First Remote Survey Completed For an Isle of Man Registered Vessel

The Isle of Man Ship Registry is delighted to announce that the first periodical remote survey has been completed for an Isle of Man Registered Vessel, the capesize bulk carrier ‘Berge Zugspitze’. The remote survey was undertaken by Classification Society DNV GL - Maritime who worked closely with the Isle of Man Ship Registry survey team throughout the process. The process was for the vessel’s annual class and statutory surveys and took place between 21 and 26 May whilst the vessel was located at the anchorage of Port Hedland, Australia.

The survey made use of the latest inspection technology allowing live interactive video streaming  transmitted to DNV GL surveyors located in Singapore and Ship Registry Surveyors on the Isle of Man. The survey itself was carried out under the guidance and instruction of DNV-GL, whilst Isle of Man Ship Registry representatives reviewed and monitored the process.

Isle of Man Ship Registry’s Deputy Director Toby Brooks was part of the Ship Registry team who observed the survey and was keen to explain how it went:

"Survey preparation and performance was extremely thorough and we were delighted to witness DNV GL’s remote survey procedures for a periodical survey completed successfully for the first time on an IOM flagged bulk carrier. The survey itself took around 50 hours to complete – although we expect the time to reduce dramatically as everyone becomes more familiar with the process. We are grateful to Berge Bulk for the opportunity, to DNV GL for their clear guidance throughout delivery and to the crew on board for their co-operation and considerable effort to achieve such a milestone.
Whilst we don’t expect remote periodical surveys to become the norm just yet, they are a very useful tool to have as a viable option, particularly with the current disruption to global travel. This exercise provided a very valuable ‘proof of concept’ for remote surveys.”

Knut Ørbeck-Nilssen, CEO of DNV GL – Maritime was equally pleased with the outcome. He commented:

“DNV GL has been carrying out remote surveys since 2018, and we are pleased that Isle of Man Ship Registry and Berge Bulk have recognized our expertise and experience in this field by choosing DNV GL as the classification partner for this project. The pandemic has pushed us to scale up the intensity of remote service delivery and we are fortunate that our longstanding commitment to digital advancement has meant we were well positioned to respond. We stand ready to support Isle of Man Ship Registry and Berge Bulk on future projects.”  

Going forwards, the Ship Registry will consider applications for remote surveys on a case by case basis only. The limitations of remote surveys will be accentuated by the more complex survey scope demands of various ship types, of increased tonnage and age. We would therefore ask all our delegated Classification Societies wishing to undertake such a survey to contact the Ship Registry and make arrangements for our participation in the first instance.

Once again the IOM Ship Registry would like to thank everyone who worked on this project, DNV GL, Berge Bulk Maritime, and the hard-working crew of Berge Zugspitze.

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