DENIS stands for Deutschland Nautical Inspection Services. We are an independent marine survey and consultancy practice based in Bremen, Germany, built on more than 30 years of practical seagoing and inspection experience across a wide range of vessel types.

We work for shipowners, ship managers, charterers, cargo traders, insurers and their legal advisers — carrying out marine surveys, cargo inspections, audits, damage assessments and accident investigations.

Yes. We attend as an independent third party and have no commercial interest in the outcome of a survey, an investigation or a claim. We report what we find.

Where we are instructed by one party in a dispute, that instruction is stated openly in the report. We do not accept an assignment where a conflict of interest would prevent us from reporting objectively.

Our surveys are carried out by surveyors with seagoing command and technical management background. (Professional qualifications, certificates and memberships to be listed here — will be completed shortly.)

Full credentials and a surveyor CV can be provided on request before an assignment is confirmed.

Our standard coverage is the German North Range and the Benelux ports — including Bremen, Bremerhaven, Hamburg, Wilhelmshaven, Brake, Nordenham, Emden, Rotterdam, Amsterdam and Antwerp.

Attendance at other European ports is arranged on request. For dry docking we also arrange independent supervision at yards in Turkey and elsewhere in Europe. If your port is not listed, send us the vessel’s ETA and we will confirm whether we can attend.

Send your nomination by e-mail or WhatsApp, or call us directly. Nominations at short notice can be accepted by telephone.

We then confirm attendance, the agreed scope and the cost basis in text form before the survey starts, so there is a written record of what was instructed. A contract comes into existence with that written confirmation, or when we begin performance.

The more of the following you can give us up front, the faster we can confirm:

• Vessel name and IMO number
• Port, terminal and berth, plus ETA / ETB
• Cargo type and quantity, or the equipment concerned
• The scope required — for example draft survey, bunker survey, condition survey, pre-shipment inspection
• Local agent contact details
• The instructing party and the invoicing address

If some details are still open, send what you have. We can hold provisional availability and confirm once the schedule is firm.

For ports within our standard coverage we can often attend at very short notice, subject to surveyor availability. For planned work — pre-purchase inspections, audits, dry dock supervision — earlier notice lets us allocate the right surveyor and prepare properly.

If an operation is already under way and you need someone on board quickly, call or send a WhatsApp message rather than an e-mail. That is the fastest route.

Yes. Cargo operations and vessel calls do not follow office hours, so we provide attendance and emergency response outside normal working hours, including weekends and public holidays.

Work outside standard hours may be charged at a different rate; this is stated in the confirmation before the assignment starts, never afterwards.

Delays are part of shipping and we plan for them. Waiting time and standby are recorded and charged separately, as set out in the confirmation.

If an attendance is cancelled by the instructing party, or the vessel or cargo is not available at the agreed time, and cancellation occurs less than 24 hours before the agreed attendance, we may charge 50% of the agreed fee plus any expenses already incurred.

We are not liable for delays caused by weather, port operations, authorities, the vessel or third parties.

No, and it is important to be clear about this. A survey is a visual, non-destructive assessment of the condition found at the time and place of the inspection, limited to the areas that were safely and reasonably accessible.

It is not a guarantee of the condition of the vessel or cargo, and it is not a warranty of seaworthiness, cargo worthiness or fitness for purpose. What we owe you is the careful performance of the survey and an honest report of what we found — not a particular commercial outcome.

Areas that are not accessible, not opened, covered, unlit or unsafe fall outside the survey. We are not obliged to enter enclosed spaces, work at height, or dismantle any part of the vessel or cargo.

Anything that could not be inspected is stated explicitly in the report as a limitation, rather than left unmentioned. If access to a specific space matters to your decision, tell us in advance so it can be arranged and included in the agreed scope.

A draft survey determines the quantity of bulk cargo loaded or discharged by measuring the vessel’s displacement before and after the operation, corrected for ballast, fresh water, bunkers, trim, list and water density.

