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South Africa Flag Nigeria Flag Kenya Flag Egypt Flag Ghana Flag Tanzania Flag Djibouti Flag Cote d'Ivoire Flag Morocco Flag Algeria Flag Senegal Flag Angola Flag Mozambique Flag Namibia Flag Togo Flag Benin Flag Cameroon Flag Sudan Flag

Cargo Inspection Services Across Africa

From containers and break bulk to bagged commodities, vehicles, and steel, we protect your cargo from load port to final destination, from Mombasa to Lagos, Dar es Salaam to Durban, Djibouti to Abidjan. +45 Ports in Africa, and Global Capacity at Load Ports.

Here for a vessel matter? Our P&I and H&M surveyors attend ships, casualties, and stevedore damage at the same ports.

The Critical Distinction in Cargo Claims

High humidity, long inland corridors, and varied handling standards at African ports make accurate cargo damage assessment a specialized skill. Separating normal transit wear from claimable loss is what decides whether a cargo claim is settled fairly and whether your investment is protected across the continent.

Normal Transit Effects

Often related to climate and handling, and remediable without major loss.

  • Minor packaging scuffs and dents from standard handling
  • Surface condensation staining from humidity
  • Flash rust on metal goods from atmospheric moisture
  • Dust and residue from road and rail transport

Claimable Damage & Loss

Compromises the cargo’s intended use, quantity, or marketability.

  • Wet damage from seawater ingress or rain during operations
  • Crushing, tearing, or breakage from poor stowage and handling
  • Contamination, infestation, or taint affecting the goods
  • Shortage, pilferage, and losses on the inland leg

Cargo Inspection Services We Provide in Africa

Pre-Loading & Loading Surveys

Our surveyors verify the quality, condition, and quantity of cargo before loading. We document pre-existing conditions and oversee stowage and lashing to minimize risk during transit.

Discharge Surveys & Tally

We provide detailed tally services at all major African ports to verify quantities and document the cargo’s condition as it is discharged, identifying new damage on the spot.

Cargo Damage Surveys

Our experts determine the cause, nature, and extent of damage to cargo. Detailed reports provide the clear evidence needed for successful insurance or third-party claims.

Loss Adjusting & Claims

We quantify the financial loss on damaged cargo, evaluating diminution in value and reconditioning costs. We act as an impartial expert to facilitate fair settlements.

Recovery & Salvage

We pursue recoveries from liable parties and manage the sale of damaged goods in local African markets to maximize the residual value of the affected consignment.

Inspections for Insurers & Banks

We conduct independent cargo surveys for insurers to validate claims and for banks to verify consignments pledged in trade finance, providing critical assurance.

Our Africa-Focused Claims Process

01

Local Deployment

Upon notification, we deploy the nearest surveyor from our African network, so your cargo is attended on site by someone who already knows the port.

02

Context-Aware Data Collection

Our surveyors inspect cargo with a working knowledge of local conditions, port infrastructure, and the handling issues common to each region.

03

Clear, Actionable Reporting

We analyze evidence to produce clear, concise survey reports that account for regional factors, suitable for international insurers, shippers, cargo owners, P&I clubs, Banks, Consignees and local partners alike.

04

Facilitated Resolution

Our reports provide the objective evidence needed to cut through complexity and facilitate swift, fair settlement of cargo claims in the African market.

Our African Expertise in Action

Case Study: The Lagos Humidity Issue

Situation: A shipment of steel plates was rejected at Apapa Port, Lagos, for what was claimed to be saltwater corrosion.

Our Action: Our surveyor, familiar with the high humidity of the region, conducted chloride tests on site. The results were negative, proving the uniform rust was atmospheric freshwater condensation (flash rust), not from seawater.

Result: We averted a major claim. The receiver accepted the cargo with a minimal allowance for surface cleaning, saving our client significant losses and demurrage costs.

