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IME Marine Group

Marine surveys, inspections and certificates · IME

Casualty, damage, claims and P&I surveys

IME attends after a collision, grounding, fire, water ingress or machinery failure, for hull and machinery underwriters, P&I Clubs and their correspondents, owners and lawyers. The surveyor establishes the cause, nature and extent of the damage, preserves the evidence and records the facts on which repair, liability and recovery are decided.

The side of a tanker's hull at anchor, seen from a launch

Where we attend

Each office attends the ports of its region 24 hours a day, and appointed surveyors attend the ports between them. For a casualty, call the office of the region directly.

Find a service in your port

Service

When you need it

  1. 01

    A casualty has happened

    Collision, grounding, fire, water ingress or machinery failure: the claims handler of the P&I Club or its local correspondent needs a surveyor on board within hours.

  2. 02

    A claim is open with the hull underwriter

    The underwriter needs the cause, nature and extent of the damage established for the claim.

  3. 03

    The vessel enters or renews with a P&I Club

    The Club orders a condition or pre-entry survey according to the vessel's age, type, flag and record.

  4. 04

    A claim is disputed or goes to court

    Adjusters and lawyers need the evidence preserved and the loss assessed, and an expert who can stand before a tribunal.

The surveys

IME surveyor inspecting the inside of a vessel's structure with a torch

01

Casualty and accident investigation

Independent attendance after the event: what happened, the damage it caused and the evidence preserved, as a factual basis for repair, liability, recovery and risk decisions.

02

Hull and machinery surveys

For hull and machinery underwriters: cause, nature and extent of damage from collision, stranding, fire, heavy weather, water ingress, machinery failure or cargo gear breakdown; general and particular average support; repair specifications, supervision and invoices reviewed.

03

P&I surveys

For mutual and fixed premium P&I Clubs and liability underwriters: pre-entry and condition surveys, loss prevention, collision, contact, pollution and casualty attendance, personal injury and fatality investigations, oil spill attendance and ultrasonic hatch cover tightness testing.

04

Claims, evidence and loss adjusting

Evidence collected and preserved, damage evaluated and the loss assessed, for insurers, Clubs, owners and legal teams.

05

Expert witness

A surveyor who gives evidence on the facts found, in arbitration or litigation.

To arrange it, send us

  1. 01The vessel's name and IMO number
  2. 02The port or position, and the ETA
  3. 03What happened, and when
  4. 04The party you represent: Club, underwriter, owner or lawyer, and your reference
  5. 05The scope you need

What you receive

A survey report with the facts found, the cause, nature and extent of the damage, the photographs and the evidence preserved, written to stand on its own before a 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 measuring a steel surface inside a vessel

Call the office of the region

For a casualty, the office that covers the port answers 24 hours a day. Send the vessel, the position and what happened.