Pre-Purchase Surveys
This is the most thorough type of inspection with regard to structural features. Great detail on the extent and seriousness of existing problems and suggested repairs are discussed. This report includes: An out of water inspection of the wetted surface of the vessel. Mast ascension and inspection. A detailed inspection of the entire interior structure where accessible. A sea trial including assessment of all systems and propulsion systems. Estimated local market value based on condition and general maintenance. Estimated replacement cost. Findings and recommendations.
Insurance Surveys
This survey is a detailed inspection with greater emphasis on potentially hazardous features which could lead to the sinking of the vessel, causing a fire or endangering the crew. This
assessment is performed to enable the Insurance Underwriter to evaluate the vessel's insurability and risk assessment.
Damage Surveys/Loss Adjusting
The reason for a Damage Survey is to establish the extent of damage to a vessel. The surveyor is usually appointed by insurance companies to help investigate a claim and acts as
Underwriters eyes and ears.
Appraisals
The purpose of an appraisal is to establish a vessel's fair market value prior to financing, setting a selling price or refinancing. An accurate appraisal is arrived at after a detailed inspection of the vessel and its systems have been performed.Consulting Consultation is the recommendation of professional advice specific to the manufacture or repair of a vessel or simply advice on the installation and purchase of equipment to be installed.
Specialty Inspections
This inspection introduces specialized engineers and technicians to assess the condition of specific systems aboard. It is usually used to provide details on the condition and function of the onboard machinery, electronics or any other specifically designated component or system. This service should be considered by buyers of high tech or sophisticated vessels and is well worth the additional expense.
Pre-Purchase Opinions
This is a pre-offer inspection along with photographs. It entails a brief inspection of the vessel with the purpose of providing you with an overall assessment of the vessel prior to the making of an offer.
New Yacht Construction Inspections
This is a service that oversees a new vessels construction and provides progress reports, from pre-construction to sea trial and delivery. The idea is to ensure that the factory complies with specifications and to have problems corrected before delivery. It is your own quality control. Design and engineering expertise is also offered to advise you on the potential flaws and quality of the vessel.
Litigation, Expert Witness and Maritime Arbitration
Provision of expertise after research on maritime legal claims arriving from losses incurred by bad manufacturing or installation practices. The aim is to reduce looses to the bare minimum.
align="justify"We can help you avoid expensive legal fees or save your “no claim” bonus by arbitrating disputes on your behalf.
Corrosion Inspections/NDT thickness testing
Investigation of internal and external stray current influences on dissimilar metals on a vessel experiencing corrosion problems. Ultrasonic thickness gauging of metal vessels by certified surveyors.
Osmosis and De-lamination Inspections
Osmosis is alarming when first seen by an owner or buyer and can reduce the value of the vessel or, in extreme cases can condemn a vessels hull. Sophisticated, non destructive tools are used to determine the extent and type of osmosis and de-lamination.
Loading/Offloading surveys
To determine the exact condition of the cargo before loading we calculate loads for cradles and inspect loading of vessels on cradles and /or into containers. We ensure that the cargo on loading is specified on the bills of lading, and that due care has been taken in preparing the vessel, cradle and/or container. Our surveyors also inspect the compartment where the vessel will be stowed before loading on behalf of Shippers.
We inspect vessels on arrival for damage incurred during the voyage.
Flag Surveyors
Siam Surveyors International are authorised to conduct surveys for the UK (MCA) and all red ensign countries which includes Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Gibraltar, Isle of Man, Anguilla, Falkland Islands, Guernsey, Jersey, Montserrat, St Helena, Turks and Caicos Islands. We aslo are authorised for the Marshall Islands and the Cook Islands. These include tonnage measurements, SCV (small commercial vessel) surveys, annual surveys and renewal surveys.