Case Study: The Mombasa-Kampala Corridor

Situation: Structural beams destined for Kampala, Uganda, arrived with bending damage. The carrier and receiver disputed whether it occurred at sea, at the Port of Mombasa, or during the 1,100km road journey.

Our Action: We conducted a joint survey in Kampala and cross-referenced our findings with discharge tally reports from our surveyor in Mombasa. The nature of the damage was consistent with improper securing on the truck.

Result: Liability was correctly placed with the inland logistics provider. Our clear, end-to-end evidence trail protected the shipowner and cargo insurer.

Trusted by a Wide Range of Maritime Stakeholders

P&I Clubs

Ship Owners

Shippers

Cargo Owners

Banks

Charterers

Ports & Stakeholders

Types of Cargo We Inspect

Containers (FCL & LCL)

Condition, seal, and stuffing inspections, damaged container surveys, and cross-stuffing supervision at ports, CFS depots, and ICDs.

Break Bulk & Bagged Cargo

Tally, condition, and shortage surveys for bagged rice, sugar, cement, fertilizer, and other break bulk commodities at discharge and in warehouses.

Bulk Grains & Commodities

Draft surveys, sampling supervision, and quality checks for wheat, maize, clinker, and other bulk cargoes, with caking and wet damage assessment.

Steel & Metals

Coils, billets, rebars, pipes, and structural steel. See our dedicated steel cargo surveys in Africa page for the full service.

Vehicles & RoRo

Pre-shipment and discharge condition inspections for cars, trucks, and machinery units. See our dedicated vehicle discharge surveys page for the full service.

Reefer & Perishables

Temperature record analysis, pulp temperature checks, and cold chain damage surveys for frozen foods, fruit, and other perishable cargo.

One Team, One Fight

Cargo does not stop at the port gate, and neither do we. One Team, One Fight is the Observater way of working Africa’s trade corridors. The Observater surveyor who opens your file at the coast and the colleague who closes it inland belong to one team, follow one instruction, and build one unbroken evidence chain. Most cargo passes from one unrelated agent to the next at every border; an Observater file stays in our hands from the first tally to the final delivery. That is why the discharge count at the port becomes the baseline for a delivery survey a thousand kilometers away, and why, when damage or shortage appears, we can show where it happened, on which leg, and who is liable.

Northern Corridor

Mombasa flagMombasaKampala flagKampalaKigali flagKigaliGoma flagGoma

A consignment discharged by our surveyors in Mombasa is followed up the corridor by the same team: delivery inspections in Kampala and Kigali, damage surveys at the eastern DRC crossings, and onward attendance toward South Sudan on request. The Mombasa tally is the baseline; every inland finding is measured against it, so liability lands on the correct leg of the journey.

Central Corridor & TAZARA

Dar es Salaam flagDar es SalaamBujumbura flagBujumburaKigali flagKigaliLusaka flagLusakaLubumbashi flagLubumbashi

What starts with a discharge survey in Dar es Salaam is completed by our people in Bujumbura and Kigali, and on the Zambian and DRC legs of the rail and road corridors. One file covers ship, port, rail, and road, so a shortage discovered at a Copperbelt warehouse can be traced back to the hold it came out of.

Djibouti Corridor

Djibouti flagDjiboutiDire Dawa flagDire DawaModjo flagModjoAddis Ababa flagAddis Ababa

Cargo attended by our surveyors at the Port of Djibouti is received inland by our team in Ethiopia at Modjo Dry Port and Addis Ababa. Damage findings at the port are matched to delivery condition at destination, so the corridor that carries most of Ethiopia’s trade runs under one evidence chain.

Beira, Nacala & Maputo Corridors

Beira / Nacala flagBeira / NacalaHarare flagHarareBlantyre flagBlantyreLusaka flagLusaka

What starts in Mozambique ends with the same standard in the interior. Our surveyors close the file in Zimbabwe, Malawi, and Zambia, from vessel discharge at Beira, Nacala, or Maputo to final delivery at the receiver’s warehouse, with damage documented at the coast before the inland leg begins.

