Engineering ServicesISCO 3115
Marine surveyor
Marine surveyors inspect vessels intended for operations in maritime or open sea waters. They ensure that vessels and equipment follow the regulations laid down by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO). They may also act as third parties for the review of offshore facilities and construction projects.
Check yourself in a minute: marine surveyor
Rate 5 of the 26 essential skills of this occupation (European ESCO data). No account needed.
comply with operational standards for vessels
ensure vessel security
read standard blueprints
inspect vessel
stay up-to-date with maritime transportation technology
About marine surveyor
As a marine surveyor, you will be responsible for inspecting vessels, offshore facilities, and maritime equipment to ensure they meet international standards set by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) and other regulatory bodies. Your daily responsibilities include conducting thorough inspections of ships' hulls, mechanical systems, and safety equipment, reviewing technical documentation and engineering drawings, interviewing vessel operators and crew members, and compiling detailed reports on your findings. You will work both onboard vessels and in office environments, often travelling to different ports and shipyards across Poland and internationally. Your expertise is critical to maritime safety, environmental protection, and the prevention of maritime accidents, making your role essential to the shipping industry. The career offers strong prospects as global maritime regulations continue to evolve and the demand for qualified surveyors remains steady, with opportunities to advance into senior surveyor positions or consultancy roles.
Key Work Functions
Core areas of responsibility for a marine surveyor.
1
Vessel Inspection and Assessment
- Conduct comprehensive physical inspections of vessel hulls, propulsion systems, and structural components to identify defects, corrosion, or mechanical failures
- Review and verify compliance with IMO regulations, national maritime laws, and international conventions including SOLAS and MARPOL
- Test and certify maritime safety equipment including lifeboats, life jackets, fire detection systems, and emergency communication devices
- Document inspection findings with photographs, measurements, and detailed notes for official survey reports
2
Regulatory Compliance Verification
- Ensure vessels comply with international maritime transportation technology standards and operational requirements
- Perform inspections required by international maritime conventions and update vessel documentation accordingly
- Advise vessel owners and operators on maritime regulations, necessary modifications, and certification requirements
3
Technical Documentation Review
- Analyze and interpret engineering drawings, blueprints, and technical specifications for vessel systems and components
- Review maintenance records and vessel logbooks to assess operational history and compliance track record
- Verify that vessel modifications and upgrades are properly documented and comply with design approvals
4
Offshore Facility Evaluation
- Act as a third-party inspector for offshore drilling platforms, production facilities, and construction projects
- Assess structural integrity, safety systems, and operational readiness of offshore installations
- Conduct quality assurance inspections during construction and commissioning phases of offshore projects
European Skills Framework
Skills and knowledge areas required for this occupation based on European classification.
Essential (26)
ship related legislative requirementsship related legislative requirementsConventions of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) concerning safety of life at sea, security and protection of the marine environment.quality assurance proceduresquality assurance proceduresThe procedures to inspect a product or system to ensure that it is according to specifications and requirements.international waterwaysinternational waterwaysThe international waterways used for maritime navigation, the geographical location of currents, maritime waterways, and harbours.mechanics of vesselsmechanics of vesselsThe mechanical aspects and principles of vessels operations, and the technicalities and mechanical composition of boats and ships.mathematicsmathematicsMathematics is the study of topics such as quantity, structure, space, and change. It involves the identification of patterns and formulating new conjectures based on them. Mathematicians strive to pr...types of maritime vesselstypes of maritime vesselsVarious types of maritime vessels such as container ships, passenger ships and fishing vessels, and their characteristics and specifications, security, technical, and maintenance requirements.maritime telecommunicationsmaritime telecommunicationsKnowledge of transmission, broadcasting equipment and overall operation of telecommunications systems.mechanical engineeringmechanical engineeringDiscipline that applies principles of physics, engineering and materials science to design, analyse, manufacture and maintain mechanical systems.national waterwaysnational waterwaysThe national waterways used for inland navigation. The geographical location of rivers, canals, seaports and inland harbours, and their relationship with cargo flows.Global Maritime Distress and Safety SystemGlobal Maritime Distress and Safety SystemThe internationally agreed-upon set of safety procedures, types of equipment and communication protocols used to increase safety and make it easier to rescue distressed ships, boats and aircraft.comply with operational standards for vesselscomply with operational standards for vesselsMake sure that the design and condition of the vessels are up to par for the operation.ensure vessel securityensure vessel securityEnsure that security requirements for vessels are met according to legal norms. Check if the security equipment is in place and operational. Communicate with marine engineers to ensure that the techni...read standard blueprintsread standard blueprintsRead and comprehend standard blueprints, machine, and process drawings.inspect vesselinspect vesselInspect vessels to ensure their effective and safe operation. Keep the vessel and its equipment in conformance to regulations.stay up-to-date with maritime transportation technologystay up-to-date with maritime transportation technologyGather information about the current trends in maritime transportation technology and stay up-to-date with the latest findings in the field. Apply this knowledge in operations and decision-making