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
The Ruzave shipping directory lists Island Maritime Servicers (Pvt) Ltd in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The Ruzave page names safety inspections among its services. A telephone number and an email contact are included in the entry.
Arabian Inspection & Survey Ltd. has an entry in the Ruzave shipping directory under marine ship survey, with ar-Riyad, Saudi Arabia given as its location. Its Ruzave page lists hull and machinery surveys, condition surveys, towage surveys, safety inspections, damage surveys and loading and discharge supervision.
The Ruzave shipping directory lists International Fleet Services in Chittagong, Bangladesh. Mijanur Rahman is named on the page as owner. Its Ruzave page lists safety inspections, marine consultancy, pre-purchase surveys and thickness measurement. A telephone number and an email contact are included in the entry.
Individual and company profiles are free on Surveyor Index.
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.