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Home / Services / Pre-purchase Vessel Inspection
Commercial
SVC surveyors go on board in Vietnam, inspect the agreed vessel areas and issue an SVC pre-purchase inspection report. We identify defects, document gaps and likely repair exposure so the buyer can bring the vessel’s actual condition into the price and delivery negotiations.
Send vessel particulars, the port or anchorage, inspection window and buyer priorities to inspection@
Work packages
Our surveyors attend the vessel, inspect its condition and review the available records. The SVC inspection report sets out the findings and repair items for the buyer's assessment.
01
Send the quotation particulars to our inspection team. We define the boarding window, inspected areas, document review and required report before sending an SVC surveyor on board. State which records and access arrangements are ready and which remain pending.
02
Our surveyor goes on board for a buyer-side technical condition assessment before a second-hand vessel purchase. We inspect visible and accessible hull, machinery, cargo, navigation and safety areas, examine available class and maintenance records, and document defects and repair exposure.
The buyer receives evidence for a decision: proceed, renegotiate, request seller rectification, obtain specialist checks, plan repairs or reject the candidate. We separate what we observed from crew statements, document findings and areas we could not verify.
A standard visual attendance does not automatically include engine opening, sea trial, underwater inspection, thickness measurement, tank entry, laboratory analysis or official class survey. These modules need their own work scope, permissions and appropriate personnel. The SVC condition report records the agreed inspection; class and statutory acceptance remain with the responsible surveyor or authority.
03
We compare the sale description and vessel particulars with the visible equipment, layout, condition and available records. A discrepancy is identified by area or document so the buyer can ask for clarification before treating the sale description as verified.
Our surveyor records visible defects that could affect safety, class position, operation, delivery or immediate repair work. We explain why a material finding matters and identify the evidence or further examination needed before its extent can be established.
We identify spaces blocked by cargo or ballast, equipment not opened or operated, seller restrictions, safety limits and time lost to access. The report records those limitations as unknown or not inspected rather than treating them as satisfactory areas.
We identify issues needing maker, machinery, electrical, cargo-gear, tanker, class, NDT, UTM or diving expertise. The report specifies the concern and proposed next examination, allowing the buyer to appoint a focused review instead of assuming that visual attendance resolved it.
We connect major defects, upcoming survey obligations, document gaps and repair requirements with practical price or delivery negotiation points. The evidence informs the buyer’s offer or rectification request; it does not turn an indicative repair exposure into an agreed yard quotation.
We identify initial drydock, repair, spare-parts, class and operating-readiness requirements. The buyer can distinguish delivery conditions from work for the first port call and longer-term expenditure, with unverified scope carried forward for further inspection or quotations.
04
Our surveyor records each vessel zone with its access status, observed condition, document basis and photographs. The following checks describe the agreed visual scope; we record equipment that could not be run, spaces not entered and documents not made available.
We note whether each record is available, partial, missing, expired or needs confirmation from class. We check survey status against the certificates and records provided and list any missing or incomplete item as a gap in the report.
We inspect accessible structure for visible condition and previous repair indications. We mark areas of visible corrosion or wastage for further investigation; remaining plate thickness is measured by UTM.
We record visible cargo-space condition, hatch-cover components and available cargo equipment. Water ingress, contamination, structural repairs or cargo-gear defects may affect the intended trade; operational or tightness tests are identified separately.
Tank entry depends on permission, gas-free status, ventilation, safe entry arrangements and the inspection window. Our surveyor enters only where those conditions allow and records tanks not entered as unverified.
We inspect accessible machinery and examine available overhaul and maintenance evidence, leaks and alarms. We witness agreed operations where permitted. Internal machinery condition is assessed when opening-up or specialist testing is added to the scope.
We inspect visible equipment and examine bridge and radio service records. Equipment operating checks and required authorised service or certification are distinguished from its appearance at the time of attendance.
We record visible condition and available service records for life-saving and fire-fighting equipment, emergency arrangements and living spaces. The agreed visual review does not replace required official inspections or equipment service tests.
05
SVC places findings in five classes and states the evidence and proposed next action. A critical defect, an acquisition repair item and an unverified area need different buyer decisions; unknown condition is not treated as an acceptable result.
A visible condition that may materially affect safety, class, operation, insurance, delivery or the buyer's ability to trade the vessel.
A material repair or renewal item that may not immediately stop operation but can create significant cost, delay or negotiation exposure.
A condition requiring attention, monitoring or routine repair but not necessarily a major acquisition blocker.
