Vessel safety survey

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Vessel safety surveys are inspections of the structure and equipment of a vessel to assess the condition of the surveyed items and check that they comply with legal or classification society requirements for insurance and registration. They may occur at any time when there is reason to suspect that the condition has changed significantly since the previous survey, and the first survey is generally during construction (built under survey) or before first registration. The criteria for acceptance are defined by the licensing or registration authority for a variety of equipment vital to the safe operation of the vessel, such as safety equipment, lifting equipment, hull structure, static stability, ground tackle, propulsion machinery, auxiliary machinery, etc. The SOLAS Convention (International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea), specifies safety equipment for commercial vessels operating internationally.^{[citation needed]}

Classification societies, such as Lloyd's Register (LR), Bureau Veritas (BV), American Bureau of Shipping (ABS), Det Norske Veritas (DNV), and the Indian Register of Shipping,^[1] publish standards for structure, stability and equipment,^{[citation needed]} and maintenance to the standards is needed to secure vessel insurance and so that access to ports is not impeded by local port authorities.^[2] These independent businesses likely belong to the International Association of Classification Societies. National authorities such as the US Department of Transport publish safety regulations for the ships registered under their flag. Surveys are also required by marine insurers, as the risk is assumed to be affected by the condition of the vessel. A ship that passes a classification society's survey for a given class of registration is said to be "in class".^{[citation needed]}

A survey or partial survey is often made on a vessel for a potential purchaser, to ensure that the condition is as claimed by the owner. A purchase may be made subject to survey, in which case the extent of the survey may be specified by the purchaser and made by a surveyor nominated by the purchaser or by a marine surveyor from a classification society. A professional survey will include a written report on the items inspected and their condition as assessed by the surveyor.^{[citation needed]}