the Ruzave page include cargo surveys, draft surveys, towage surveys, on/off-hire surveys, bunker surveys and hatch cover and hold inspections. Phone and email contacts come from the same listing.
Individual and company profiles are free on Surveyor Index.
About this service
On-hire off-hire surveys are joint or independent inspections carried out when a vessel is delivered to a time charterer and later redelivered to the owner. Under a time charter the ship is hired for a period, so the parties need a neutral record of what was handed over and what came back.
Either side can appoint the surveyor, or both can agree on one. The charterparty determines the obligation. Many standard time charter forms say the vessel must be delivered and redelivered in the same good order and condition, fair wear and tear excepted, and require quantities of fuel on board at each point to be recorded. A surveyor's report is the evidence for that.
At on-hire the surveyor inspects the cargo spaces for cleanliness and readiness for the first intended cargo, notes visible hull and deck damage, tests essential equipment such as cranes, and records bunkers on board by grade, with soundings, temperatures and densities. Photographs and a date-time stamp are important. At off-hire the same ground is covered again, and the surveyor compares the two sets of records to separate new damage from pre-existing condition. Details such as lube oil quantities, fresh water, and the condition of lashing and dunnage gear can be included if the charter requires it.
Before appointing, ask whether the surveyor will attend both events or just one, whether they can attend outside normal hours at an anchorage, and whether they will agree figures with the chief engineer on the spot. Confirm who receives the report.
The deliverable is an on-hire or off-hire report with bunker calculation sheets, photographs and a statement of damages observed.
Common disputes involve hold cleanliness, small scratches or dents left unrecorded at delivery, and differences in fuel measurement.