A certificate, class record, maintenance record or technical document that was unavailable, incomplete or inconsistent at the time of inspection.
We identify why each area or item was not inspected and what remains unknown. The buyer can request access, a further test or seller evidence before relying on it in the purchase decision.
06
These buyer-review examples show how condition findings affect the acquisition. For an actual inspection, our surveyor identifies the observed evidence, technical significance and remaining verification needed; the buyer decides the commercial response.
Visible coating breakdown and possible local steel wastage can point to steel renewal, drydock scope, cargo-claim exposure or a charterer concern. We identify the affected areas; UTM, class review and yard budget are the next evidence needed before repair cost is settled.
Where records do not show the overhaul history, the buyer carries machinery reliability and spare-parts exposure. We identify the record gap and recommend maker review, oil analysis or a specialist inspection appropriate to the concern before treating internal condition as known.
An approaching survey or drydock can bring immediate capital expenditure, off-hire and delivery-planning consequences. We identify the recorded dates and items requiring class confirmation so the buyer can obtain a docking budget and plan the repair work before committing to the acquisition timetable.
If tanks could not be entered, structural condition and possible steel-renewal exposure remain unquantified. We record the restriction and identify tank inspection, UTM or seller clarification as the next step. No photographed external area removes the uncertainty inside an uninspected space.
07
We agree each additional test in writing rather than assume it is included in a visual attendance. It needs the appropriate personnel, equipment, access and responsible-party permissions. The inspection report records what was omitted and the resulting uncertainty.
Our report identifies every agreed access limitation, uninspected area and unavailable document. Separately appointing a test changes that test’s scope; it does not turn the overall buyer report into an official certificate.
08
SVC defines the specialist question, required evidence and additional attendance scope with the buyer. We appoint the appropriate qualified team or provider where required, subject to the vessel’s condition, location, access and permissions. Specialist availability is confirmed for the job rather than assumed at every port.
See underwater inspection in Vietnam and RightShip pre-inspection for those separately defined workstreams.
Our diving team inspects the appointed underwater areas where port permission, diving conditions and vessel access permit. The underwater report is a separate record with its own scope and limitations.
09
We examine available class, PSC, flag, maintenance and operating records alongside the physical inspection. Repeated defects, an overdue overhaul or an unverified casualty repair can change the next inspection or repair worklist. Missing records are identified for confirmation with the responsible class, flag, owner or manager.
Public database and onboard-record checks depend on data availability and may require separate verification with class, flag, owner or manager.
10
SVC separates repair needs by timing so the buyer can obtain the right quotations and plan vessel availability. We prepare the initial worklist; preliminary repair-exposure comments are indicative, while yard, maker, workshop and specialist quotations establish the actual proposed cost.
SVC Marine may provide preliminary repair-exposure comments. These are indicative buyer-side exposure notes, not quotations. Final cost requires yard, maker, workshop, vendor or specialist quotations.
11
Our surveyor and inspection team work through document request, access planning, onboard checks, evidence collection and reporting. We identify an access or equipment limitation when it occurs rather than wait until a general conclusion at the end.
12
SVC issues a condition summary, defect register, photographs and document notes for the appointing buyer. The full report records where and when the inspection took place, what was checked and which findings still depend on access, missing records or a specialist test.
Report length and photograph count depend on vessel size, access and agreed scope, and are confirmed when the inspection is appointed.
13
We prepare the report for the appointing buyer and identify the inspection basis, evidence sources and limitations. Crew statements, seller descriptions, document findings and our observed condition are distinguishable in the record.
If SVC also holds a sourcing or sale-and-purchase mandate, factual condition findings remain separate from the commercial negotiation. The buyer sees what is known, what remains unverified and which decisions still require its approval.
14
The inspection plan follows the vessel’s equipment, cargo systems, intended trade and access conditions. We confirm the relevant technical scope before appointing attendance, including any specialist requirement for a particular vessel type.
Subject to agreed scope and safe access
Inspection method, access arrangement and specialist requirement must be defined for each vessel before attendance is confirmed.
15
The inspection report gives the buyer evidence for each available course of action. Under a separate sale-and-purchase mandate, SVC negotiates and counters MOA terms with the client using the condition findings, delivery requirements and agreed priorities. The client approves the purchase and final contractual terms.
The vessel remains broadly consistent with the buyer's requirement and risk tolerance.
Further documents, class confirmation or specialist checks are required.
Material defects or repair exposure may justify a revised offer or seller rectification.
The vessel requires UTM, underwater inspection, machinery specialist, cargo-gear testing or another focused review.
