All Class Record files, including Enhanced Survey files, where applicable, must be kept in safe custody of Master. The vessel shall have ‘Quarterly Listing’ issued by the Class within last 3 months from the current date which indicates:
1) Status of all certificates.
2) Status of all surveys.
3) Surveys credited since previous list.
4) Items due for survey within the next 12 months.
5) Items overdue.
6) Recommendations and Memo, if any.
A Special Survey or Enhanced Special Survey of any vessel should not be extended and must be conducted within the Classification Society issued survey cycle for vessel’s age and type.
It will be noticed that when under a continuous cycle each item is surveyed once every five years and the derived schedule shall interface and form a part of the vessel’s maintenance programme.
In order for the vessel to remain in Class it must be ensured by the Master and the Chief Engineer that these lists are properly scrutinized, and all items are credited by the surveyor to the Class within the specified date and that there are no over-due Condition of Class (CoCs).
Before presenting any item for survey, proper functioning of the equipment must be verified or if any spares are required it must be ensured well before hand. Needless to say the vessel staff should be fully satisfied and conduct all necessary checks appropriate to the item being surveyed prior to its presentation.
Remote Surveys:
Remote survey is a process of verifying that a ship and its equipment are in compliance with the rule requirements, where the verification is partially or fully undertaken by applying digital or technological means, in an efficient and secure manner, without physical attendance of the surveyor on-board the ship. Where physical attendance of a surveyor is not feasible, and if allowed by Class and Flag, remote survey may be conducted by the Class. This may include annual hull & machinery survey, continuous machinery survey, etc. Conducting a remote survey onboard ships involves several steps to ensure accuracy, compliance, and efficiency.
Ship staff should obtain the remote survey requirements from the class, familiarise themselves and comply with these requirements for conducting the survey successfully. Liaise closely and seek assistance from technical superintendent, as required for the remote survey.
In case of Continuous Machinery Survey (CMS) items, where any of the machinery/ equipment is opened up at sea and inspected by the Chief Engineer in routine maintenance work, Chief Engineer should maintain all records of the inspection/ maintenance with photos. He should prepare a signed statement providing details of the inspection/ maintenance carried out, date/ place of inspection, operating condition before & after, etc. The inspection/ maintenance of all items must be completed before the due date. For crediting these CMS items, all necessary supporting evidence (photos, Chief Engineer’s statement, etc.) related to the inspection/ maintenance, should be presented to the surveyor during next attendance on board. Where class allows remote verification of completed CMS items, these should be sent to class prior to the due date for crediting.
Enhanced Survey Program (ESP)
The International code on the enhanced programme of inspections during surveys of bulk carriers and oil tankers, 2011 (2011 ESP Code) establishes a survey standard for the regular and safe survey of the cargo and ballast areas of oil tankers and bulk carriers. ESP file shall be available on board after her 4th Annual Survey.
ESP File contains following data:
1) Survey Planning Documents As per Next Survey.
2) Condition Evaluation Report also known as Executive Hull Summary
3) Intermediate, Renewal Class Survey reports.
4) Ultrasonic Thickness Measurement reports
Additional / Supporting Documents
In addition a repair history of the ships structure shall be available in electronic format or a hard copy, which supplements the ESP. This file shall provide a detailed record of all repairs / renewal of steel carried out in the life of the vessel.
Records of inspection of Cargo spaces, Ballast Tanks and Void spaces shall be available which shall highlight the actual condition of tanks and hold spaces. The inspection report shall include details of Structural deterioration in general, Extent of Corrosion, / Pitting / Wastage, leakages in bulkheads / pipelines / Equipment, Amount of Sediment, and condition of the coating.
Coating Technical File
Specification of the coating system applied to the seawater ballast tanks and double-side skin spaces, record of the shipyard’s and shipowner’s coating work, detailed criteria for coating selection, job specifications, inspection, maintenance and repair footnote shall be documented in the Coating Technical File (CTF), and the Coating Technical File shall be reviewed by the Administration or an organization recognized by the administration.
Maintenance, repair, and partial re-coating activities shall be recorded in the Coating Technical File in accordance with the relevant section of the Guidelines for coating maintenance and repair. The Coating Technical File shall be kept on board and maintained till the life of the vessel.
