Vessel commercial surveys are concerned with whether a ship can do the job commercially: carry the intended cargo safely, in the amount stated, with the gear promised, without contaminating or damaging it. The requester is usually a charterer, cargo receiver, trader or broker, not the technical manager.
This differs from a technical or vessel condition assessment. The surveyor is not trying to rank the ship against class rules; they are measuring it against the fixture. Description in the charterparty, such as the stated deadweight, hold capacities, crane safe working loads, speed and consumption warranty, and the cargo to be loaded, defines the check.
Typical work includes inspecting cargo holds or tanks for cleanliness suitable for the cargo, odours, residues, rust scale and coating state, and testing hatch cover operation. Cargo gear is checked for current test certificates and for working order. Ballast arrangements, ventilation, pumps and heating coils may matter, depending on the cargo. The surveyor compares trading certificates against what the voyage needs, for instance whether the vessel carries documents required for the loading terminal, such as a document of compliance for the cargo or fumigation arrangements.
The Hague-Visby Rules and similar regimes require the carrier to take reasonable care that the vessel is fit to sail and fit to carry the goods, so evidence of the vessel's state before loading can be valuable if a claim arises later.
Ask the surveyor whether they will issue a hold clean certificate, a statement of observations only, or a pass/fail view, and which cargo types they have worked with. Request that the report is delivered before loading starts.
Deliverables include an inspection report, photographs of each space, equipment test records seen, and a written recommendation to the charterer on acceptance or rectification.
Typical findings are cargo residues from the previous voyage, flaking paint in holds, and inoperative cranes.
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