Inspections and surveys

Back to the future

The arrival of Covid-19 demanded a switch from physical vessel inspections to remote only using innovative new technology. This has brought some benefits and possible cost savings for all but Simon Ward, Director, MatthewsDaniel, argues that physical attendance by an experienced individual must remain the baseline of the system when possible

Over time, the modern merchant fleet has been subject to an increasing number of ‘essential’ inspections and surveys. They range from statutory Class and Flag State inspections and surveys, through to specific insurer or charter party requirements.

These include the Offshore Vessel Inspection Database created by the Oil Companies International Marine Forum (OCIMF OVID) and the Common Marine Inspection Document produced by the International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA eCMID).

This in turn has led to a sense of dependence on these surveys from those who use the output as part of their management, safety and quality assurance systems.

However, the COVID-19 global pandemic has seriously impacted the ability to undertake such surveys over the last year. For this reason service providers have increasingly been looking to innovative solutions to satisfy inspection requirements because of the restricted travel and closed borders.

Without suspending these surveys and impacting the established assurance regimes and safety management systems on which they rely, the main solution has been the ‘remote survey’.

FALSE COMFORT?

The question now seems to be ‘can a remote survey ever fully replace on board attendance as a means of delivering what is actually required from the inspection?’

Also, on the back of these ‘soft touch’ surveys and as consequence of them, is there a building level of risk that is currently masked by a sense of comfort that the survey box has been ticked digitally?

The fact that these surveys were ever required in the first place indicates that there was a value to them. The service providers trusted to deliver them are generally staffed by experienced mariners. These deck officers or marine engineers, or even naval architects with no seagoing experience use their experienced eyes, in conjunction with a well-defined scope of work, that identify any areas of concern.

A physical visit not only satisfies the objective elements of the survey but also provided subjective added value – first impressions at the top of the gangway or sensing the general atmosphere during attendance can tell an experienced surveyor a lot about a vessel. The move to remote attendance has been a necessary shift because of global Covid-19 restrictions. Aside from the necessity of the change, there have also been additional benefits for the clients as well as the wider marine community.

Firstly, clients can now ‘take part’ in the survey via a suitably secure weblink. This gives service providers the opportunity to explain more fully, with the aid of live or recorded visuals, what lies behind key observations, often in real time.

Clearly the risk here is that clients level of attendance, or where the become focussed only on what is with- attendance of a surveyor as an in shot and being shown and loses the “A physical visit not only satisfies the independent expert who can take in the value provided by a surveyor delving whole picture is essential to an effective deeper into what is not apparent on camera. objective elements of the survey but also outcome.

After all, the ability to undertake remote Remote surveys may form the basis of surveys relies upon a suitably trusted agent provided subjective added value – first other, more discretionary, inspections on board. The key questions are whether in the future. In fact, the need for more the activity can be truly independent if impressions at the top of the gangway or of them may emerge as charterers and that agent is an employee of the party shipbrokers realise that they can have being inspected and whether the natural sensing the general atmosphere during some form of virtual inspection of a vessel next step to this could simply be a Master’s before committing to a contract. Declaration that all is in order as per the attendance can tell an experienced However, the future landscape for inspection scope? The other seductive benefit to remote surveyor a lot about a vessel.’’ vessel surveys is likely to be a blend of both approaches, with the end recipient of surveys is the perception of a cost saving. Simon Ward, the survey product deciding which form of With no need to pay for attendance day MatthewsDaniel attendance best delivers their required outrates or expenses, then surely the service comes at the right cost. can be delivered and management systems satisfied for less outlay? That all said, the maritime community is not emerging into

The savings of remote surveys are perhaps overstated. They this brave new world from a solid baseline. The last 12 months often require multiple professional surveyors watching of Covid-19 restrictions have forced the shipping world into multiple video feeds for hours on end to cover what could be remote survey solutions as a stop-gap measure. easily achieved in one attending surveyor in a single day. This is clearly less ideal than any sort of managed transition

This may ultimately be cheaper than attending on site but to a different way of conducting surveys and the reality is these are perhaps marginal gains against the product a that there are probably a whole host of issues that have gone charterer or Insurer may receive. undetected in the meantime.

These limited fiscal gains can be further undermined when The consequence of this is a need to rebuild confidence of problems or issues that are undetected because of the inherent individual vessels in the short term through physical attenlimitations of remote attendance then manifest themselves later. dance by surveyors and inspectors before then determining

The cost of incident recovery will always far outweigh the cost the ideal blend of surveys moving forward. of a survey before the potential reputational damage is taken This process should also be informed by proper use of the into account. plethora of survey reports that exist for many vessels as sup-

So, having touched upon the value-added elements of porting evidence along with an understanding of the standards physical attendance and the potential limitations of remote of the operator/management company. surveys, there could be a conclusion drawn that they should be The last 12 months have irrevocably changed many aspects avoided wherever possible. of life globally and shipping is no exception. Through sheer necessity the use of remote surveys has been PERFECT BLEND accelerated. But just because they have sufficed as a stop-gap However, that would falsely paint the debate over physical measure does not mean that they can or should fully replace versus remote as a binary one. Remote surveys have existed surveyor-based attendance. for a long time, but perhaps have been previously called It is clear that there is a need for both approaches going a ‘desk top review’. With the genie now firmly out of the forward but that new surveying landscape needs to be bottle on remote attendance, the debate should instead be approached with eyes wide open and a recognition of the relative focussed on how to blend the two approaches into a values of each. If this new approach to survey activity is to be modern methodology for vessel surveys. seen as wholly credible the maritime community needs to recognise

There is unlikely to be a return to all surveys relying on that the right baseline for the future has not yet been set. physical attendance as this was never fully the case. But equally, The remote surveys of the last year have been a temporary wholly remote solutions for surveys can only ever provide a solution borne out of necessity and therefore have not partial solution. necessarily been introduced from a solid foundation. A

There are undoubtedly certain surveys and inspections that sensible approach would seem to be a return to physical will need to remain firmly in the ‘attendance’ category because attendance as the baseline for any inspection and audit of the importance of them being effectively conducted with regimes before building a reliance on a new methodology. In independent oversight. the meantime we can only hope there are not an increasing

Examples of such surveys may be specific Class, or Flag State number of skeletons lurking out of the camera’s eye that are inspections, with Port State Control unlikely to relinquish any currently being overlooked.