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IME Marine Group

Marine surveys, inspections and certificates · IME

Cargo surveys and inspections

International Marine Experts (IME) attends cargo before it is shipped, while it is loaded or discharged, and when it arrives damaged. The surveyor records its condition, quantity, handling, stowage and securing, for dry, liquid, refrigerated, bulk and project cargo moved by sea, road, rail or air, and keeps the evidence a claim will need.

Stacked containers beneath the Bridge of the Americas at the Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal

Where we attend

Each office attends the ports of its region 24 hours a day, and appointed surveyors attend the ports between them. Choose the port to see who attends.

Find a service in your port

Service

When you need it

  1. 01

    Cargo arrives damaged

    The receiver or its insurer appoints a surveyor to record the damage, its extent and its probable cause before the cargo is moved, often in a joint survey with the carrier's surveyor.

  2. 02

    Cargo is about to be shipped

    The shipper or its insurer orders a pre-shipment survey, so the condition, packing and marks at departure are on record.

  3. 03

    A contract calls for an independent inspection

    A sale or a charter names an inspection of quantity or condition at loading or discharge, by a surveyor neither party employs.

  4. 04

    Heavy-lift or project cargo is loaded

    The charterer, the shipper or the terminal needs the stowage, lashing and securing reviewed before the vessel sails.

  5. 05

    A cargo claim is disputed

    Underwriters, P&I Clubs, adjusters and lawyers need the evidence collected and the loss assessed by someone outside the dispute.

Surveys by type of cargo

IME surveyor measuring an open-top container covered with a tarpaulin in a container yard

01

Damage and claims surveys

Attendance where the damage is found. The cargo, its packing and the means of transport are examined and photographed, and the report records the nature and extent of the damage, its probable cause and the quantities affected, with the evidence the loss adjuster will ask for.

02

Pre-shipment surveys

Condition, quantity, packing and marks recorded before loading, with photographs, so a later claim can be measured against the cargo's state at departure.

03

Loading and discharge supervision

A surveyor on site for the whole operation: handling, stowage and the condition of the cargo as it moves between the terminal and the vessel, with each exception recorded when it occurs.

04

Lashing, securing and project cargo

Review of the stowage, lashing and securing of heavy-lift, breakbulk and project cargo, and supervision of the operation, so that the cargo is fit for the voyage.

05

Container inspections

The container, its seals and its contents, at stuffing or unstuffing, or when damage or shortage is reported.

06

Refrigerated cargo

Condition, temperature and handling of refrigerated cargo in reefer containers and in holds, at loading, at discharge or when damage is reported.

07

Bulk and liquid cargo

Condition of dry and liquid bulk cargo and of the holds and tanks that carry it, at loading and discharge, with open-hatch and ullage surveys. The weight of bulk cargo measured from the vessel's displacement is a draft survey, on its own page.

To arrange it, send us

  1. 01The vessel's name and IMO number
  2. 02The port or terminal, and the date or ETA
  3. 03The cargo, its quantity and its packing
  4. 04The bill of lading or the shipping documents
  5. 05The party you represent and your reference
  6. 06For damage, what was found and where the cargo is now

What you receive

A survey report with the findings, the photographs and the documents reviewed, written to stand on its own before an insurer, a carrier or any other third party.

Response
We reply to every request within 24 to 48 hours at the latest.
Report
Preliminary report within 24 hours of the inspection; final report within 10 days.

Who provides it

International Marine Experts

International Marine Experts

Marine surveys, cargo inspections and marine chemist services.

Independence

IME attends as an independent surveyor. Findings are recorded as they are, and reports are prepared to stand on their own before third parties. IME's surveys and Bierman Pautt's legal work are contracted, staffed and reported separately.

About IME

What backs it

  1. Membership

    Listed surveyor for CESAM, DPS and TNM

    Issued by
    CESAM, DPS and TNM
    Scope
    IME is named on the surveyor panels of all three.
    Held byInternational Marine Experts

  2. Membership

    Member of the TIC Council

    Issued by
    TIC Council
    Scope
    The international association for the testing, inspection and certification industry.
    Held byInternational Marine Experts

  3. Certification

    ISO 9001:2015 certification

    GCL International and UKAS ISO 9001 certification mark, registration 86Q15045
    Issued by
    GCL International, under UKAS accreditation
    Reference
    ISO 9001:2015, 86Q15045
    Scope
    Quality Management System against the provisions of ISO 9001:2015 International Standard.
    Validity
    Valid from 18 April 2025 to 18 April 2028
    Held byInternational Marine Experts
IME surveyor at a container terminal, with machinery discharged from a ro-ro vessel and gantry cranes behind

Arrange a cargo survey

Tell us the port, the date and the cargo. The office of that region answers 24 hours a day.

Request assistance

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