Marine and cargo survey operations at a Nigerian port

Observater Surveys and Services Group · Lagos • Port Harcourt • Onne • Warri • Calabar

Marine & Cargo Surveys in Nigeria: Every Cargo Inspected, Every Claim Defended

A rice container leaves Apapa with the seal intact and arrives short. A fertilizer parcel discharges at Tin Can and the weighbridge disagrees with the ship by hundreds of tonnes. A transformer waits at Onne while delay charges grow by the day. Whoever you are in those stories, the problem is the same: in Nigeria’s busiest ports, the party without an independent surveyor settles on the other side’s figures, and those figures were not written to protect you.

Our container and cargo inspectors, marine ship surveyors, tally clerks, and claims handlers work the ports of Lagos (Apapa and Tin Can), Port Harcourt, Onne, Calabar, and Warri, around the clock, for shippers, consignees, insurers, underwriters, charterers, owners, traders, P&I clubs, banks, and forwarders, under one rule: one interest per matter. Appointed before the vessel berths is best; appointed after the problem shows, we build the file from what remains.

Get a Surveyor Moving in Nigeria Email the Instruction

Your exposure in Nigeria is not theoretical

The weighbridge at Apapa disagrees with the ship. A bulk wheat or fertilizer discharge ends hundreds of tonnes apart on paper. Real loss or scale drift? Without an independent draft survey, the answer is decided by whoever kept the only figures.

The seal looks intact, the rice is short. A seal can be short-stuffed behind, substituted after a theft, or resealed to pass a glance. Only examination of the seal itself, the stow, and the count says what actually happened, and until somebody independent does that, every party’s theory is as good as yours.

The claim goes to Lagos and dies there. Cargo claims in Nigeria fail on thin files, not weak rights. The difference between a paid claim and an abandoned one is evidence secured in the first days: cause, custody, and quantum, in writing.

The project unit only travels once. A transformer or process module damaged at Onne has no spare on the shelf. A lift without a surveyor present becomes an argument nobody can win, against a schedule everybody is losing.

All Types of Marine and Cargo Surveys Across Nigeria’s Ports

Our highly trained cargo surveyors and marine surveyors carry out all types of marine and cargo surveys and inspections at Lagos, Lekki, Warri, Port Harcourt, Onne, and Calabar, and across Nigeria. Deep operational knowledge of the port ecosystem, from the container terminals of Lagos to the oil and gas hubs of Port Harcourt and Onne, places the surveyor where the risk actually sits.

From container inspections in Apapa to project cargo oversight in Warri, one instruction reaches every type of cargo survey: quantity and quality verification, tally and cargo superintendence, draft, bunker, liquid and petroleum, breakbulk and project, damage, and claims, with a single point of contact and findings that reach the instructing party first. Independence runs under all of it: one appointment per matter, so the report you receive was written for your interest and nobody else’s. One instruction engages our cargo surveyors in Nigeria and our marine surveyors in Nigeria together, so the cargo file and the vessel file speak to each other instead of contradicting each other.

Port operations do not stop, and neither do we: our surveyors respond around the clock at all major Nigerian ports, with who attends, when, and on what basis confirmed in writing before work begins.

Nationwide port knowledge

Deep operational knowledge of Nigeria’s port ecosystem, from the container terminals of Lagos to the oil and gas hubs of Port Harcourt and Onne, so attendance goes where the risk actually sits.

One point of contact, every survey

From container inspections in Apapa to project cargo oversight in Warri, one instruction reaches every type of cargo survey, and one desk answers for all of it.

24/7 across Nigeria

Port operations do not stop, and neither do we. Our surveyors respond around the clock at all major Nigerian ports, with scope confirmed in writing before work begins.

Fertilizer, Rice, Wheat, Sugar, and General Cargo: Every Interest in the Consignment Covered

The commodities that feed Nigeria and grow its harvests arrive in bulk and in bags, and every consignment comes down to one question, how much actually arrived, and a dozen parties depend on the answer: the importer against the invoice, the shipper behind the contract, the charterer on deadfreight and laytime, the insurer and P&I club against the claim, the bank against the letter of credit, and the forwarder between all of them. One independent file serves every one of those interests, and whoever instructs first holds it.