North-South Corridor

Durban flagDurbanHarare flagHarareLusaka flagLusakaLubumbashi flagLubumbashi

From Durban and Richards Bay, the corridor runs through Zimbabwe and Zambia to the DRC Copperbelt. Files that open at the South African coast are closed by the same network at the mines and warehouses of the interior, with DRC damage surveys completing the chain for northbound project and mining cargo.

West African Corridors

Lagos flagLagosTema flagTemaAbidjan flagAbidjanDakar flagDakarBamako flagBamako

What starts in Nigeria, Ghana, Togo, Ivory Coast, or Senegal is carried inland to Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, where we attend deliveries on request. Sahel-bound cargo gets the same evidence chain as a coastal delivery, from ship’s rail at the Gulf of Guinea to the final tally upcountry.

One instruction. One file. One standard. Observater at both ends of the corridor.

Where We Work

Tap a marker to see our services at that location. Grey markers show additional ports we attend on request.

Our Offices and Networks

Kenya flag

Kenya

Marine and cargo surveyors headquartered at Mombasa, handling discharge, tally, and cargo damage surveys across Kenya and East Africa.

Tanzania flag

Tanzania

Cargo surveyors in Dar es Salaam, Tanga, and Mtwara for discharge surveys, draft surveys, and cargo damage claims in Tanzania.

Djibouti flag

Djibouti

Marine and cargo surveyors at the Port of Djibouti, covering cargo damage surveys, project cargo, draft surveys, and bunker surveys.

Uganda flag

Uganda

Cargo surveyors in Kampala for inland damage surveys and transit cargo along the Northern Corridor.

Ethiopia flag

Ethiopia

Cargo surveys and damage surveys from Addis Ababa and Modjo Dry Port, serving the Ethiopia-Djibouti corridor.

Nigeria flag

Nigeria

Marine and cargo surveyors at Lagos, Apapa, Tin Can, and Onne, with cargo damage surveys and loss control across Nigeria.

Mozambique flag

Mozambique

Marine and cargo surveyors in Maputo, Beira, and Nacala for discharge, commodity, and cargo damage surveys in Mozambique.

DRC flag

DRC

Cargo damage surveys for the DRC via Matadi, with container inspections on the eastern corridors from Mombasa and Dar es Salaam.

South Africa flag

South Africa

Cargo surveys in Durban, Richards Bay, and Cape Town, including bunker and steel cargo inspections in South Africa.

Angola flag

Angola

Marine and cargo surveys in Luanda and Lobito, with damage surveys and bunker services in Angola.

Senegal flag

Senegal

Cargo surveyors in Dakar for discharge supervision, commodity surveys, and project cargo in West Africa.

Sudan flag

Sudan

Cargo surveys at Port Sudan for bagged and bulk commodities, discharge supervision, and project cargo support.

Morocco flag

Morocco

Marine and cargo surveyors in Casablanca covering Moroccan ports, with bunker surveys and draft surveys.

Ghana flag

Ghana

Cargo surveys at Tema Port for discharge, tally, and condition inspections in Ghana.

Zambia flag

Zambia

Cargo surveys and technical inspections for Zambian imports moving through Dar es Salaam, Beira, and Durban corridors.

Rwanda flag

Rwanda

Cargo inspections in Kigali and pre-shipment warehouse inspections for Rwandan cargo on the Central and Northern Corridors.

Zimbabwe flag

Zimbabwe

Cargo surveys and pre-shipment inspections for Zimbabwean cargo routed via Beira, Durban, and Walvis Bay.

Burundi flag

Burundi

Cargo surveys for Burundi-bound consignments via Dar es Salaam and the lake route to Bujumbura.

More Countries We Cover

Malawi South Sudan Somalia Eritrea Guinea Liberia Sierra Leone Cameroon Congo (Pointe-Noire) Benin Togo Ivory Coast Namibia Madagascar Mauritius Algeria

Specialist & Marine Surveys

Steel Cargo

Coils, billets, rebars, pipes, and structural steel surveys at load and discharge ports across Africa.

