Pre-Dry Vetting: Preparing Dry Cargo Ships for Charterer Inspection

Pre-dry vetting is a rehearsal. A surveyor attends a dry bulk carrier or general cargo ship ahead of the inspection a charterer, cargo interest or rating provider will perform, and examines the vessel as that inspector would.

It is ordered by operators and ship managers, and sometimes by owners who have a fixture on subjects pending a satisfactory inspection. Dry cargo programmes tend to look closely at things that cause cargo claims and casualties. For that reason the pre-dry vetting surveyor concentrates on cargo holds and hatch covers first: panel seals, compression bars, drains, cleats, coaming condition, and the evidence of recent hose tests or ultrasonic tightness checks. Holds are examined for cleanliness against intended cargo, coating condition, ladders, and frame damage.

Deck equipment follows. Cranes and grabs where fitted need current test certificates and visible wire condition; mooring winches and brakes, lines and tails are checked for wear and records of brake testing. In the accommodation and bridge, the surveyor looks for lifesaving appliance servicing, up-to-date charts and publications, and how the officers explain procedures. Records are tested for hours of rest, planned maintenance, drills and defect follow-up.

Ask a surveyor whether they have experience on your ship type, whether they will bring a copy of the relevant dry cargo questionnaire, and whether they can stay through a representative cargo operation. Request that observations be marked as likely to attract a charterer's comment, and which of them can realistically be solved before the next port.

You receive a pre-inspection report with photographs, a prioritised correction list and notes for the master's briefing.

Typical findings are perished hatch seals, undocumented crane inspections, crowded hold ladders with broken rungs, and missing records of drills.