Our surveyors attend the discharge from the first tonne to the last: a draft survey before the operation starts and another when it ends, so the cargo weight is fixed by independent measurement and the bill of lading figure can be checked against it; tally teams at the hatches and the warehouse doors counting bag by bag around the clock; sampling to recognized standards for moisture, mold, and infestation with sealed splits retained; and condition recorded as cargo lands, sound bags separated from damaged ones as they land, before stacking makes the two impossible to tell apart.

Fertilizer gets moisture and caking watched from hatch to warehouse, because a hygroscopic cargo loses value in the open air by the hour. Rice and wheat get weight verification against the contract and infestation inspection with fumigation supervision where required. Bagging and packaging supervision, weighbridge verification, and temperature and moisture control run through storage, so the general cargo file holds from the ship’s rail to the final receiver.

Outbound, the same discipline serves Nigeria’s exporters: urea and fertilizer parcels, cocoa, sesame, and cashew, inspected and certified before they leave, with certificates written to the wording the contract and the letter of credit require, so the buyer’s bank has nothing to query and the payment argument never becomes a quality argument.

Bagged cargo discharge attendanceCargo loading and tally surveyGrain discharge supervision

Containerized Cargo Inspections: Full-Cycle Oversight From Seal to De-Stuffing

Lagos moves more boxes than any port in West Africa, and containers are where cargo disputes hide. Our container inspectors attend across the full cycle, with the count, the condition, and the seal on record at every point where custody changes:

Container Condition Surveys

Stuffing & Lashing Supervision

Cross-Stuffing & Transloading

Container Stripping (De-stuffing)

Seal Verification & Integrity Checks

Reefer Container Monitoring

Flexitank Fitting & Discharge

Container Damage Surveys

Cleanliness Inspections

CSC Plate Verification

On/Off Hire Container Surveys

Cargo Tally during Stuffing/Stripping

Container survey at devanningReefer container inspection

Vehicle and RoRo Discharge Surveys: Unit by Unit, Against the Load Port Record

Every vehicle that rolls off a RoRo carrier at Lagos crosses at least five sets of hands: ship to stevedore, stevedore to quay, quay to yard, yard to carrier, carrier to dealer. Every scratch, dent, and missing mirror found at the end is billed backward to whoever cannot prove the unit left their custody clean, and without an independent record, that is everyone in the chain at once.

For the shipping line, each undefended claim becomes a payment made on goodwill instead of evidence. For the cargo insurer, it is a loss paid without knowing which leg to recover from. For the clearing agent and forwarder, it is the dealer’s invoice arriving with your name on it. For the transporter, it is damage from the port gate charged to your truck.

Our surveyors close that exposure at its source: every unit recorded at discharge against the load port record, chassis numbers verified one by one, existing damage photographed where it stands and new damage separated from old, so each party in the chain holds proof of the condition in which they received and released every vehicle. For the receiver and the dealer, the same record works in the other direction: damage that did happen in transit is proven, dated, and claimable instead of argued away.

Claims are then answered with evidence: the carrier defends with the discharge record, the insurer pays only what happened on the insured leg and recovers from the leg that caused the rest, and the forwarder’s file shows the unit was already carrying its history when it arrived. Machinery on wheels and project rolling stock get the same discipline, and units moving inland travel with their condition on record before the road leg begins.

