Standard Terms of Marine Survey Instruction

1.1 V-Marine Maritime Surveys Ltd acts exclusively as an independent technical marine surveyor and impartial consultant. All reports, certificates, displacement calculations, and opinions are rendered in good faith based on facts ascertained through visual, non-destructive, and hydrostatic methods at the exact time and place of inspection.

1.2 Unless explicitly contracted under statutory flag-state appointment, survey reports do not relieve the vessel's Master, Owners, Operators, or Charterers of their primary obligations under SOLAS, MARPOL, ISM Code, or Class society regulations.

2.1 Instructions submitted via the V-Marine Portal or written requisition must state the vessel's particulars, IMO number, designated port, berth or anchorage coordinates, and specific scope of attendance.

2.2 The Instructing Party undertakes to secure all necessary ISPS quayside access approvals, boarding passes, and launch boat arrangements for V-Marine surveyors to access the vessel safely and without obstruction across Takoradi, Tema, and outer West African anchorages.

3.1 In accordance with IMO Resolution A.1050(27), V-Marine surveyors will not enter any cargo hold, ballast tank, cofferdam, or enclosed void until a valid Gas-Free / Oxygen Atmosphere Certificate (O₂ ≥ 20.8%, combustible gases < 1% LEL, toxic vapors within OSHA/IMO PEL) has been officially issued, calibrated, and countersigned by the Chief Mate.

3.2 The attending surveyor holds the unilateral right to suspend or abort attendance if boarding arrangements (SOLAS pilot ladder, gangway net) or atmospheric conditions do not meet international maritime safety standards.

4.1 Fees for attendance, hydrostatic calculations, and report certification are rendered in accordance with the official quotation agreed prior to dispatch. Quotations remain valid for fourteen (14) calendar days from issuance.

4.2 Electronic payments settled via the V-Marine Portal utilize Paystack (PCI-DSS Level 1 certified), supporting international credit/debit cards and Ghana Mobile Money (MTN MoMo, Telecel Cash, AT Money) denominated in Ghana Cedis (GHS) or US Dollars (USD). V-Marine does not record or retain cardholder PANs or Mobile Money authentication PINs.

4.3 Survey mobilization fees are non-refundable once the attending surveyor has mobilized to the quayside or embarked on a pilot launch. Outstanding invoice balances must be settled within Net 14 days unless alternative credit terms are agreed in writing.

5.1 Access to the V-Marine Draft Survey Calculator, trim correction engines, and digital displacement modules is granted under a limited, revocable, non-exclusive professional license. Calculation license tokens are non-transferable and assigned solely to authorized maritime practitioners.

5.2 Calculation Technical Disclaimer: While our algorithms strictly adhere to the UN ECE / FAL / Rec. No. 28 Draft Survey Code and BIMCO Quarter Mean Standards, final cargo figures depend upon the precision of user-entered physical draft readings, sea water density hydrometer measurements, and vessel stability book hydrostatic tables. The Instructing Party remains responsible for verifying input parameters.

6.1 Authorized portal users must maintain the strict confidentiality of their authentication credentials. Account sharing across shipping agents, charterers, or unauthorized third parties is strictly prohibited.

6.2 To safeguard sensitive maritime telemetry on shared bridge computers, port control towers, and quayside field terminals, the V-Marine application enforces automated inactivity monitoring: an idle warning triggers after five (5) minutes, with automated session termination after seven (7) minutes of inactivity.

7.1 Field surveys conducted in offshore anchorages or shielded cargo holds without telecommunications connectivity operate in local offline mode via encrypted client-side storage.

7.2 All draft computations and sounding receipts generated offline remain strictly provisional until successfully synced to the central database, validated through the Chief Surveyor QA review, and stamped with the official SHA-256 seal.

8.1 V-Marine shall not be liable for any indirect, consequential, or punitive damages, including loss of charter hire, commercial demurrage, cargo deterioration, or port delay fees arising from survey attendance, calculation delays, or report issuance.

8.2 In all events, the maximum aggregate liability of V-Marine for proven gross negligence or omission shall not exceed ten (10) times the professional fee charged for the specific survey attendance, or USD $25,000, whichever is lesser.

9.1 All official survey certificates, displacement sheets, and condition reports are cryptographically hashed using SHA-256 digests. Only instruments verified through the official V-Marine Cryptographic Verification Desk (/verify) constitute authentic, admissible instruments for P&I claims, court evidence, or commercial settlement.

10.1 These terms and any dispute or claim arising out of or in connection with them shall be governed by and construed in accordance with Ghanaian Maritime Law, with reference to English Maritime Law principles where applicable.

10.2 Any controversy shall be resolved through binding arbitration in Accra, Ghana, under the commercial arbitration rules of the Ghana Arbitration Centre.