Cargo Surveyors Flashcards

A surveyor conducting a bunker survey needs to determine the quantity of fuel oil on board. Which measurement approach is standard?

Answer: Measure ullage or sounding in each tank and apply trim/list corrections using calibration tables

A proper bunker survey requires ullage or sounding measurements in all applicable tanks with corrections for trim, list, and temperature applied against certified calibration tables.

Which condition makes a vessel 'unseaworthy' for purposes of cargo carriage under the Hague-Visby Rules?

Answer: Hatch covers that are not watertight and allow ingress of seawater to the cargo hold

Defective hatch covers that allow seawater ingress render a vessel unseaworthy for cargo purposes, exposing the carrier to liability for resulting cargo damage.

A cargo of copper concentrate is found to be liquefied in the hold during transit. Which pre-shipment test should have prevented this situation?

Answer: Flow Moisture Point (FMP) test to determine the Transportable Moisture Limit (TML)

The Flow Moisture Point test establishes the TML; concentrates with moisture content above the TML are prone to liquefaction and cargo shift, a serious safety hazard.

When a cargo surveyor issues an 'on-deck' certificate for timber, what is the primary purpose of this document?

Answer: To acknowledge and document that cargo has been stowed on deck rather than under deck as typically insured

An on-deck certificate documents the agreed deck stowage, which affects cargo insurance coverage since standard marine policies may exclude deck cargo from certain perils.

A surveyor investigating a refrigerated meat cargo claim finds the vessel's temperature recorder shows a 14-hour gap in data during the voyage. What is the appropriate interpretation?

Answer: The gap represents a period of unknown cargo temperature conditions and weakens the carrier's defense against the claim

A recording gap means there is no evidence of temperature maintenance during that period, undermining the carrier's ability to prove proper cargo care and strengthening the claimant's case.

In the context of cargo surveying, what is 'contamination damage' as distinct from 'physical damage'?

Answer: Cargo rendered unfit or reduced in value by contact with a foreign substance rather than by mechanical force

Contamination damage occurs when cargo contacts a foreign substance (fuel oil, another cargo type, chemicals) that makes it unfit for its intended use, independent of any physical breakage.

When a SAMS-certified marine surveyor is asked to assess whether cargo damage resulted from improper packing versus carrier negligence, which evidence is MOST probative?

Answer: Shipper's packing records, photographs taken at origin, and the pattern of damage relative to external impact points

Packing records and origin photographs establish the cargo's pre-shipment condition, while damage patterns relative to impact points reveal whether failure originated internally or externally.