We often get appointed on a one time basis to conduct flag surveys for many other countries. |
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NMMA Compliance Inspections and CE Compliance Consultation
CE Compliance Consultation
New or used recreation vessels being placed on the market or put into service within the EEA must comply with the RCD. Yacht builders, brokers, insurers, financiers and
owners all need to know about the application of the RCD. The compliance standards used are listed by The International Standards Organization, (ISO).
Your vessel must be legal:
Before importation of any new or used vessel, make sure your boat is compliant and certified for CE Marking. You will also have to pay VAT and Import Duty.
If a boat is not certified for CE Marking when it should be, it is illegal. If you put an illegally imported boat into service or on the market within the EU you are committing
a criminal offence with the maximum penalty being a large fine and / or a criminal prosecution. In some countries you run the additional risk that the boat will be impounded until CE Marking is carried out.
The Recreational Craft Directive (RCD):
These harmonized standards were developed for service starting the 16th June 1998, but on the 1st January 2006, amendments to the Directive came into force. There are now specific rules about how CE Marking is to be carried out on existing and second-hand boats and it is now compulsory to obtain a report from a verification organization known as a Notified Body. Additionally the boat must comply with new limits on noise levels and engine emissions. The effect of these changes is already leading to an increased level of surveillance from the industry itself and the regulators. Remember, if you break the law, you could end up with a criminal record. This is very different from paying a civil penalty like a parking fine.
Despite the legal implications, it makes good sense to have CE Marking. Without it, your asset is likely to be devalued. More folks are finding out that they cannot sell their
vessel through a broker when they try to trade up. Many unsuspecting private buyers have found themselves with a problem by accepting an illegal boat without survey.
Answer the following questions to verify if you need CE Marking:
• Does the boat already have CE Marking? (It only ever needs doing once).
• Is the boat less than 8ft (2.5m) long?
• Is the boat designed and used exclusively for racing?
• Is the boat a hydrofoil, submarine or a hovercraft?
• Is the boat a one-off or individual replica designed before 1950?
• Was the boat in the EU/EEA before 16th June 1998?
If the answer to all the above questions is “No” you need CE Marking. You can see that the age of the boat only makes a difference if it was designed before 1950. Any other
advice is inaccurate.
Exclusions:
There are certain types of vessel excluded from the Directive, including:
• Craft intended solely for racing.
• Canoes.
• Kayaks.
• Pedal boats.
• Sailboards.
• Powered surfboards.
• Original, and individual replicas of, historical craft designed before 1950, built predominantly with the original materials.
• Experimental craft not subsequently put on the market.
• Craft built for own use, provided they are not sold for a period of five years from completion.
• Commercial and passenger vessels.
• Submersibles.
• Air cushion vehicles.
• Hydrofoils.
• New or second-hand vessels that were built, put into service or put on the market within the EEA before 16th June 1998 are exempt. Note that some second-hand
vessels will have to comply.
(For full definitions refer to Directive 94/25/EC).
2. The Inspection
By law, each boat has to be individually inspected. Siam Surveyors International will address any items that need to be added or modified in order to meet the requirements of the RCD. It is your responsibility to make the necessary changes and advise us when they have been done. To save the costs of a second visit we may ask you to send us
copies of invoices and photographs as evidence that the work has been done. You will also be signing a note to confirm this.
Common non-conformities:
• Reduction in maximum number of persons allowed to be carried (Crew Limit).
• Extra manually operated or portable bilge pump.
• Fire extinguishers.
• Fuel filler inscription changed from Gas to Petrol.
• Non return valves to discharge hoses.
• Additional labeling.
The RCD Directive 94/25/EC:
Recreational Craft from 2.5m up to 24m in length. Includes vessels used for charter/training, kit boats and certain components, i.e.
• Ignition-protected equipment for inboard and stern drive engines.
• Start-in-gear protection devices for outboard motors.
• Steering wheels, steering mechanisms and cable assemblies.
• Fuel tanks intended for fixed installations and fuel hoses.
• Prefabricated hatches and port lights.
