The way ships are maintained has changed since last

decade or two.

Rarely will it happen that a seafarer completes his

contract without the ship going through any survey or

inspection.

It is now surveys and inspections all the way.

We have one or more surveys and inspections to cover

each element of the ship.

For example, surveys for safety equipment certificate

ensures that ship’s safety equipments are maintained in

the way these should be.

Safety construction, load line certificate surveys deal

with the construction part of the ship.

So where does “Enhanced survey programme” fit in all

this and why do we have this?

To understand that let us briefly go to the history of the

enhanced survey programme.

Why Enhanced Survey Programme?

The Enhanced survey programme is applicable for bulk

carriers and oil tankers.

Definitely, IMO found something grossly wrong with

these ships. Something so wrong that they had to bring

more stringent regulation for these type of ships.

Here is what was wrong.

So many ships and lives lost !!! All because something

was wrong with either the design of the ship or with the

maintenance of the ship.

During this period, the number of oil tankers lost may

not be as many as bulk carriers but oil tankers were

included for the requirements of ESP because of cargo

these carry.

Following these incidents, more and more P&I clubs

started to question the quality of surveys done by the

classification societies.
 In 1993, IACS introduced Enhanced survey program for

more close up inspections of these ships.

But then again In 1994 alone, 12 bulk carriers were lost

in the sea.

This made the IMO to take special measures and to

adopt a new SOLAS chapter (Chapter XI-1) to enhance

maritime safety.

Among other requirements, this new chapter required

bulk carriers and oil tankers to go through enhanced

survey program.

What is Enhanced survey programme

A ship undergoes four type of surveys during its 5

yearly cycle of statutory surveys.

 Annual Survey

 Intermediate survey
 Renewal Survey

 Dry dock survey

So where does Enhanced survey programme fit in

these?

Enhanced survey programme is not a separate survey.

ESP just gives the specific guidelines about what to

inspect during these surveys with respect to hull and

structure of bulk carriers and oil tankers.

 These detailed guidelines are given in the ESP code.

Let me give you a brief about these guidelines.

Who to inspect

 For bulk carriers of 20,000 tons deadweight and above,

two surveyors should jointly carry out the first

scheduled renewal survey after the bulk carrier passes

10 years of age (i.e. third renewal survey), and all

subsequent renewal surveys and intermediate surveys.

 On bulk carriers of 100,000 tons deadweight and above,

the intermediate survey between 10 and 15 years of

age should be performed by two surveyors.

When to inspect

 The renewal survey may be commenced at the fourth

annual survey and be progressed during the succeeding

year with a view to completion by the fifth-anniversary

date.

 A survey in dry-dock should be a part of the renewal

survey. There should be a minimum of two inspections

of the outside of the ship’s bottom during the five-year

period of the certificate. In all cases, the maximum

interval between bottom inspections should not exceed

36 months

How to inspect

 For ships of 15 years of age and over, inspection of the

outside of the ship’s bottom should be carried out with

the ship in dry-dock. For ships of less than 15 years of

age, alternate inspections of the ship’s bottom not

 conducted in conjunction with the renewal survey may

be carried out with the ship afloat.

 In any kind of survey, i.e. renewal, intermediate, annual

or other surveys having the scope of the foregoing ones,

thickness measurements of structures in areas where

close-up surveys are required should be carried out

simultaneously with close-up surveys

I have just given a couple of bullet points about what

these guidelines are.

If you get your hands on ESP code, you will see that

these guidelines provide much more details than this.

It covers the minimum requirements for the

inspection of ship’s hull and structure during each type

of survey. The structures like

 Cargo holds and hatch covers

 All pipings
 Ballast tanks

 All Hull plating

 Watertight bulkheads

It also guides about the extent the inspection (overall

survey or close up survey) for each of these elements

during these surveys.

The overall survey is intended to report the overall

condition of the hull structure. For example, as per ESP

code during the annual surveys, the overall survey of

the cargo tanks need to be carried out.

This would mean that surveyor needs to do the good

visual inspection of the cargo hold.

Close up survey is a survey where the details of

structural components are within the close visual

inspection range of the surveyor, i.e. normally within

reach of hand.
Again as per ESP code, a Close-up survey of cargo holds

is required during renewal survey. So during renewal

survey, each part of cargo hold need to be in hand

reach range of the surveyor.

So shipowner may need to arrange for scaffolding in the

cargo holds.

Now that we know few things about ESP, let us

understand the process involved in the ESP.

1. Survey Programme

ESP code requires that a survey programme is

developed before the renewal survey.

The survey programme document gives the complete

detail of what needs to be inspected and what resources

are required to conduct the survey.

Survey programme gives the inspecting surveyor a

written plan to follow.

Survey programme is sometimes also called “Survey

planning document”.

The purpose of this planning document is to identify the

hull related critical areas that must be inspected during

the renewal survey of the ship.

But how these critical areas are identified? These few

resources help in identifying these critical areas.

i) ESP Code

ESP code has detailed instruction on the minimum

criteria for inspection during each of the statutory

survey.

For example, Annex 1 of the ESP code defines the

requirements for the close-up survey during renewal

survey of the ship.

Similarly, Annex 2 of the ESP code defines the

requirements for the thickness measurement during

renewal survey of the ship.

So the guidelines given in the ESP code becomes the

first resource on the basis of what “Survey programme”

or “Survey planning document” is developed.

ii) Survey planning Questionnaire

Before survey programme is developed, the ship owner

is required to complete a survey planning questionnaire.