Vehicle discharge condition survey at the portRoRo units surveyed at dischargeVehicle condition recording at the terminalUnit by unit vehicle inspectionRoRo cargo attendance at the quay

Commodity Inspections: Quality and Quantity for Agricultural and Mineral Cargo

Verification of quality and quantity for agricultural and mineral commodities throughout Nigeria, at the port, the warehouse, and the stockpile, so the certificate behind the invoice is backed by sampling and arithmetic anyone can check:

Pre-Shipment Inspection

Quality & Quantity Verification

Sampling & Analysis Coordination

Weight Verification (Weighbridge)

Bagging & Packaging Supervision

Warehouse & Stockpile Audits

Temperature & Moisture Control

Fumigation Supervision

Agricultural Product Grading

Mineral & Ore Sampling

Scrap Metal Inspections

Loading/Discharge Supervision

Agricultural produce inspection before shipmentFresh produce quality inspectionCoffee beans quality and quantity verificationCommodity sampling at the warehouseMineral cargo sampling and survey

Warehouse Inspection, Stock Monitoring, and Collateral Verification

Cargo spends more time in warehouses than on ships, and losses in storage build gradually, without a single event to notice. Our surveyors inspect warehousing before cargo is received, monitor storage, handling, and condition while it sits, and tally goods in at receipt and out at dispatch to final receivers, so the quantity that entered, the quantity on the floor, and the quantity that left always reconcile.

For banks financing stock in Nigeria, the same attendance runs collateral verification and stock monitoring on a schedule, in writing, for as long as the exposure runs; for traders, inventory stated to the tonne; for insurers, a storage risk that is inspected instead of assumed. One warehouse, one record, every party reading from it.

Warehouse stock inspectionStorage monitoring attendance

Breakbulk and Project Cargo Surveys: Steel, Heavy Lift, and MWS

Specialized oversight for non-containerized, high-value, and oversized cargo arriving at any port in Nigeria, from the coil on the quay to the module bound for the plant, with marine warranty survey interfaces that satisfy the insurance policy’s warranty clause:

Cargo Tally & Condition Surveys

Discharge & Out-turn Surveys

Volumetric Measurement Surveys

Freight Calculation Surveys

Steel Products (Coils, Plates, Pipes)

Project Cargo Handling Supervision

Heavy Lift Operations Oversight

Marine Warranty Survey (MWS)

Lashing & Securing Surveys

Vessel Suitability Inspections

Stowage Plan Verification

Damage & Loss Control

For complex operations, our Port Captains and MWS specialists work as your on-the-ground project managers: lift plans reviewed, equipment suitability checked against the unit, routes and road transport audited before the convoy commits, and the whole evolution supervised under one accountable set of eyes.

Heavy haulage project cargo surveyHeavy lift supervision at the portSteel cargo condition surveyProject cargo unit at the terminalOversized cargo transport surveyProject cargo securing inspection

Liquid Cargo and Petroleum Inspections: Measurement and Loss Control at the Terminals

Nigeria’s biggest cargo moves in liquid form, and every transfer point is a place where quantity can change on paper. Our liquid and petroleum inspections run the full discipline at terminals across the country, with the figure stated to API/ASTM method and the arithmetic shown:

Tank Cleanliness Inspection

First Foot & Pre-load Samples

Ullage & Temperature Measurement

API/ASTM Calculation

Bunker Surveys (On/Off Hire)

Shore Tank Gauging

Pipeline & Hose Inspection

Discharge & Loading Supervision

ROB/OBQ Determination

Sampling & Analysis Coordination

Contamination Investigation

Cargo Loss Control

Bunker surveys run for ship owners, charterers, and suppliers at Lagos, Port Harcourt, and the other ports: quantity established at delivery and redelivery on our own instruments, the bunker delivery note verified against what was measured, and disputes pursued to their source.

Liquid cargo inspection at the terminal

Bunker Surveys in Nigeria: On/Off Hire, BQS, ROB, and Disputes

Fuel is the vessel’s largest variable cost, and at Lagos and Port Harcourt it changes hands at every delivery, redelivery, and charter. Our bunker surveyors attend on/off hire bunker surveys establishing the exact quantity of fuel remaining on board at delivery and redelivery, the two points where fuel is paid for, bunker quantity surveys measuring the vessel’s and the barge’s tanks before and after transfer, and the bunker delivery note verified against what was actually measured, so what was paid for can be checked against what came aboard.

Soundings are taken on our own instruments, temperatures and densities applied, and the arithmetic annexed. ROB checks, sludge surveys, MARPOL-compliant sampling, and shortage investigations that pursue a discrepancy to its source complete the practice, for ship owners, charterers, and suppliers alike, one interest per matter.

