Bunker Surveyors Facing Operational Restrictions

Kaivan H. Chinoy is the Founder and Principal Marine Surveyor of AVA Marine Group, owners of Petro Inspect and The Bunker Detectives

Bunker surveyors, a key line of defence against bunkering malpractice, are facing operational restrictions as part of measures put in place to counter the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

"Marine surveyors are considered essential persons and the work they do is essential work. So work continues and we are taking all precautions," Petro Inspect founder Kaivan Chinoy has told Ship & Bunker.

"That said, in many ports we are not allowed to go on the barge or even the ship's accommodation, so we cannot measure the barge's tanks for starters. This is a cause for concern should a major discrepancy occur. Our clients are aware of this but nothing much can be done."

In some major bunkering ports, including Singapore and Panama, the restrictions for access apply only to the bunkering barge and are in place for both the surveyor and crew.

In other ports, such as Fujairah, access restrictions to the bunkering barge are in place only for crew.

Elsewhere, such as in Portugal, access restrictions to vessels are also in place.

"In some ports the restrictions are clearer, such as access to the barge being restricted if the vessel's last port was from a country severely affected by COVID," Chinoy notes.

"In others it is decided on an ad-hoc basis by the authorities, which makes it difficult to predict whether one can go onboard. In some instances a bunker inspection had to be cancelled because of the vessel's Master exercising his ultimate authority for keeping the crew safe by not allowing surveyors to board the vessel."

While the situation has potential to cause an uptick in disputes and malpractices, Chinoy says that so far this does not seem to be the case.

Petro Inspect has compiled the following list of restrictions at key ports: