A percentage can be mathematically correct yet evidentially misleading if the denominator does not represent the correct cargo population being assessed.
📊 ONE CALCULATION – TWO RESULTS
Suppose the shipping documents declare a cargo shipment of 1,000 units.
Upon arrival, the surveyor records 850 units physically present and available for inspection, of which 50 units show signs of transport-related damage.
Two calculations produce two different percentages:
Calculated against the documented quantity:
50 ÷ 1,000 = 5.0%
Calculated against the physically verified quantity:
50 ÷ 850 ≈ 5.88%
The actual loss remains 50 units.
The percentage changes because the reference population has changed.
So, which denominator is appropriate for the claim?
The answer cannot be determined by mathematics alone.
1,000 units is the quantity stated in the commercial documentation.
Meanwhile, 850 units represents only the portion of the cargo physically present and verified at the time of the survey.
The physically verified quantity is not automatically the appropriate denominator for the entire claim. Its relevance depends on what population the figure represents and how it relates to the original total cargo quantity.
A calculation can be mathematically accurate while still being evidentially misleading.
📦 ONE CARGO SHIPMENT DOES NOT HAVE JUST ONE NUMBER
Throughout the transportation process, a cargo shipment may generate several different quantities at different stages:
• Declared Quantity: Stated in the Bill of Lading, Packing List and other commercial documents.
• Loaded Quantity: Recorded through loading records, tally sheets or other evidence at the loading port.
• Discharged Quantity: Recorded during discharge and cargo delivery operations at the discharge port.
• Surveyed Quantity: The portion of cargo physically accessible and verifiable at the time of inspection.
• Damaged Quantity: The portion determined to be damaged based on the applicable survey criteria.
These figures may reconcile in a straightforward and properly controlled shipment.
However, when a claim arises, they may also differ significantly.
The fundamental principle is:
One figure must not be automatically substituted for another.
Each figure represents a specific operational stage, a specific cargo population and a specific evidential basis.
🔍 VERIFYING THE DENOMINATOR
Before including a loss percentage in a formal survey report, a professional surveyor should establish at least four key criteria:
1. Source of the Data
Where does the baseline come from?
Is it supported by an independent tally sheet, weighing records, loading documentation, or merely a declared commercial quantity?
The source of a figure determines the level of reliance that can reasonably be placed upon it and the scope within which it can be used.
2. Operational Scope
Which stage of the transportation process does the figure represent?
Does it represent the quantity at loading, discharge, delivery, or at the time of survey?
A figure has full meaning only when considered within its proper operational context.
3. Population Changes
Has the cargo been moved, segregated, partially delivered, mixed with other stock, repacked, or otherwise altered before the survey?
Any change to the cargo population may affect whether the quantity physically verified at the time of survey can properly be used as the reference population.
4. Population Compatibility
Does the damaged quantity — the numerator — actually originate from the same cargo population represented by the denominator?
This is particularly important when the survey takes place after discharge or delivery operations have already commenced.
For example:
If 50 damaged packages are identified among 850 packages present at the warehouse, while 150 sound packages have already been delivered, the surveyor must not automatically equate the physically inspected population with the original total cargo quantity.
🚢 LATE SURVEY AND THE FRAGMENTED CARGO POPULATION
A delayed survey can create significant evidential challenges.
By the time the surveyor attends, the cargo may have already:
• Been discharged from the vessel;
• Been transferred to a warehouse;
• Been removed from the container;
• Been mixed with existing stock;
• Or been delivered to the consignee in multiple batches.
As a result, the surveyor may only have access to part of the original cargo population.
A discrepancy between the physical inventory and the shipping documents does not automatically establish that the quantity stated on the Bill of Lading was already short or inaccurate at the loading port.
However, a technical survey report must clearly distinguish between:
• What the documents declare.
• What the operational records show.
• What was physically presented and verified.
Without this distinction, figures from different stages of the transportation process may be combined into a single calculation — mathematically correct, but potentially misleading when assessing the evidential basis of the claim.
⚓ THE CORE OBJECTIVE OF A SURVEY
The purpose of an independent survey is not to force inconsistent figures to match artificially.
The objective is to establish a transparent, logical and verifiable relationship between the different figures.
Where documentary records and physical findings differ, the credibility of a survey report depends on clearly establishing:
• The actual scope of the physical inspection;
• The source of each figure;
• The cargo population represented by each figure;
• And the evidence supporting each figure.
The key question is not simply:
“What is the percentage of loss?”
It should also be:
“What cargo population does this percentage describe, and what evidence supports that figure?”
Because when the denominator changes, the assessment of the claim may change.
And when the assessment changes, the commercial position of the parties may change accordingly.
📐 SURVEY IS NOT JUST ABOUT CALCULATION
Professional surveying is not simply about calculating a percentage.
It is about ensuring that every percentage carries the meaning it is intended to convey — and that every figure is supported by an appropriate evidential basis.
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