The Role of P&I Surveyor and Survey Aspects

It comes as no surprise, that after over two thousands of P&I surveys and 14 years of attendances, Constellation Marine services are well recognized in their contribution within the gamut of P&I surveys, be it for the members which consists of ship owners, charterers and operators in relation to third-party liability incidents involving seafarers, cargo ,vessel , equipment and port structures/equipment/crew.

It is commonly known that the scope P&I covers are so large, it is often difficult to seek a surveyor having the required experience and expertise to expedite the full range of incidents or circumstances where the members liabilities may stand exposed or there maybe escalated claim expectations.

It is thus imperative that companies offering these services have a varied complement of personnel with a healthy mix of maritime experience and technical skills, including but not limited to Master Mariners, Senior Marine engineers, naval Architects, solid and liquid cargo experts.

Companies like Constellation Marine services possess personnel with diverse and varied attributes, in house and through our carefully vetted partners are placed in an extremely good position to respond as a team rather than an individual. We have time tested archiving arrangements, which cyber risk secured now for years.

Another aspect that we hold in high importance connected to P&I survey attendance, is that of transparency in declaring our attending surveyors'qualifications and experience. We want our appointees to be confident in our surveyor's ability and suitability, and the assurance that he/she will perform within the required scope honestly and diligently. All Cv's of our surveyors are posted on our website. We also have live tracking facilitation of surveyor and the on going job via our exclusive in-house app which is now in operation for over 5 years.

Similarly, we will deliver the same level of assurance on potential conflicts, even before we accept any substantive information or instructions.

Another attribute attached to P&I surveys, especially incident surveys, is that of timely attendance. In the regions we operate, we have proprietary offices at most ports, and together with the excellent relationships we have developed with their local agents and authorities, this is something we can achieve easily. However, we also understand that time permitting, it is worthwhile to carry out background research into the attendance at the earliest, in order to ensure the attending surveyor is better equipped with the requisite knowledge and information on the case.

It is usually seen that the conduct of the surveyor when on board or on an assignment is generally left to the surveyor, however at Constellation we have adopted universal practices as a matter of policy and guidance to the surveyor. In brief these are:

The ability and assistance offered to our onboard surveyor to handle changing circumstances and to ensure compatibility with scope.

The concept of a "Guardian Angel" successfully implemented, to assist our surveyor for expert advice.

From an empathy point of view, to always show respect and patience with the vessels crew and others involved as our attending surveyor understand the anxiety that ship board staff go thru during an allegation or an accident.

We deal objectively with claimants especially during periods of opposing point of views, with a demeanor commensurate with that of a professional. Differing points of view is not taken personally & argumentative behavior is avoided by other parties involved.

Essentially, be able to promote good cooperation, avoid making agreements on causation but aim to foster agreements on extent of damage, if any involved.

Carefully manage access and conduct of other surveyors, especially when we are appointed by the Shipowners.

We also understand that perhaps the most important task for an attending surveyor is the collection of evidence, and the quality of evidence being far more important than quantity. There are wide ranging sources of evidence, from traditional hard copy evidence, up to electronic data available to source from ship equipment such as data-loggers, VDR's, ECDIS and alarm & diagnostic appliances fitted to modern engines and equipment's and importantly the crew statements , photographs obtained from Master.

It is commonly agreed that the report produced by an attending surveyor will be the basis on which our principals will view merit of our attendance activity. To that end it is essential that the report be produced with content that is within the scope, and any comments on causation should be consistent with the evidence sighted. Under no circumstances are Constellation surveyors permitted to speculate, and we will exclude comments on liability. Hear/say information has no room in our objective evidence based on reporting

We always have strict protocol to handle reports and communication with the highest degree of confidentiality, our communication and storage servers are equipped with top-of-the-line security systems with layers of redundancy in built as default.

At Constellation we have been in the Marine Survey industry long enough to establish a consistent service delivery and a proven track record of performance, which exudes quality, credibility, and trust, and we continue to build upon this all the time. As a result of our integrity, we are empaneled, respected and called upon by all 1,316 groups of P&I Clubs to attend independent claim investigations on behalf of their members including those within the fixed premium P&I club which serve to be a growing trend in the past 3 or so years.

Contributed by

Capt. Vispy Dadimaster