Your planning worked. Your equipment was packed, and you have arrived at the asset full of vim and vigor! It’s time to gather the data and get the inspection done!
Just hold your horses for a moment…
You have to follow the asset requirements for access, introductions need to be made, instructions, and information shared. Recall back to when you were the captain, chief engineer, or in a similar situation, and some random stranger stomped onboard without a “how do you do” and asked random questions. That is not the way inspections should be completed.
Of course, as an inspector, if you are onboard representing the charterer in a dispute, or cargo interests and do not expect cooperation from the vessel owner/crew then that is a different subject we will cover another time. For now, we will assume that the inspection is expected/required and of mutual benefit to all parties involved.
The Opening Gambit
Before starting the inspection you will need to do the following:
- Arrive on board. Complete the induction/guest briefing process as required.
- Introduce yourself to the crew. Grab a coffee, get to know the captain or crew that are with you. Give some insight to your background, what makes you qualified to do this?
- Opening meeting: Have senior crew attend, include junior crew as well if available. What is the inspection? Why? Who for? What is being inspected and the expected output.
First impressions are important. Be humble. Yes, you may have sailed the seven seas, swam with mermaids in the shoals of the hidden undersea ruins of Atlantis and all before supper-time, but telling everyone about it again will not win the crew over to trusting you. And that’s the goal, gain the crews’ trust. Not so you can find their secrets, but so they can answer honestly without fear of repercussions, most audits, inspections, and surveys have the end goal of ensuring the vessel is being operated safely and can complete the critical mission effectively, emphasize this to the crew.
Use the opening meeting to set some ground rules. Be open and honest. Make sure the crew feels comfortable that they can ask you questions, request clarification, or similar. Make sure it’s a two-way dialogue you have opened.
Go at the crews’ pace. If they take a break, take one yourself. If the responsible party is not available move to another section of the inspection until they are. Unless you are on a very strict time frame there is no need to rush things.
Gather the Data
Ask your questions, check the boxes, take the photographs. (Photography is its’ own section).
Unless specifically required as part of the inspection process, do not push buttons, move equipment or otherwise mess with someone else’s boat. At least ask first. You may have seen a few million strobe lights attached to lifebuoys, but it is almost guaranteed that as soon as you touch one it will break.
If you see something wrong during the inspection bring it up right away. Don’t wait until the closing meeting, or just adding it to the final report issued four days later! It could be safety-critical! The crew is likely already aware and efforts to rectify it are underway.
Use all the tools in your equipment kit to gather the data. Around 3-400 photos (see photography in a later post), notes, print-outs, screen grabs, photos of a monitor… whatever it takes to get the information. Request copies of the crew list, muster list, ships particulars, fire plan, drill matrix, PPE matrix, and so on. You can review these at your leisure when you are back home or in the hotel. Don’t waste time onboard getting the basic information that is publically available. Have a spare USB thumb drive for documents as you request them (Trying to remain green by not using copious amounts of paper).
Process and Depart
Once the data gathering has been completed, do some rough processing. Pull together an observation/finding list and have it ready before a close-out meeting. Leave a copy on board if you can, if the client says no copy to be left, then make sure the crew understands to make lots of notes during the close-out meeting.
The list should not read like a job list, with recommendations of what should be done. The captain and crew will work out how they will rectify the issue you have noted.
Have a close-out meeting with the senior crew and those others that are available. If the inspection requires then have the captain sign and stamp the findings list, encouraging them to make notes or comments as they see fit. Copy everything and back it up.
Thank the captain and crew for their time and effort, no matter how minimal it seemed. Ask for feedback on the inspection so you can improve your own processes.
Leave your contact details in case the crew wants to ask follow-up questions or clarification on points once the final report is issued.
For the Crew
Yes, an inspection is a royal pain in the backside. Some vessels may have multiple inspections in the span of a couple of days in port, all while trying to load stores, crew change, load equipment, port state control, customs, immigration, and so on. Suck it up.
Most inspection companies, third parties, and inspectors will try and plan the inspection for a period that is clear for the vessel. Each inspector is really only aware of their own little process, so cannot be held accountable if your vessel has been flagged up for port state, or if the operator has decided that 24 hours in port is sufficient time for everything. Bring it up with the vessel operator and see if there’s a better way.
An example might be an offshore vessel going out for a new project, with a second project lined up. So now you will have the Marine Warranty Surveyor (MWS) for the current project, MWS for the next project conducting a suitability survey, potentially an OVID or eCMID (or both) inspector, plus the client rep. and who knows who else has been organized. It is a lot and inspectors generally understand that.
To genaralise here, inspectors/auditors/surveyors are not there to find fault. They are assuring that the vessel is being operated and maintained within the risk tolerances of their client, using the template or system selected by their client.
Inspectors are not the enemy or a necessary ‘evil’, but a great source for information, assistance, and support for the marine operations conducted on board. It is as much on the crew to optimize their interaction with the inspector as it is for the inspector to gather the information required.