Ship owner is supposed to provide information on

 Any hull related deficiencies identified during PSC

inspections of the ship

 Any hull related non-conformities issued during SMS

audits

 Cargo carried history of the ship to get the information

on how frequently corrosive cargoes are carried that has

the potential to damage the coating.

 The condition of the coating as per the ship owners

inspection of the ship spaces.

The ship owner’s response on this questionnaire is

considered while developing the survey programme for

the ship.

For example, if in the survey planning questionnaire it is

noted that cargo hold #1 has carried high sulphur coal

very frequently, this hold may be subjected to more

strict inspection.
In this case, survey programme would include more

areas for a close-up inspection and thickness

measurement of cargo hold # 1, above the minimum

requirements of ESP code.

iii) Damage history

There is this one last information that is taken into

account while developing the survey programme for the

ship.

This is damage history.

Not only for the ship in question but also for the sister

ships.

If the ship or its sister ships have suffered frequent

damage of one particular area, that area is identified for

more close up inspection during the renewal survey.

iv) General damage trends in the industry

Survey programme also takes into account general ship

damage trends in the industry.

For example, let us say in short span of time a number

of bulk carriers have sunk because of cracks at the

midship area.

The more close up inspection and thickness

measurement (over and above the minimum

requirements as per ESP code) will be included in the

survey programme.

v) Critical areas and suspect areas

Survey programme takes into account any critical areas

and suspect areas. These areas are identified from the

previous inspections or previous thickness measurement

reports.

For example during previous renewal survey, if certain

areas are identified as having substantial corrosion,

these areas will be considered as suspect areas.

Once all the data is available, a specific survey

programme is developed for the ship.

 2. Survey planning meeting

Once survey programme is established, it is time for

executing the survey programme.

Survey planning meeting is the first step in executing

the survey programme.

Survey planning meeting is held before the renewal or

intermediate survey is commenced. As the renewal

survey is carried out during dry docking of the ship, this

meeting will be carried out just before the dry dock.

This meeting is between the attending class surveyors,

ship owners, and master/chief engineer of the ship and

thickness measurement company.

The main agenda of this meeting is to discuss the

 Schedule of the ship

 execution of thickness measurement, such as when the

holds/tanks will be ready for thickness measurement.

 the extent of close up survey

In short, the content of the survey programme becomes

the agenda for discussion in the survey planning

meeting.

3. Conducting the survey

After the survey planning meeting, the survey is carried

out as agreed and as per survey programme and

minutes of survey planning meeting.

Thickness measurement company will carry out the

thickness measurement of the agreed areas.

The person carrying out the thickness measurement will

usually highlight any structure related concern he finds

while carrying the UT gauging to the class surveyor and

the ship owner’s representative (usually

superintendent).

Based on this, the class surveyor may extend the scope

of thickness measurement.
 4. Survey Reporting

Once the survey is complete, it is time for creating the

report for the survey that will show the summary of all

the surveys done and its outcome.

The reports that need to be generated are

Condition evaluation report

As the name suggests, this report gives the complete

report of the renewal survey conducted for the ship.

For example, it would give the actual condition of the

tank coating.

As per the ESP code, the condition of the tank coating

need to be defined as any one of these

 Good

 Fair

 Poor
If a condition of class is issued to the ship as a result of

renewal survey, the details of the condition of class will

also be provided in the condition evaluation report.

Condition evaluation report would also have the details

of any memorandum of class issued to the ship.

Condition evaluation report also documents and

highlights any area that has been observed to have

“substantial corrosion”.
Thickness measurement report

Condition evaluation report will provide the summary of

thickness gauging report and any area of concerns

identified in thickness measurement.

But we also need to have the complete thickness

measurement report with all the measured readings of

the hull structure and tanks.

 [Image Source]

This thickness report is required to be sent to the flag

state.

What ship staff need to know about ESP

And now the most important question. What exactly

ship staff need to know about ESP?

First, ship staff needs to know what all inspections and

surveys are required to be done as per ESP.

This we already discussed so far in this post.

 But the most importantly, ships staff need to maintain

an ESP file on board.

This file will have

 Survey reports related to hull structures

 Condition evaluation report

 Thickness measurement report

Master has to make sure that these records are

available in the ESP file.

After the renewal survey, it takes some time for ship’s

classification society to prepare condition evaluation

report.

So condition evaluation report may arrive on board after

one month from the completion of renewal survey.

During any inspections, the master must be able to

convey this fact to the inspectors who may want to have

a look at the condition evaluation report.

Same may be the case with thickness measurement

report.

Master and the chief officer must understand the

content of “condition evaluation report”.

They must know if any areas with “substantial

corrosion” are identified in the condition evaluation

report.
Also, they must know if any tank coating has been

graded as “Fair” or “poor”.

Whenever ship staff is making the routine inspection of

these sections of hull structure, particular attention

must then be given to the areas identified to have

substantial corrosion or with tank coating as “Fair” and

“poor”.

Conclusion

The voyage of a ship is called an adventure because it is

a risky environment.

These risks are found to be even higher for the Bulk

carriers and tankers.

These risks increase many fold if the hull and structures

of these ships are not maintained absolutely good

condition.
Enhanced survey programme gives the specific

guidelines for the inspection of hull related items during

statutory surveys.

ESP has ensured these ships are maintained in a way

that ensures the safety of the bulk carriers and tankers.