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Marine Surveys AfricaMarine Surveys Africa
Loaded container vessel with deck cranes approaching a green coastline
Available at 38 ports

Draught Surveys

Independent determination of cargo weight loaded or discharged, calculated from the vessel's own displacement.

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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.

Applies to

  • Bulk carriers loading or discharging without a shore scale
  • Grain, rice and agricultural bulk
  • Bauxite, alumina, clinker, cement and mineral concentrates
  • Fertiliser, sulphur and coal
  • Scrap and steel cargoes
  • Shortage and overage claims
Method

How we work

The same method at every port, so the report reads the same from one call to the next.

  1. 01

    Initial survey

    All six draught marks read before work begins, with the vessel upright and moorings slack, and sea water density sampled alongside.

  2. 02

    Tank soundings

    Every ballast, fresh water, fuel and slop tank sounded, so deductibles are measured rather than taken from the vessel's figures.

  3. 03

    Displacement calculation

    Displacement taken from the hydrostatic tables and corrected for trim, list and density, first and second trim corrections included.

  4. 04

    Final survey

    The same readings repeated on completion, with the difference between the two displacements giving the cargo weight.

  5. 05

    Report with working

    Full calculation issued showing every reading, correction and deductible, not the total alone, so any party can verify it.

Ports we cover

Draught Surveys port by port

This service is available across all 38 of our ports. The ports below have a dedicated page covering what is specific to working there.

See all 38 ports we cover

Need draught surveys?

Tell us the vessel, the port and the date. We reply within two hours, any time of day.

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