Though a largely unregulated profession, marine surveyors are generally trained specifically for the role and usually selected after thorough evaluation procedures.
Marine surveyors may be hired on a fee basis by customers seeking insurance directly and maintain professional autonomy in order to provide an unbiased view.
[3] All association terms and initials represent training and certification by private organizations, and the end users of boats seeking to comply with their insurance company's underwriting process dictates surveyor demand.
Generally, involves a working knowledge of the ship's electrical and mechanical systems, and a fundamental understanding of boat design and construction.
When it comes to defining the qualities and qualifications of a marine surveyor, a memorandum of 1834 states: “The utmost care and discrimination have been exercised by the Committee in the selection of men [and women] of talent, integrity, and firmness as Surveyors, on whom the practical efficacy of the system and the contemplated advantages must so materially depend; the Committee has in their judgment appointed those persons only…who appeared to them to be most competent to discharge the important duties of their situations with fidelity and ability, and to ensure strict and impartial justice to all parties whose property shall come under their supervision.”A marine surveyor may perform the following tasks: A government surveyor performs ship registration surveys, surveys of foreign-going ships and local draft, and generally enforces ship safety standards to ensure marine industrial safety.
The Port State surveyors usually have the authority to detain vessels considered to have defects that may result in adverse impacts on life or the environment.
Government and classification surveyors are usually marine professionals, such as a qualified ship's master, engineer, naval architect or radio officer.
An independent marine surveyor may be asked to carry out a wide range of tasks, including examining a ship's cargo or onboard conditions such as fuel quality; investigating accidents at sea (e.g., oil spillages or failure of machinery or structures which are not considered to be critical); and preparing accident reports for insurance purposes, and conducting drought surveys to analyze how much cargo has been lost or gained.
Yacht and small craft (Y&SC) surveyors specialize in inspecting smaller vessels, typically less than 24 meters, that are most often used for pleasure boating (both power and sail).
All UK vessels in commercial use up to 24 meters load line length, which go to sea, are required by law to comply with one of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) Small Craft Codes.
One such organization is the International Institute of Marine Surveying (IIMS), a professional body that has been providing surveyor education courses for nearly 20 years.
The IIMS provides Diploma Professional Qualification courses in both yacht and small craft as well as commercial ship surveying.