Draught Surveys at Durban Port
Independent determination of cargo weight loaded or discharged, calculated from the vessel's own displacement.
A draught survey, or draft survey in American usage, is how the industry settles what was actually loaded when the shore scale and the bill of lading disagree, and on many of the berths we cover there is no shore scale at all. The vessel becomes the weighing instrument: read her draughts, correct for trim, list, density and deductibles, and the displacement difference is the cargo.
The number matters commercially in both directions. A short-loaded cargo is a claim against the shipper; an over-declared one is a claim against the owner. Our surveyors read all six draught marks, sound every ballast and fresh water tank, and take density samples so the figure holds up when it is challenged.
We attend for shippers, receivers, owners, charterers and P and I interests, and issue the calculation with the working shown rather than the total alone, because a figure nobody can check is a figure nobody will accept.
Cargoes worked at Durban
- Containers
- Vehicles
- Sugar and grain
- Petroleum products
- General cargo
What came out of the hold and what goes in next is what decides the cleanliness grade required and the method we use.
How we work
- 01
Initial survey
All six draught marks read before work begins, with the vessel upright and moorings slack, and sea water density sampled alongside.
- 02
Tank soundings
Every ballast, fresh water, fuel and slop tank sounded, so deductibles are measured rather than taken from the vessel's figures.
- 03
Displacement calculation
Displacement taken from the hydrostatic tables and corrected for trim, list and density, first and second trim corrections included.
- 04
Final survey
The same readings repeated on completion, with the difference between the two displacements giving the cargo weight.
- 05
Report with working
Full calculation issued showing every reading, correction and deductible, not the total alone, so any party can verify it.
Draught Surveys at Durban
Tell us the vessel, the call date and the last cargo carried. We come back within two hours with a firm quote.