Bunker sounding on boardBunker survey measurementTank sounding during bunker surveyBunker survey attendance at the port

Cargo Discharge and Tally Surveys: The Verified, Independent Count

Our experienced tally clerks and cargo superintendents supervise discharge operations on the ground at every Nigerian port: each piece, bag, or unit counted as it is loaded or discharged, sound separated from damaged as cargo lands, and end-of-shift reconciliation both sides can read. An out-turn survey completes the picture, reconciling the manifested quantity against what actually landed, in what condition, so the receiver, the carrier, and the insurer read the same result instead of three different ones.

In ports as busy as Lagos, the verified, independent count is what prevents a discrepancy from quietly becoming your loss, whichever side of the tally your interest sits on.

Cargo tally at dischargeBagged cargo count at the hatchesDischarge supervision at the portTally survey during cargo operationsCargo discharge attendance

Draft Surveys in Nigeria: The Figure Bulk Disputes Settle On

As the internationally recognized method for bulk cargo weight determination, our independent draft surveys in Nigeria measure the vessel before loading or discharge begins and again when it ends. The difference between the two results is the cargo weight, and every step of it is done in the open: readings at six points on both sides, density sampled at the time of reading, deductibles measured rather than listed, trim and list corrections applied, and the full calculation annexed so the figure can be checked line by line by anyone who wants to argue with it.

An accurately performed draft survey carries an acceptable error margin of ±0.5%, and we attend as sole surveyor or jointly with the other side’s, which is often the cheapest way to prevent the dispute entirely, for the receiver holding the bill of lading, the shipper behind the contract, the charterer pricing deadfreight, and the insurer quantifying the loss.

Draft survey attendanceDraft mark reading at the vesselDraft surveyor at the vessel side

Damage Surveys and Claims Management in Nigeria

When your cargo arrives damaged in the ports of Lagos (Apapa and Tin Can) or at any Nigerian port, the response is immediate: urgent joint surveys to investigate the cause, nature, and extent while the evidence still exists, further loss stopped by same-day segregation, custody proven from gate records and equipment logs, and letters of protest issued while they matter.

For complex insurance claims, we provide impartial investigation and evaluation as an independent party whose report reads the same whichever side instructed it. And because navigating cargo claims in Nigeria takes local knowledge and persistence, our claims management service handles the process from evidence to recovery: quantum documented, the file built to the standard adjusters accept, and findings reaching you first and in confidence. The service extends beyond inspection: loss control advice that stops the next loss before it starts.

Cargo damage survey attendanceDamage documentation at the port
The same bad day, two versions

Without a surveyor

The wheat lands 600 tonnes short on the terminal’s figures. Photos exist on three phones, none dated. The receiver blames the vessel, the vessel blames the shore scale, the insurer asks for evidence nobody kept, and eighteen months later the claim settles for a fraction, or lapses. Everyone paid; nobody can say for what.

With a surveyor appointed before the berth

The draft survey fixes the tonnage before and after discharge, the tally runs shift by shift with reconciliation both sides sign, and the discrepancy is located to a leg while the cargo is still in the port. The claim file goes out inside days, with the arithmetic annexed, addressed to the party the evidence points at. The dispute is short because the record is complete.

Marine Surveys: H&M, P&I, Condition, and Casualty Investigation

Our marine surveyors and ship surveyors in Nigeria run the vessel side of the practice at every port: hull and machinery damage investigated for underwriters and shipowners, cause, nature, and extent stated in the form adjusters and average agreements use; on-hire and off-hire condition surveys with bunkers established at the same attendance; holds and hatch covers inspected before loading commences; and P&I attendance for clubs, members, and marine insurers, impartial, one interest per matter, with flash findings inside a day. In Lagos, the vessel-side practice runs from a dedicated page for marine surveyors in Lagos.

When a casualty happens in Nigerian waters, a grounding, a collision, a fire, or a heavy-weather claim, our marine casualty investigators attend while the evidence is still on board: statements, records, and physical condition secured, and the sequence of events reconstructed in a report that stands up wherever the dispute goes next.

