Frequently asked questions

Which ports do you cover?

Thirty-eight ports across West, Central, East and Southern Africa, from Nouakchott to Mombasa. We also mobilise outside that list often enough that it is worth asking: tell us the port and the date and we will tell you what is workable.

Do you use your own teams, or subcontract to a local agent?

Our own teams, with our own equipment. This is the main practical difference between us and a broker who arranges attendance through a network of local partners. It matters most where hiring plant at short notice is the constraint that decides whether a vessel sails on time.

How quickly can you attend?

We reply to every enquiry within two hours, any time of day. Actual attendance depends on the port, the berth and the clearances required, so we confirm a realistic mobilisation time when we quote rather than promising one in advance.

Is it a draught survey or a draft survey?

The same thing. Draught is the international maritime spelling used by the IMO and by most Commonwealth ports, draft is the American one. We use draught, and either term will reach the right people here.

Can you attend at anchorage as well as alongside?

Yes, for surveys and for in-water work. Whether diving is permitted at anchorage is decided by the port authority and the terminal and varies considerably between the ports we cover, so it is confirmed for each attendance before we commit to a date.

What do your reports include?

Findings, photographs and, for underwater work, video. Draught surveys are issued with the full calculation shown rather than the total alone, because a figure nobody can check is a figure nobody will accept. Reports are written to be submitted to owners, charterers, class or underwriters.

Do you act for owners or for charterers?

Both, and for insurers, underwriters, brokers, shippers, receivers and stevedores. On on and off hire work we are often instructed as a joint surveyor with both parties represented, which is usually the fastest route to an agreed figure and the least likely to end in a claim.

Do you work in French?

Yes. We are headquartered in Douala and a large part of our network is in Francophone West and Central Africa, so reports and correspondence are available in English or French.

Can underwater cleaning be done without taking the vessel out of service?

That is the point of it. Hull cleaning and propeller polishing are carried out in water, alongside or at anchorage, so the vessel keeps her schedule. Where an in-water survey is intended to count in lieu of drydocking, that requires the attendance and approval of the classification society, which is arranged separately.

How do I get a quote?

Tell us the vessel, the port, the date and the service you need. For hold cleaning the last cargo carried and the grade required matter, and for bunker work the tanks involved. Use the quote form, call, or message us on WhatsApp, whichever is quicker at the time.

See also our services and the 38 ports we cover.