View service

Project Cargo

Heavy lift and out-of-gauge cargo surveys, lashing approval, and marine warranty support in Africa.

View service

Draft Surveys

Cargo quantity verification by draft survey at African ports, for bills of lading and trade contracts.

View service

Bunker Surveys

On-hire, off-hire, BQS, and ROB verification by independent bunker surveyors across African ports.

View service

Salvage & Claims Recovery

Cargo salvage management and claims recovery support from documentation to final settlement.

View service

Cargo Superintendence

Loss minimization and superintendence for dry and liquid cargo operations across the continent.

View service

Loading & Discharge Surveys

Pre-loading condition checks, stowage and lashing supervision, and discharge surveys for all cargo types at African ports.

View service

Tally & Discharge Supervision

Independent tally counts at loading and discharge that verify every lift against the manifest, backing shortage and claims files.

View service

P&I & H&M Surveys

Attendance for clubs, hull underwriters, and owners: condition surveys, stevedore damage, casualties, and claims defense.

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Vehicle Discharge Surveys

Per-unit RoRo inspections with damage coding at Africa’s vehicle gateways, from ramp to inland delivery.

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Mineral Cargo Surveys

Loading supervision, can tests, stockpile audits, and corridor checks for copper, cobalt, coal, and more.

View service

Stock Monitoring & Collateral

SMA and CMA support for banks and financiers: independent counts, warehouse audits, and receipt verification.

View service

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you have cargo surveyors in all major African ports?

We have a robust network of experienced surveyors and trusted associates in all major coastal and key inland hubs across Africa, including East, West, and Southern Africa. This allows us to attend cargo quickly and cost-effectively, with crucial local knowledge.

How do you handle communication with local authorities and partners?

Our local surveyors are adept at navigating the customs and practices of their respective port authorities, customs officials, and logistics providers. We act as a professional bridge, keeping communication clear during joint surveys.

What makes your survey reports suitable for the African market?

Our reports are written to international standards for insurers, but with specific, factual context that explains the local realities, such as weather, infrastructure, or handling methods, that may have contributed to the situation. This clarity is essential for all parties to reach a fair understanding of a claim.

Do you cover specialist cargo like steel, project cargo, or reefer?

Yes. Alongside general cargo, we run dedicated teams for steel cargo surveys in Africa, project cargo surveys in Africa, and cold chain cargo, plus draft surveys and bunker surveys.

How to Instruct Us

1

Tell Us the Shipment

Vessel or consignment, port, cargo type, quantities, and the dates that matter. Attach whatever documents you have; incomplete is fine.

2

We Confirm Scope

You receive a confirmation of attendance, the survey scope, the surveyor assigned, and the fee basis before any work begins.

3

Attendance and Report

The surveyor attends, findings reach you as the job runs where the matter is live, and the full report follows in a format your insurer or bank can use.

Instructions and enquiries: surveys@observater.com  |  WhatsApp +254 776 960 820

Protect Your Cargo in Africa.

Don’t let logistical complexities and environmental factors erode your profits. Partner with the African specialists for clarity and precision on the ground.

Request a Cargo Inspection in Africa

Or email surveys@observater.com  |  WhatsApp +254 776 960 820

International Marine Cargo Surveyors, Loss Adjusters and Technical Consultants in Africa - On-ground expertise, Global reach. Your gateway to African and Global Marine Expertise: Trusted technical solutions, marine surveys, aviation cargo surveys, and cargo claims investigations.

Anywhere you Go in Africa, we are Already There, with capacity to serve Globally. HQ: Amir Suites, 1st Floor Room No. B6, Sauti ya Kenya Road, Mombasa, Kenya; Claims Office Express House Moi Avenue Road, Mombasa, Kenya. Email us: marinesurveyors@observater.com Tel: +254776960820

When precision matters, Observater Surveys Group is your Partner of Choice   

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