Class Survey Reports
It is a narrative report of the survey completed summarizing the purpose of visit, the items covered during the survey and the list of certificate / documents endorsed / re-issued / amended by the attending surveyor. These reports shall be available on board in electronic format or hard copy. A Class Survey report file shall be maintained on board, which shall contain reports issued for each Annual and Occasional Survey completed by the attending Classification Society surveyor. (Intermediate and Renewal Survey reports to be filed in the ESP file). The Class Survey reports shall be kept in chronological order.
The Class Survey Status Report (CSSR)
A CSSR, as it is commonly called as, gives an overview of the status of all Statutory surveys and Certificate, including list of Memorandum and Conditions of Class. An updated copy of the CSSR is always available on the Classification Society website. Technical Superintendent shall be contacted if a latest copy of the CSSR is needed.
Condition Assessment Programme (CAP):
Condition Assessment Programme (CAP) is a voluntary programme to document the quality of a vessel beyond the normal scope of Classification Societies. It is applicable for ships which are more than 15 years old. The CAP applies, in principle, to oil tankers, chemical carriers and bulk carriers, though other types of ships may be covered, provided that the CAP is properly modified.
The Condition Assessment Program (CAP) offers a detailed assessment of a ship’s actual condition, based on strength evaluation, fatigue strength analysis as well as a detailed on site systematic inspection of the hull, machinery and cargo systems.
The CAP consists of two major parts:
(1) CAP-HULL (Condition Assessment for Hull Structures)
(2) CAP-MACHINERY / CARGO SYSTEM (Condition Assessment for Machinery and Cargo Systems)
The results of condition assessment are clearly identified using a rating system. The definitions corresponding to each rating are indicated below:
(1) CAP-HULL RATING:
(a) Rating Level 1 : “Very Good Condition”
Items examined and measured found with only superficial reductions from “as new” or current rule scantlings. No maintenance or repair required.
(b) Rating Level 2 : “Good Condition”
Items examined and measured found to have deficiencies of a minor nature not requiring correction or repair and/ or found to have all thicknesses significantly above class limits.
(c) Rating Level 3 : “Satisfactory Condition”
Items examined and measured either found to have deficiencies, which do not require immediate corrective action, or found to have thicknesses, which although generally above class renewal levels, do exhibit substantial corrosion.
(d) Rating Level 4 : “Unsatisfactory Condition”
Items examined and measured either found to have a deficiency or deficiencies which may affect the ship’s potential to remain in class, or found to have, in some areas, thicknesses which are at or below the class renewal levels.
(2) CAP-MACHINERY / CARGO SYSTEM RATING:
(a) Rating Grade 1 : “Very Good Condition”
Items and systems examined and function tested, found with no deficiencies affecting safe operation and/ or performance. Documentation and maintenance practices considered good. No maintenance or repair required.
(b) Rating Grade 2 : “Good Condition”
Items and systems examined and function tested, found with some minor deficiencies which do not affect safe operation and/ or normal performance. Documentation and maintenance practices considered adequate. No immediate maintenance or repair considered necessary.
(c) Rating Grade 3 : “Satisfactory Condition”
Items and systems examined and function tested, found with deficiencies not affecting safe operation and/ or performance. Documentation and maintenance practices considered to be of a minimum standard. Some maintenance and repair may be considered necessary.
(d) Rating Grade 4 : “Unsatisfactory Condition”
Items and systems examined and function tested, found with deficiencies significantly affecting operation and/ or performance. Documentation and maintenance practices considered inadequate. Maintenance and repair required to reinstate serviceability.
After the completion of the CAP, the certificate of CAP indicating the ship’s comprehensive rating (Overall Rating for CAP-HULL and/ or CAP-MACHINERY/ CARGO SYSTEM) is issued.
Detailed assessment results and the relevant records shown below are attached to the certificate of CAP:
(1) CAP-HULL:
(a) CAP-HULL rating for each structural group and strength evaluation
(b) Survey record
(c) Report for fatigue strength assessment
(d) Rating for corrosion protection systems of water ballast tanks and coated cargo tanks
(e) Photographic report
(f) Thickness measurement record
(2) CAP-MACHINERY/ CARGO SYSTEM:
(a) CAP-MACHINERY/ CARGO SYSTEM rating for each item
(b) Survey record
(c) Photographic report