Vessels or components within the scope of the RCD must have a CE marking.
Responsibility:
The Manufacturer/Person/Authorized Community Representative first putting the product on the EU market or into service is responsible for making the vessel compliant.
Design Categories:
Category Significant Wave Height Beaufort
A - Ocean Exceeding 4m Exceeding 8
B - Offshore Up to & including 4m Up to & including 8
C - Inshore Up to & including 2 Up to & including 6
D - Sheltered Up to & including 0.5m Up to & including 4
Significant wave height means the average height of the highest 1/3rd of the waves over a given period. Waves of double that height may occasionally be experienced.
It is possible for a vessel to have a CE marking in more than one design category provided all requirements for those categories are met.
Compliance & Documentation:
When placed on the market or put into service, craft must be accompanied by a Declaration of Conformity. This certifies that the vessel meets the Essential Safety Requirements (ESR) contained in the Directive.
Not all the ESRs are safety related. There are thirty Essential Safety Requirements set out in the Directive. Not all ESRs may be applicable in some small simple boats. The ESRs are intentionally non-prescriptive to allow maximum freedom of design. The ESRs are intended to be supported by harmonized ISO standards but it can be perfectly legal to apply other standards.
A Technical Construction File (TCF) must be produced and maintained by the Manufacturer / Authorized Community Representative. This file has to be kept all the time a particular model is in production and for a minimum of ten years beyond production of last vessel.
The TCF describes how the vessel meets the Essential Safety Requirements.
The vessel must have an Owner’s Manual. This has to contain information about the safe operation of the vessel and other prescribed contents. The Declaration of Conformity accompanies the Owner’s Manual and that is why the manual should stay with the boat when it is transferred.
Post Construction Assessment:
If the vessel is used, the assessment will involve a detailed but retrospective scrutiny of the vessel in accordance with Standards, Codes and data that will fulfill the requirements of the RCD. This is a good investment if it is your intention to ever import to EEA markets.
The EEA includes a large number of Protectorates, Territories and Departments around the world. There are a number of documents that might be used as proof of having been
on the market or in service in a qualifying area.
Home-Built Boats:
Boats built or largely completed by the owner are excluded from the scope of the RCD provided the vessel is not sold within the EEA for a period of five years. A boat is not
Home Built if the owner ‘project manages’ construction.
It is important therefore to establish the date of completion because if the vessel is sold or transferred, for whatever reason, inside the five year period it must be RCD compliant and have a CE marking. This will be conducted as Post Construction Assessment.
There are special criteria to be considered with Kit Boats, and boats fitted out from finished hulls whereby compliance has to be demonstrated and certified by the manufacturer to the extent of their involvement. (Partly Built Craft).
NMMA Compliance.
The U.S. National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) has developed certification programs to help manufacturers comply with established standards and safety regulations, and to help to inform the public of such compliance when purchasing equipment. The NMMA program certifies that the design meets the standards outlined in the NMMA Certification Handbook. The manufacturer has the responsibility of assuring that production units are manufactured in compliance with the certified design. Both the administrative and technical details of these programs (formerly BIA certifications) are incorporated in the handbook. The boat standards used are based on Standards and Recommended Practices for Small Craft published by the American Boat and Yacht Council (ABYC).
A manufacturer participating in this program must certify all models 26 feet in length and over (except racing craft and pontoons) marketed in the U.S.A. for non-commercial use.
Inspectors from nationally recognized independent inspection agencies or NMMA staff visit the manufacturer and physically inspect each model for compliance with all yacht certification standards contained in this handbook. Captain Jimmy Watt of Siam Surveyors International is a Compliance Inspector for NMMA.
After resolution of any variances the inspector may find, each model will be certified.
New models must be inspected and certified prior to shipment.
Compliance is not mandated but will not only increase the value of your vessel but will be considerably safer than a non compliant vessel.
See: www.nmma.org for further information.
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