Ship condition survey attendanceHull and machinery inspection on boardMarine survey attendance on deck

Nigeria’s Ports and the Trade Corridors They Feed

Five gateways, one discipline, and the corridors that carry Nigerian trade inland and across the region. The record that starts at the ship’s rail follows the cargo along every one of these routes, with attendance at every node confirmed in writing before work begins.

Northern corridor · to Niger

Lagos · Apapa & Tin CanIbadanAbujaKanoNiger · Niamey

Rice, wheat, fertilizer, and containers move north from the Lagos quays to the markets and mills of the interior and on across the border. Draft and tally figures from the port travel with the trucks, so the count at Kano answers to the count at the ship’s rail.

North-east corridor · to Chad

KanoMaiduguriChad · N’Djamena

The long road to the Lake Chad basin passes through many changes of custody, and at most of them nobody keeps a record. Seals verified at each break and condition recorded at each handover keep the record alive to the destination.

Eastern spine · Port Harcourt & Onne inland

Port HarcourtOnneEnuguAbuja

Bulk, liquid, and project cargo from the eastern gateways feeds the industrial belt and the capital. Out-turn figures and unit-by-unit condition records follow the cargo up the spine, so a discrepancy found inland reads back to the leg that caused it.

Eastern border · to Cameroon

CalabarCameroon · Douala

The eastern gateway’s trade crosses to Cameroon with pre-shipment inspection, condition surveys, and certificates issued before the border, so the export file arrives before the argument can.

ECOWAS coastal corridor · westbound

LagosBenin · CotonouTogo · LoméGhana · Accra

Coastal trade and transshipment run west along the Gulf of Guinea. One instruction covers the Nigerian leg, and the group’s vetted network at the receiving ports means the same standard is already waiting.

Inland and cross-border attendance confirmed on instruction, through the group’s active operations across West Africa.

Ports covered in Nigeria: cargo, marine, bunker, and claims surveyors at each

Cargo Surveyors in Lagos Port: Apapa & Tin Can Island

Our cargo surveyors in Lagos attend at Apapa and Tin Can Island 24/7: container and seal surveys, bagged cargo tally for rice and sugar, draft surveys for wheat and fertilizer, damage surveys, and cargo claims, with findings confirmed in writing before work begins. Bunker surveyors, P&I attendance, hull and machinery surveys, warehouse and stockpile audits, and vehicle discharge surveys run at the same call, for importers, insurers, shipping lines, banks, and forwarders alike.

Cargo Surveyors at Lekki Deep Sea Port

Our surveyors at Lekki Deep Sea Port cover Nigeria’s newest deep-draft gateway: container condition and CSC checks, seal examination and devanning attendance, reefer and cold chain monitoring, cargo tally, and damage surveys with same-day segregation. Project and out-of-gauge units over the quay get lift supervision and lashing verification, so the biggest ships calling Nigeria discharge onto an independent record.

Cargo and Marine Surveyors in Warri

Our cargo surveyors in Warri handle general cargo and the liquid trade of the western delta: tally and out-turn surveys, steel and breakbulk condition, liquid and petroleum inspections with ullage, temperature, and API/ASTM calculation, and bunker surveys at delivery and redelivery. Marine surveyors attend vessel condition, on/off hire, and P&I matters at the same standard the Lagos file carries.

Cargo and Bunker Surveyors in Port Harcourt

Our surveyors in Port Harcourt cover bulk, liquid, and the energy trade: draft surveys for bulk parcels, shore tank gauging and first foot samples, and bunker surveyors who measure on their own instruments and verify the bunker delivery note against what actually came aboard. Hull and machinery surveys for underwriters, marine casualty investigation, and P&I attendance run one interest per matter.

Project Cargo and Marine Surveyors in Onne

Our surveyors in Onne serve the oil and gas logistics hub: project cargo and heavy lift supervision, marine warranty surveys that satisfy the insurance policy’s warranty clause, vessel and equipment suitability checks, lashing and sea-fastening verification, and out-of-gauge units for the energy sector, with routes and road transport audited before the convoy commits.

