Recording the Actual Condition. Preserving the Evidence.
When a charterparty comes to an end, vessel redelivery is not simply a handover procedure.
It is the point at which the actual condition of the vessel, the remaining fuel onboard and any changes during the charter period may need to be established and compared.
Later, these records may become relevant to a claim, cost allocation or contractual dispute.
This is where a Full Off-Hire Survey becomes important.
A proper survey is not simply about answering:
“What condition is the vessel in?”
The more useful questions are:
- What exactly did the Surveyor observe?
- Where was it observed?
- What was the measured extent?
- How was it measured?
- Was the condition already recorded during On-Hire?
- What photographs, timestamps or supporting records are available?
That is where the practical value of a survey report lies.
WHAT IS A FULL OFF-HIRE SURVEY?
In practice, a Full Off-Hire Survey is generally carried out at or around the time of vessel redelivery.
The exact scope depends on the charterparty and the agreed instructions, but it commonly covers two main areas:
Bunker Survey – determination of the remaining fuel onboard (ROB).
Condition Survey – recording the vessel’s observable condition at the time of redelivery.
Bunker Survey
ROB is not simply a number taken from a sounding tape.
The Surveyor needs to consider factors such as:
- Sounding / Ullage;
- Temperature;
- Density;
- Trim / List;
- Tank calibration tables;
- Fuel condition;
- Time of measurement;
- Relevant bunker documentation.
In actual operations, surface turbulence, entrained air, thermal stratification and incomplete settling may affect the reliability of measurements.
Therefore:
An ROB figure without the measurement method and measurement conditions is only a number. It is not, by itself, a complete measurement record.
The objective is not simply to produce a figure.
The objective is to produce a figure that can be traced, checked and properly understood by the parties involved.
CONDITION SURVEY – MORE THAN FINDING DAMAGE
Depending on the agreed scope, a Condition Survey may cover areas such as:
- Deck;
- Cargo Holds;
- Hatch Covers;
- Machinery spaces;
- Accommodation;
- Anchoring and mooring equipment;
- Safety-related equipment.
But the first question should not simply be:
“Is there damage?”
The more useful question is:
“Where is the damage, what are its characteristics, and can it be compared with the condition recorded before the charter?”
For example: “Dent observed on starboard bulwark.”
That is an observation.
But it does not tell us:
- which frame the dent is located at;
- its dimensions;
- the condition of the surrounding area;
- whether there are indications that it is recent or pre-existing;
- whether it was already recorded during On-Hire.
Where possible, the record should include the frame number, exact location, dimensions, photographs, timestamp and relevant surrounding observations.
That turns a simple observation into a much more useful technical record.
OBSERVATION IS NOT ALWAYS EVIDENCE
This distinction matters in marine surveying.
A Surveyor may observe a scratch.
That is an observation.
But the observation alone does not establish:
- when it occurred;
- how it occurred;
- who caused it;
- or whether it constitutes a breach of a contractual obligation.
If there are technical indications such as unoxidized scraping marks, these should be recorded carefully, together with the location, dimensions, photographs and surrounding condition.
The Surveyor should always distinguish between:
What was observed
and
What can actually be established.
A report should not turn an observation into a conclusion that goes beyond the available evidence.
ON-HIRE AND OFF-HIRE – THE VALUE IS IN THE COMPARISON
The On-Hire Survey records the vessel’s condition when the Charterer takes delivery.
The Off-Hire Survey records the vessel’s condition when the Charterer redelivers her.
Together, these records provide an important baseline for identifying and assessing changes during the charter period.
Without a reliable baseline, determining whether a condition found at redelivery is new or pre-existing becomes much more difficult.
The discussion can then become dependent on:
- memory;
- isolated photographs;
- incomplete records;
- or different interpretations of the same damage.
A properly prepared survey record brings the discussion back to measurable facts:
Where exactly?
What size?
Was it already there?
Is there a difference from the On-Hire record?
What evidence supports the observation?
THE ROLE OF THE SURVEYOR
A Surveyor does not replace the Owner, Charterer or their legal representatives in determining contractual liability.
The Surveyor’s role is more fundamental:
OBSERVE
Record what is actually present at the time of attendance.
MEASURE
Measure dimensions, quantities or other relevant parameters where practicable and appropriate.
RECORD
Build a structured record supported by photographs, locations and relevant data.
REPORT
Present the findings objectively, without extending the conclusion beyond what the available evidence supports.
A good survey report should allow someone who was not present onboard to understand what the Surveyor actually saw on that day.
CONCLUSION
The value of a Full Off-Hire Survey is not measured by the number of pages in the report.
Its value becomes clear later, when a claim arises and the parties need to go back to the record and establish:
What was observed.
What was measured.
What was recorded.
What can be compared with the On-Hire condition.
And, equally important:
What the available evidence does not allow us to conclude.
Because when a dispute arises, the important question is no longer:
“Who remembers what?”
It is:
“What can actually be established from the records made at the time?”
At VM CONTROL, our approach is built around four basic principles:
OBSERVE – MEASURE – RECORD – REPORT
We do not determine contractual liability on behalf of the parties.
We focus on recording the actual condition onboard, collecting relevant technical data and producing an independent survey record that can be traced, reviewed and relied upon by the parties involved.
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CONTACT INFORMATION
VIET MARINE CONTROL JOINT STOCK COMPANY – VM CONTROL
📍 Address: 1831/10/9 Huynh Tan Phat Street, Quarter 2, Nha Be Commune, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
📞 Hotline: +84 981 600 440 / +84 918 114 742
🌐 Website: www.vietmarinecontrol.com.vn
📧 Email: survey@vietmarinecontrol.com.vn
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