Enhanced Survey Programme (ESP)

Why ESP??
❑ Following a spate accidents in bulk carriers & tankers, IACS
introduced Enhanced survey program for more close up inspections
of these ships in 1993.

❑ However, following more accidents, IMO adopted a new SOLAS

chapter (Chapter XI-1) to enhance maritime safety on 04 November
1993. ESP is mandatory as per SOLAS Regulation 2 of Chapter XI-1.

❑ The new chapter required bulk carriers and oil tankers to go through
enhanced survey program.

❑ On 30 November 2011, new IMO resolution (replacing the earlier

one) introduced ESP Code. ESP detailed guidelines are given in the
ESP code.

❑ ESP Code came into force on 01 January 2014.

 What is Enhanced survey programme
❑ The Enhanced survey programme is applicable for bulk carriers and oil
tankers. WHY??

❑ Is ESP an additional survey?

❑ ESP gives the specific guidelines about what to inspect during the Annual,
Intermediate, Renewal & Dry Docking surveys with respect to hull and
structure.

❑ These detailed guidelines are given in the ESP code.

❑ The intensity of survey depends on the type of ship & the age of the ship
e.g:
✓ 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.
What is Enhanced survey programme
✓ 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.

✓ 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
What is Enhanced survey programme
✓ 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
What is Enhanced survey programme
❑ 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 piping
✓ 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.
 ESP Process
❑The ESP process involves:

➢ Survey Programme or Survey Planning Document

➢ Survey planning meeting

➢ Conducting the survey

➢ Survey Reporting

➢ ESP File
 Survey Programme or Survey Planning
Document
❑ 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.

❑It provides the inspecting surveyor a written plan to follow with the
purpose of identifying the hull related critical areas that must be
inspected during the renewal survey of the ship.
 Survey Programme or Survey Planning
Document
Following contribute in preparation of Survey Programme:
❑ Survey planning Questionnaire - Before survey programme is
developed, the ship owner is required to complete a survey
planning questionnaire. The information sought through the
questionnaire includes:
➢ 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 owner’s inspection
of the ship spaces.
 Survey Programme or Survey Planning
Document
❑ The ship owner’s response on this questionnaire is considered
while developing the survey programme for the ship – focusing on
areas / spaces that may have been identified through the
questionnaire.

❑ Damage history – The damage history of not only the ship in

question but also of its sister ships is taken into consideration in
developing survey programme.
 Survey Programme or Survey Planning
Document
❑ General damage trends in the industry - Survey programme also
takes into account general ship damage trends in the industry. E.g.
For example, let us say in short span of time a number of bulk
carriers have sunk because of cracks at the midship area may
necessitate inclusion of more close up inspection and thickness
measurement.

❑ 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. e.g. if certain areas are identified as having
substantial corrosion in earlier surveys, these areas will be
considered as suspect areas.
 Survey Planning Meeting

❑ Once survey programme is established, 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. survey
 Survey Planning Meeting

❑ The agenda of this meeting is to discuss the survey programme,

mainly –

✓ 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

 Conducting the Survey

❑ the survey is carried out as agreed and as per survey programme

and minutes of survey planning meeting.

❑ The 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.

❑ Based on this, the class surveyor may extend the scope of thickness
measurement.
 Survey Reporting

❑ Once the survey report contains the summary of all the surveys
done and its outcome. The reports that need to be generated are:

✓ Condition evaluation report

✓ If a condition of class is issued to the ship as a result of renewal

survey, the details of the condition of class.

✓ Details of any memorandum of class issued to the ship.

✓ Any area that has been observed to have “substantial

corrosion”.

✓ Thickness measurement report

 ESP File

❑ The ship shall maintain on-board an ESP File that shall have:

✓ Survey reports related to hull structures

✓ Condition evaluation report

✓ Thickness measurement report

ESP File
 ESP – Some Definitions
❑ Overall survey - is a survey intended to report on the overall
condition of the hull structure and determine the extent of
additional close-up surveys.

❑ 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.

❑ Representative spaces - are those which are expected to reflect the

condition of other spaces of similar type and service and with
similar corrosion prevention systems. When selecting
representative spaces account should be taken of the service and
repair history on board and identifiable critical and/or suspect
areas. or hard scale at per cent or more of areas under
consideration.
 ESP – Some Definitions

❑ Suspect areas - are locations showing substantial corrosion and/or

are considered by the surveyor to be prone to rapid wastage.

❑ Substantial corrosion - is an extent of corrosion such that

assessment of corrosion pattern indicates wastage in excess of 75
per cent of allowable margins, but within acceptable limits.

❑ For ships built under the IACS Common Structural Rules, substantial
corrosion is an extent of corrosion such that the assessment of the
corrosion pattern indicates a gauged (or measured) thickness
between tnet + 0.5 mm and tnet.
ESP – Some Definitions
 Coating Condition

❑ Coating condition - is defined as follows:

✓ GOOD condition with only minor spot rusting;

✓ FAIR condition with local breakdown of coating at edges of

stiffeners and weld connections and/or light rusting over 20 per
cent or more of areas under consideration, but less than as
defined for POOR condition; and

✓ POOR condition with general breakdown of coating over 20 per

cent or more of areas or hard scale at 10 per cent or more of
areas under consideration.
Coating Condition
 Corrosion Prevention System

❑ A corrosion prevention system is normally considered a full hard

protective coating. Hard protective coating should usually be epoxy
coating or equivalent. Other coating systems, which are neither soft
nor semi-hard coatings, may be considered acceptable as
alternatives provided that they are applied and maintained in
compliance with the manufacturer's specifications.
 Critical Structural Areas

❑ Critical structural areas - are locations which have been identified

from calculations to require monitoring or from the service history
of the subject ship or from similar or sister ships to be sensitive to
cracking, buckling or corrosion which would impair the structural
integrity of the ship.
 Specially Considered

❑ Specially considered (in connection with close-up surveys and

thickness measurements) - means sufficient close-up inspection
and thickness measurements are taken to confirm the actual
average condition of the structure under the coating.
 Access to Structures

❑ For overall survey, means should be provided to enable the

surveyor to examine the structure in a safe and practical way.

❑ For close-up surveys depending on size of vessel and structure

being surveyed shall comprise of suitable one or more of the
following means for access acceptable to the surveyor:

a) Permanent staging and passages through structures;

b) temporary staging and passages through structures;

c) lifts and moveable platforms;

d) portable ladders;
 Access to Structures

e) hydraulic arm vehicles such as conventional cherry pickers, lifts

and movable platforms;

f) boats or rafts provided the structural capacity of the hold is

sufficient to withstand static loads at all levels of water;

g) other equivalent means.

 Documentation on-board
❑ The owner should obtain, supply and maintain on board
documentation as detailed below. The documents should be readily
available for the surveyor and should be kept on board for the
lifetime of the ship.

❑Documents include:
✓ The condition evaluation report.

✓ A survey report file consisting of

✓ reports of structural surveys

✓ condition evaluation report

✓ thickness measurement reports

 Documentation on-board
✓ survey programme

✓ main structural plans of cargo holds and ballast tanks;

✓ previous repair history;

✓ cargo and ballast history;

✓ inspections by ship's personnel with reference to structural

deterioration in general & leakages in bulkheads and piping;

❑ The survey report file should be available also in the owner's and
the Administration offices, or in the office of the organization
recognized by the Administration.
 Age of the Vessel
❑ The age of the vessel is a vital criteria under ESP governing the
intensity of surveys specially as pertaining to requirements for
thickness measurements and close up surveys. e.g. The close up
survey and thickness measurement requirements for bulk carriers is
as follows:
Age of the Vessel