whil...ensure vessel compliance with regulationsensure vessel compliance with regulationsInspect vessels, vessel components, and equipment; ensure compliance with standards and specifications.recognise signs of corrosionrecognise signs of corrosionRecognise the symptoms of metal showing oxidation reactions with the environment resulting in rusting, copper pitting, stress cracking, and others, and estimate the rate of corrosion.read engineering drawingsread engineering drawingsRead the technical drawings of a product made by the engineer in order to suggest improvements, make models of the product or operate it.assess vessel capabilityassess vessel capabilityAssess vessel capability utilising different methods and drawing on information from the deck crew. Determine specific measurements and gather data for further calculations on the capability of vessel...assess structural integrity of ship for maritime usageassess structural integrity of ship for maritime usageAssess the structural integrity of a ship and determine its suitability for continued use in maritime activities.integrate Committee on Safe Seas guidelines into inspectionsintegrate Committee on Safe Seas guidelines into inspectionsKeep abreast of the guidelines provided by the Committee on Safe Seas and the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (COSS). Integrate their guidelines into inspection exercises.determine cause of damagedetermine cause of damageRecognise damage and signs of corrosion, identify their cause and determine maintenance and repair procedures.lead inspectionslead inspectionsLead inspections and the protocol involved, such as introducing the inspection team, explaining the purpose of the inspection, performing the inspection, requesting documents and asking appropriate qu...perform inspections required by international conventionsperform inspections required by international conventionsPerform inspections as required by international conventions. Understand procedures and regulations to ensure compliance.advise on maritime regulationsadvise on maritime regulationsProvide information and advice on maritime laws, vessel registration, and safety regulations.write inspection reportswrite inspection reportsWrite the results and conclusions of the inspection in a clear and intelligible way. Log the inspection's processes such as contact, outcome, and steps taken.
Optional (48) — show
engineering principlesengineering principlesThe engineering elements like functionality, replicability, and costs in relation to the design and how they are applied in the completion of engineering projects.maritime lawmaritime lawThe collection of domestic and international laws and treaties that govern behaviour on the sea.inland waterway police regulationsinland waterway police regulationsThe rules, legal requirements, and relevant police regulations applicable to the traffic on inland waterways.digital camera sensorsdigital camera sensorsTypes of sensors used in digital cameras, such as charged coupled devices (CCD) and complementary metal oxide semiconductor sensors (CMOS).vehicle cargo capacityvehicle cargo capacityThe capacity and the limits of the commissioned vehicle in terms of weight, type of cargo it can handle, and other cargo loading specifications.unmanned air systemsunmanned air systemsThe systems used to remotely control unmanned aerial vehicles by onboard computers or by a pilot on the ground or in the air.guidance, navigation and controlguidance, navigation and controlThe engineering discipline that deals with the design and development of systems that can control the motion of automobiles, ships, space- and aircraft. It includes control over vehicle's trajectory f...naval architecturenaval architectureThe design of sea vessels, the form and stability of hulls. It also deals with the design of offshore structures of all kinds whether commercial or military.civil aviation regulationscivil aviation regulationsThe body of regulations, rules and signals that apply to the field of civil aviation, including marshalling signals.principles of cargo stowageprinciples of cargo stowageThe principles of cargo stowage. The procedures by which containers should be efficiently loaded and unloaded, taking into account gravitational forces that are exerted during transportation.engine componentsengine componentsThe different engine components, their operation, lifecycle and maintenance and repairing needs.act as contact person during equipment incidentact as contact person during equipment incidentAct as the person to be contacted when an equipment incident occurs. Participate in the investigation by providing insights.inspect offshore constructionsinspect offshore constructionsConduct regular inspections during and after the construction of offshore facilities such as oil platforms to ensure risk minimisation and compliance with regulations.assume responsibility for maintaining a safe ship environmentassume responsibility for maintaining a safe ship environmentEnsure a safe on board environment for crew and passengers.conduct analysis of ship dataconduct analysis of ship dataCollect information from a vessel's management software and cross reference it to analyse the data from different points of view and inform decision-making.operate a cameraoperate a cameraCapture moving images with a camera. Operate the camera skilfully and safely to obtain high quality material.use meteorological informationuse meteorological informationUse and interpret meteorological information for operations dependent on climatic conditions. Use this information to provide advise on safe operations in relation to weather conditions.inspect cargoinspect cargoConduct quality checks on cargo before loading and after unloading commences. Ensure total on-board cargo load is secure.monitor the validity of ship certificatesmonitor the validity of ship certificatesControl and monitor validity of the ship’s certificate and other official documents to be carried on board.issue licencesissue licencesIssue official documentation which grants licence holders with official permission to perform certain activities, after having investigated the application and processed the necessary documentation.use different communication channelsuse different communication channelsMake use of various types of communication channels such as verbal, handwritten, digital and telephonic communication with the purpose of constructing and sharing ideas or information.operate precision measuring equipmentoperate precision measuring equipmentMeasure the size of a processed part when checking and marking it to check if it is up to standard by use of