It is the accepted method for bulk quantity determination, but it is a calculation from measured drafts, not a weighbridge. Quantities, weights and calculations determined by survey are estimates carried out to customary industry standards and within their inherent tolerances. Where quantity is commercially critical, we recommend agreeing the tolerance basis with your counterparty in advance.

Both record the condition of the vessel and the quantity of bunkers on board at a specific point in a charter.

• On-hire survey — carried out at delivery, establishing the baseline condition and bunker quantities the charterer takes over.
• Off-hire survey — carried out at redelivery, recording condition and bunkers at hand-back so that any change during the charter period can be identified.

Read together, the two reports are what allow damage, wear and bunker differences to be attributed to the right period — which is why both are usually attended by the same practice.

We carry out bunker surveys for remaining-on-board (ROB) determination, bunker quantity surveys (BQS) at delivery, on-hire and off-hire bunker quantities, and bunker condition assessment.

The work covers tank soundings or gauging, temperature and density correction, calculation of quantities in accordance with the vessel’s tables, and where instructed the drawing of representative samples for laboratory analysis.

Yes. We draw samples in accordance with the applicable sampling procedure, seal and label them, maintain the chain of custody, and arrange analysis at an independent accredited laboratory.

Laboratory fees are third-party costs and are invoiced separately from our attendance fee. Turnaround depends on the laboratory and the test requested; we confirm the expected timeframe when the sampling is instructed.

Where an operational decision depends on it, we give you the essential findings by phone or e-mail while still on site or immediately afterwards, so you are never waiting on paperwork to act.

(Standard turnaround for the full written report to be confirmed here — will be completed shortly.) Where laboratory results or third-party documentation form part of the report, issue depends on those arriving; we tell you the expected date rather than leaving it open.

A structured report covering the assignment details and agreed scope, the conditions and limitations under which the survey was carried out, the findings, photographic evidence, and the relevant calculations or measurements.

Where we have been instructed to give an opinion, the report also sets out our professional assessment — clearly separated from the factual findings, so the reader can see which is which. An opinion reflects our assessment at the time of issue on the basis of the information then available.

Reports are prepared exclusively for the instructing client and for the agreed purpose. They may not be passed to third parties, published or quoted in part without our prior written consent.

This is not bureaucracy: a report read out of context, or quoted selectively, can be seriously misleading. In practice consent is normally given where disclosure to an insurer, buyer, lawyer or counterparty is part of the purpose — just tell us at nomination stage who the report may need to be shown to, and we will note it in the confirmation.

No third party may rely on our reports, and we accept no liability towards third parties who obtain a report with or without our consent.

Reports are issued in English as standard, which is the working language of the industry and of most P&I and claims correspondence. (Additional report languages available to be confirmed here — will be completed shortly.)

Attendance is charged at our applicable rates, plus statutory VAT where applicable. The following are charged separately and are not built into the attendance fee: waiting time and standby, cancelled attendance, travel and accommodation, and third-party costs such as laboratory analysis or launch hire.

The cost basis is stated in our written confirmation before the assignment starts. Our quotations are non-binding until confirmed in writing.

Invoices are due within 30 days of the invoice date without deduction. In the event of late payment we are entitled to statutory default interest and the statutory flat-rate default charge under German law.

Our General Terms and Conditions apply to all assignments and are referred to and attached in the quotation and the order confirmation. They cover scope of services, the client’s duties to cooperate, use of reports, fees, limitation of liability, confidentiality and jurisdiction.

Our services are directed exclusively at business clients within the meaning of Section 14 BGB, at legal entities under public law and at special funds under public law. We do not contract with consumers.

Client terms that conflict with or deviate from ours do not apply unless we have expressly agreed to them in writing. For repeat instructions we are happy to review a framework agreement or panel terms — send them over and we will come back with any points we need to discuss.