The buyer can reject a candidate where risk, uncertainty or repair exposure exceeds its mandate. We identify the material findings and unverified items so the decision is based on the actual inspection record.
16
If the buyer proceeds, SVC turns the agreed findings into the seller-rectification, delivery and initial repair worklists. Any later service is separately appointed: our superintendent inspects yard work, our technicians carry out commissioned repairs and our supply team delivers the agreed parts.
17
Our container-vessel sale and drydock record records the sale and SVC yard inspections, vendor attendance and owner reporting during the repair programme. The recorded class and Special Survey decisions belong to the appointed DNV survey process.
See Recent Transactions and Case Studies for published anonymous work records. These are existing records; the service options on this page describe the scope to agree for a new inspection.
SVC handled the container-vessel sale and attended the subsequent drydock programme. The team checked yard repair progress, manpower and service vendors and issued daily photographic reports and outstanding-work records to the owner.
Selected vessel transaction, inspection, delivery, repair and drydock execution records.
Our case studies show SVC's onboard repair, technical inspection and stores delivery work at Vietnam ports and shipyards.
18
Our buyer’s report is based on visible and accessible areas, available records and the agreed inspection window. It identifies each limitation and outstanding verification instead of certifying inaccessible condition.
Class, statutory and flag surveys remain official appointed work. Legal title, financial due diligence and insurance review remain the buyer’s separately appointed adviser scope. Specialist inspection modules below require their own appointment and permissions; final purchase authority remains with the buyer.
19
We plan inspections at Vietnam ports, anchorages and shipyards, including the locations below. Vessel position, boarding access, seller permission and the agreed inspection window determine the personnel and mobilisation. Specialist attendance is confirmed separately for the actual job.
Relevant stages include vessel sourcing, commercial vessels for sale, ship sale and purchase, delivery and handover and drydock supervision. Send your requirement to the inspection team.
20
Our surveyor inspects agreed visible and accessible hull, deck, cargo, machinery, navigation and safety areas, reviews available certificates, class and maintenance records, and issues the condition report with defects, observations and access limits. We confirm the exact scope before attendance.
The SVC pre-purchase report is a technical assessment commissioned by the buyer for the acquisition decision. Official class and statutory surveys have their own appointed surveyors and acceptance processes. We identify the available class position without issuing a class certificate.
Our scope records the actual access available. Cargo, ballast, safe entry conditions, seller permission, equipment operating condition and the inspection window may prevent an inspection or test. We list what was not inspected and the further access or work needed.
A standard visual attendance does not include dismantling the main engine. We define machinery opening, internal examination or specialist testing as a separate work package with appropriate personnel, seller approval, equipment isolation and the permitted working window.
We prepare preliminary repair-exposure comments and an initial worklist for the buyer. Final proposed prices come from the appointed yard, maker, workshop or specialist quotations. Unknown steel thickness, machinery condition or access may leave part of that budget unquantified.
Our surveyor inspects agreed ballast tanks when permission, gas-free status, ventilation, safe access and time permit. We record the areas entered, observed coating and structural condition, and tanks that remain unverified. Remaining steel thickness is measured by UTM.
SVC defines the measurement scope and appoints an appropriately qualified or approved UTM provider where that requirement applies. Access, preparation, measurement points and the required report are agreed separately; visual condition alone is not a thickness result.
Our diving team can inspect the appointed underwater scope where port permission, diving conditions and access allow. Hull, propeller, rudder and sea-chest concerns are identified before the job; the diving report states its own observed areas and limitations.
We assess the vessel type, cargo condition, tank access and buyer concern before agreeing a tanker inspection. Cargo pumps, coatings, heating, tank condition and vetting-sensitive systems may require a specialist module. Unsafe or inaccessible spaces are recorded as not inspected.
The defect register, survey position, missing records and repair worklist give the buyer evidence for clarification, seller rectification or revised price and delivery terms. Under a separate S&P mandate, SVC negotiates and counters MOA clauses with the client; the client approves the final deal.
The report records the evidence obtained, observed condition and stated limitations at the agreed attendance. Unseen structure, unopened machinery or missing documents remain identified as unverified. The buyer decides whether that evidence and remaining exposure meet its acquisition requirement.
If appointed for the next stage, SVC carries out the agreed MOA negotiation and closing work, delivery attendance, drydock inspections, repairs and parts deliveries. Each work package states the personnel, scope, records and client decisions required; inspection findings become the technical starting point.
Send vessel particulars, the port or anchorage, boarding window and buyer priorities to our inspection team. Include the available class and maintenance records and any specialist checks required.