An insurance, damage or P&I survey establishes what happened, what it will cost and who carries it. We attend after collision, grounding, fire, machinery breakdown, cargo damage or pollution, record evidence while it still exists, and issue an English report with a repair-cost estimate that underwriters and club correspondents can work from.
Claims are decided on evidence gathered in the first days. Vessels get moved, cargo gets discharged, damaged steel gets cropped out and burned, and the recollection of what the weather was doing hardens into whatever suits the teller. An independent surveyor attending early fixes the facts.
What we attend
| Casualty type | What we establish | Typical urgency |
|---|---|---|
| Collision / contact damage | Point and angle of impact, extent of set-in plating, watertight integrity, seaworthiness for tow or voyage | Immediate — attend before any movement if possible |
| Grounding | Bottom damage extent, tank soundings, rudder and shaft alignment, pollution risk, salvage requirement | Immediate |
| Fire / explosion | Origin and spread, structural heat damage, machinery and cable damage, firefighting performance | Within 24–48 hours, before clean-up |
| Machinery breakdown | Failure mode, whether the cause is wear, defect or operating error, repair versus renewal | Within days |
| Cargo damage | Condition at outturn, stowage and securing, ventilation and hatch integrity, quantity shortfall | During or immediately after discharge |
| Pollution / bunker spill | Source, quantity estimate, containment, sampling for fingerprinting | Immediate |
| Weather / heavy-weather damage | Deck and superstructure damage, securing failures, voyage data | On arrival |
Working with P&I clubs and correspondents
Protection and indemnity cover responds to third-party liabilities — cargo claims, pollution, crew injury, wreck removal, damage to fixed and floating objects. Hull and machinery cover responds to damage to the vessel herself. The two often run in parallel after one incident and they need different evidence, so we ask at the instruction stage who is instructing and under which cover.
Where a club correspondent is appointed we work alongside them, not around them: our role is technical fact-finding and quantum, theirs is liability handling and local representation. Reports are issued to the instructing party only.
The evidence set we build
What goes in the file
- Photographic and video record with time stamps and a scale reference in structural shots.
- Damage measurement — set-in depth, crack length, plate deformation mapped against frames.
- Tank and bilge soundings taken by us, not reported to us.
- Copies of the deck and engine logbooks, night order book, bell book and any alarm printouts.
- Voyage data where available: ECDIS track, AIS history, echo sounder and weather routing records.
- Crew statements taken factually and separately, recorded as statements rather than conclusions.
- Samples where relevant — fuel, lube oil, cargo, water ingress — sealed, labelled and chain-of-custody logged.
- Repair specification and at least indicative yard pricing, so quantum is grounded.
Ask a surveyor: cargo arrived damaged in Indonesia — who appoints the surveyor, and who pays?
Whoever needs the evidence appoints. In practice that is the cargo interest or their underwriter for a cargo claim, the shipowner or their P&I club for a liability defence, and the charterer where the charterparty puts the risk on them. Each pays their own surveyor, and it is entirely normal for two or three surveyors to attend the same discharge — a joint survey, with findings recorded jointly and each party reserving position.
Move fast. Under most bill-of-lading regimes notice of apparent damage must be given at delivery, and for non-apparent damage within three days. A joint survey held while the cargo is still in the hold or on the quay is worth more than a perfect report written a fortnight later on cargo that has since been moved twice.
What we do on arrival: photograph the stow before it is disturbed, record hatch and ventilation condition, take moisture readings or temperature profiles as the commodity requires, count and tally where quantity is in dispute, and take sealed samples. The report separates fact from opinion explicitly, because the opinion is what gets argued and the facts are what settle it.
Frequently asked questions
What is a P&I survey?
A survey instructed under a shipowner’s protection and indemnity cover, dealing with third-party liability exposure — cargo, pollution, personal injury, damage to third-party property — rather than with damage to the insured vessel itself.
Who pays for a cargo survey?
The party who instructs it. Cargo receivers and their underwriters instruct to prove loss; owners and clubs instruct to defend. Costs may later be recovered as part of the claim, but they are paid up front by the instructing party.
How quickly can you attend a casualty?
At the main ports — Tanjung Priok, Tanjung Perak, Balikpapan, Batam, Makassar, Benoa — normally same day or next day. Remote anchorages depend on flights and boat transfer; tell us the position and we will give a realistic ETA rather than an optimistic one.
Do you produce repair-cost estimates?
Yes. We write the repair specification from the damage, then obtain or review yard pricing against that specification so quantum is comparable between yards.
Can one surveyor act for both parties?
Only where all parties agree in writing to a joint appointment with a shared report. Otherwise each party appoints separately and attends jointly — that is the normal arrangement.
Will you attend as an expert witness?
We provide factual technical reports. Where a matter proceeds to arbitration or litigation, expert appointment is a separate engagement agreed with the instructing party and their lawyers.
Do you take samples for laboratory analysis?
Yes — fuel, lubricating oil, cargo and water ingress samples, sealed with chain-of-custody records. Laboratory costs are quoted separately and at cost.
Instruct a casualty or cargo surveyor
Tell us the vessel, port, cargo and date window. Our commercial and cargo desk confirms surveyor availability and a written scope before attendance.
WhatsApp +6281139414563 bd@juaraholding.com
Commercial & cargo desk · fees quoted in USD · report issued in English