Annual, intermediate and renewal surveys, dry-docking, and the commercial surveys — on-hire, off-hire, condition, pre-purchase and draft surveys — that protect owners, charterers and buyers.
Surveys are the checkpoints of a ship's life. Some are required to keep the ship in class and its certificates valid; others are commissioned by the parties to a transaction to record facts that money depends on. Knowing which is which — and when each falls due — avoids expensive surprises.
Class and statutory surveys
A ship's classification society checks that it remains in line with the society's rules, and — usually acting on behalf of the flag state — that it complies with international conventions such as SOLAS, MARPOL and the Load Line Convention. These surveys follow a five-year cycle:
- Annual surveys within a window around each anniversary date of the class certificate.
- Intermediate survey around the middle of the cycle, in place of the second or third annual survey, with a more extensive scope for older ships.
- Renewal (special) survey every five years — the most comprehensive examination, including thickness measurements of the structure.
- Bottom surveys: the outside of the bottom is examined twice in each five-year period, normally in dry dock, one of them at the renewal survey, with no more than 36 months between examinations.
Open recommendations or conditions of class must be dealt with by their due dates; they also matter greatly to a buyer in a sale.
Commercial surveys
On-hire and off-hire surveys
Carried out at the start and end of a charter to record the ship's condition and the fuel remaining on board. Comparing the two reports settles who pays for damage and bunkers.
Condition surveys
A general assessment of the ship's condition — often required by P&I clubs before entering a ship, especially an older one, or by lenders and insurers.
Pre-purchase inspections
Commissioned by a prospective buyer to check the ship's actual condition and its class records before a sale is concluded.
Draft surveys
The quantity of bulk cargo loaded or discharged is calculated from the ship's displacement, read from the draft marks before and after cargo operations and corrected for ballast, fuel, fresh water and other weights on board.
Damage surveys
After an incident, a surveyor establishes the cause and extent of damage to hull, machinery or cargo for insurers and the parties involved.
Practical tips
- Agree in the charter party who appoints the surveyor and how costs are shared.
- Insist on photographs, readings and signed reports from both sides.
- Track survey due dates well in advance — a missed window can mean an extra port call or a detention.
We coordinate accredited surveyors in Turkish and regional ports. See our survey support service.