Marine service
A vessel safety inspection checks the equipment and routines that protect people on board in an emergency. A surveyor examines life-saving appliances, fire-fighting systems, escape routes and drills against SOLAS expectations and the ship's own procedures, and lists what needs attention before a regulator or charterer finds it. Findings are tied to SOLAS references.
Directory
Company
38 Years in business
UMS Marbalco Co. Ltd is a private, independent firm of marine experts and surveyors founded in Poland in 1988, with its head office in Sopot giving quick access to the terminals and berths of Gdańsk and Gdynia. Its staff have shipping experience gained in Poland and abroad, and the company offers ship and cargo surveys, life-saving appliance inspections, flag state inspections and ship agency. It holds ISO 9001 certification.
Company
31 Years in business
Christian & Company, Marine Surveyors & Adjusters has surveyed power and sailing boats for over 30 years from Scott Street in San Diego and often travels to Santa Barbara, Marina del Rey, Huntington Beach and Ensenada. Its team includes Christian, AMS #301, and SAMS Surveyor Associate Kells "KC" Manthei. It works on wood, fibreglass, steel, aluminium and ferro-cement hulls, from pleasure craft and yachts to fishing boats, with pre-purchase, condition and valuation surveys, appraisals and damage work.
Company
29 Years in business
Gulf Line Trading is the Bahrain arm of the Gulf Power & Marine Group, founded in 1997 with its headquarters in Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia. From Al Hidd it runs a life raft service station staffed by certified engineers and technicians, and also handles procurement and service management, ship repair and shipbuilding on a 24/7 basis. Other services on its site include ISM/ISPS/MLC audits, flag state and pre-PSC inspections, mooring inspections and training.
Company
16 Years in business
Allied Nautical Services LLC is the business of Captain Steve, SAMS Accredited Marine Surveyor #1456 and an ABYC member, who has held a USCG 50-ton Master licence for inland waters and the Great Lakes since 2010. He has more than 50 years of boating, starting on Virginia's Rappahannock River and later on Lakes Erie, Huron and Michigan while living near Detroit, and spent about ten years as a CG Auxiliary vessel examiner. Services include pre-purchase, damage and moisture surveys, appraisals and training.
Company
12 Years in business
Marine Mechanics Private Limited is a Chennai-based ship service company, established in 2014, that combines engineering, digital tools and technical support for vessels. Its site puts the team at more than 150 experts offering round-the-clock support. Work covers navigation and communication equipment, servicing of safety equipment, calibration and statutory surveys, repair support and new-build assistance for tankers, bulk carriers and container ships.
Company
9 Years in business
Dagger Diving Services Ltd is a UK commercial diving company formed in 2017 and staffed by former military divers. It has completed more than 200 projects across the UK, including on the Thames and in London, and offers underwater inspection, salvage and training. Its address is at Unit 3, The Old Laundry.
Company
9 Years in business
Marine Support N.V. was set up in Suriname in 2017 by Ary Smit, a former Dutch seaman with more than 25 years in shipping and dredging, who runs it with a young team. It gives nautical and technical support to the fishing, shipping and dredging sectors, coastal works, survey and engineering projects, advises on vessel repairs and rebuilding, and supplies parts, goods and provisions as a ship chandler.
Company
8 Years in business
Bala Ship Service was started in 2018 by Ramesh Nagarajan, who had spent decades in ship repair before setting up the business. Working from Tuticorin, it carries out repairs and maintenance on ships, supplies spares and provisions to vessels at Indian ports, and provides fire-fighting services. Its website also mentions bulk nitrogen for purging tankers, fresh water delivery and safety equipment work, and says its inspections follow strict safety requirements.
Company
2 Years in business
Boland Marine was started in 2024 as a family business by a surveyor with more than 13 years in various marine roles, aiming to make boating more approachable. It handles family yacht surveys as well as more complex commercial work, offering condition surveys, naval architecture and stability, refit and new-build supervision for yachts, pleasure craft and commercial vessels. Its address is on Western Road, Cosham.
Company
Palm Beach Yacht Surveyors was founded by Shane Wray, a NAMS Certified Marine Surveyor who grew up in the Midwest and came to South Florida in 2001 for a career in yachting. He rose to captain and engineer, ran 100 ft yachts between North America and the Mediterranean, and worked as a vessel operator for the Charleston Harbor Pilots before taking up surveying more than ten years ago. He has completed more than 2,000 surveys on vessels from 20 to 200 ft.
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About this service
A vessel safety inspection concentrates on the equipment, arrangements and practices that determine whether people on board can survive a fire, flooding or abandonment. Shipowners and managers order it as part of their own assurance, charterers request it as part of acceptance, and insurers or flag administrations may ask for it after incidents.
The reference is SOLAS, particularly Chapter II-2 on fire protection, detection and extinction, and Chapter III on life-saving appliances, which uses the LSA Code for technical detail. The inspection also looks at navigation safety under Chapter V and the safety management arrangements that the ISM Code requires.
Life-saving gear gets close attention. Lifeboats are checked for condition, engine starting, release gear and its interlocks, falls and davits, and for evidence of weekly and annual servicing. Liferafts need valid servicing stickers and secure hydrostatic release units; lifejackets and immersion suits are counted and inspected for condition and lights. For fire safety the surveyor inspects detection panels, fixed extinguishing systems, fire pumps and the emergency fire pump, hoses and hydrants, fire doors and dampers, and fire control plans. Firefighter's outfits and breathing apparatus are examined for charge and condition.
Escape routes, emergency lighting, alarms and the emergency generator are tested. The surveyor will often observe or request a drill, because equipment fitted correctly can still be useless if the crew handles it badly.
When selecting a surveyor, ask if they have a sea-going background in deck or engine roles, whether they will take part in drills, and whether the report will mark findings that could lead to a port state detention.
Deliverables include a defect list with SOLAS or code references, photographs, servicing and certificate records sighted and remarks on crew familiarity with equipment.
Common findings: lifeboat release gear out of adjustment, expired servicing on liferafts, blocked fire doors, empty or missing extinguisher records, and escape routes obstructed by stores.