two and three dimensional precision measuring equipment such as a caliper, a micrometer, an...manage health and safety standardsmanage health and safety standardsOversee all personnel and processes to comply with health, safety and hygiene standards. Communicate and support alignment of these requirements with the company's health and safety programmes.inspect engine roomsinspect engine roomsInspect engine rooms to detect the presence of any hazardous materials, and to ensure legal compliance. Inspect the construction of the rooms, the functionality of equipment, the adequacy of room vent...have spatial awarenesshave spatial awarenessBe aware of your position and the space around you. Understand the relationship of objects around you when there is a change of position.use remote control equipmentuse remote control equipmentUse a remote control to operate equipment. Watch the equipment closely while operating, and use any sensors or cameras to guide your actions.advise on equipment maintenanceadvise on equipment maintenanceAdvise customers on the appropriate products, methods and, if necessary, interventions to ensure proper maintenance and prevent premature damage of an object or an installation.inspect vessel manufacturinginspect vessel manufacturingInspect plants where ships and boats are manufactured to ensure safety and quality control. Ensure that components are manufactured in compliance with safety and design specifications.operate control systemsoperate control systemsConfigure and operate electrical, electronic and control equipment. Maintain, monitor and control operations on a control system to ensure major risks are controlled and prevented.comply with air traffic control operationscomply with air traffic control operationsAct in compliance with instruction provided by air traffic controllers.advise on machinery malfunctionsadvise on machinery malfunctionsOffer advice to service technicians in case of machinery malfunctions and other technical repair tasks.write work-related reportswrite work-related reportsCompose work-related reports that support effective relationship management and a high standard of documentation and record keeping. Write and present results and conclusions in a clear and intelligib...file claims with insurance companiesfile claims with insurance companiesFile a factual request to an insurance company in case a problem occurs which is covered under an insurance policy.implement inland water transport regulationsimplement inland water transport regulationsImplement Inland Water Transport (IWT) regulations into practice, based on a clear understanding of full legal compliance required.monitor the discharge of cargomonitor the discharge of cargoDevelop cargo discharge plan and monitor the performance of the cranes that offload cargo from the vessel; ensure that relevant occupational safety requirements are met at all times.recognise abnormalities on boardrecognise abnormalities on boardIdentify anomalies and abnormalities on board, evaluate them, and take appropriate actions to restore normal operation of ship. Check all (safety) systems for operational functions. Organise actions t...use maritime Englishuse maritime EnglishCommunicate in English employing language used in actual situations on board ships, in ports and elsewhere in the shipping chain.conduct performance testsconduct performance testsConduct experimental, environmental and operational tests on models, prototypes or on the systems and equipment itself in order to test their strength and capabilities under normal and extreme conditi...distinguish various types of shipsdistinguish various types of shipsRecognise and name various types of vessels common in European maritime transport. Understand the different characteristics, construction details, and tonnage capacities of different vessels.read stowage plansread stowage plansRead and comprehend content of stowage plans to stow various types of cargo.ensure equipment maintenanceensure equipment maintenanceEnsure that the equipment required for operations is regularly checked for faults, that routine maintenance tasks are performed, and that repairs are scheduled and performed in the case of damage or f...have computer literacyhave computer literacyUtilise computers, IT equipment and modern day technology in an efficient way.identify risks of ship activitiesidentify risks of ship activitiesIdentify risks that accompany ship activities, and the effectiveness of the risk assessment and control measures in place on the vessel.calculate the amount of cargo on a vesselcalculate the amount of cargo on a vesselDetermine the weight of cargo on tanker ships and cargo vessels. Calculate the exact amount of loaded cargo or cargo to be discharged.review ship documentationreview ship documentationReview ship documentation related to cargo shipping permits, public health information, crew members and activities, and other compliance regulation.physical parts of the vesselphysical parts of the vesselThe different physical components of the vessel and their maintenance and care effort.adhere to traffic regulations on inland waterwaysadhere to traffic regulations on inland waterwaysUnderstand and apply traffic rules in inland waterway navigation in order to ensure safety and avoid collisions.operate radio navigation instrumentsoperate radio navigation instrumentsOperate radio navigation instruments to determine the position of aircraft in the airspace.
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Frequently asked questions
What does a marine surveyor do?
Marine surveyors inspect vessels intended for operations in maritime or open sea waters. They ensure that vessels and equipment follow the regulations laid down by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO). They may also act as third parties for the review of offshore facilities and construction projects.
What skills does a marine surveyor need?
A marine surveyor needs 26 essential skills, including ship related legislative requirements, quality assurance procedures, international waterways, mechanics of vessels, mathematics.
Will AI replace marine surveyor jobs?
The AI disruption score for marine surveyor is 46/100 (moderate risk). Skills most exposed to automation: vehicle cargo capacity, monitor the validity of ship certificates, write work-related reports. Most resilient: national waterways, international waterways, lead inspections.
AI Replacement Risk
46/ 100
Moderate Risk
Low riskHigh risk
Quick Facts
SectorEngineering Services
ISCO GroupScience and engineering associate professionals
Essential Skills26
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