Cargo Surveyors in Calabar

Our cargo surveyors in Calabar cover the eastern gateway: general and agricultural cargo surveys, container attendance, condition and damage surveys, pre-shipment inspection for exports with certificates to letter of credit wording, and corridor attendance east toward Cameroon, with findings reaching the instructing party first.

Bunker Surveyors in Nigeria: Lagos, Port Harcourt, Warri, and Beyond

Our bunker surveyors in Nigeria attend on/off hire bunker surveys, bunker quantity surveys, ROB checks, sludge surveys, and MARPOL-compliant sampling at Lagos, Port Harcourt, Warri, Onne, and Calabar. Soundings are taken on our own instruments, temperatures and densities applied, and the calculation attached, so what was paid for can be checked against what came aboard.

P&I and H&M Surveyors in Nigeria

For P&I clubs, members, and marine insurers, our surveyors provide impartial attendance at every Nigerian port: cargo claim surveys, condition surveys, and casualty investigation, one interest per matter, with flash findings inside a day. Hull and machinery surveys for underwriters and shipowners state the cause, nature, and extent of damage in the form adjusters and average agreements use.

Cargo Claims in Nigeria: From Evidence to Recovery

Our claims handlers manage cargo claims at every Nigerian port: damage and shortage surveys that secure the evidence in the first days, quantum documented with photographs and counts attached, and the file built to the standard adjusters accept, then pursued to recovery. Findings reach the instructing party first and in confidence, whichever side of the claim instructs.

Draft, Tally, and Marine Surveyors at Every Nigerian Port

Our marine surveyors and draft surveyors work every major Nigerian port with one method: the vessel measured before and after the operation, tally counts at the hatches and gates, out-turn reconciliation both sides can read, and vessel condition surveys at on-hire, off-hire, and sale. One instruction covers any port, and the report reads the same at all of them.

One team, one fight

From Nigerian Ports Inland, and From Nigeria to the World: One File

Cargo over Lagos and Port Harcourt is headed somewhere: upcountry to the factories and markets of the interior, and across borders to Nigeria’s landlocked neighbours. Most surveying arrangements end at the port gate, and everything after it goes unrecorded; ours continues. The record that starts at the ship’s rail follows the cargo, through the group’s active operations across West Africa, so a shortage or damage discovered at the destination reads back to the leg that caused it. Trade bound for Niger, Chad, and the wider region crosses borders that break most files; ours is written to cross with the cargo.

Outbound, the group’s companies across Africa and its vetted network at ports served worldwide mean that urea, cocoa, and project cargo loaded in Nigeria arrive at discharge ports where the same standard is already waiting. One instruction, one file, one discipline at both ends.

Instruct Across the Chain ops@observater.com

Who instructs in Nigeria, and what it saves each of them

Importers, receivers, and traders

Independent draft, tally, and quality figures at discharge, so the weighbridge, the rejection, and the invoice all answer to the same file.

Cargo insurers and underwriters

Before a loss is paid in Lagos, it should be measured. Damage and shortage attendance from the first report, impartial investigation on complex claims, and recovery files adjusters and lawyers can run with.

P&I clubs and correspondents

Impartial attendance at every Nigerian port, flash findings inside a day, and reports written to the standard the club applies, one interest per matter.

Shipowners, shipping lines, and charterers

Bunker figures at delivery and redelivery, holds and hatch covers, draft, and on/off hire condition, so fuel, deadfreight, shortage, and vehicle damage arguments run on measured fact instead of default blame.

Shippers and exporters

Pre-shipment inspection, grading, fumigation supervision, and certificates to letter of credit wording, so the export file arrives before the argument can.

Oil, gas, and terminal operators

Liquid measurement to API/ASTM, first foot samples, contamination investigation, and independent figures at your gates that prove cargo left your custody whole.

Project owners and EPC contractors

MWS sign-off that satisfies the warranty clause, lift and route oversight, and Port Captains as your on-the-ground project managers at Onne and beyond.

Banks and financiers

Warehouse and stockpile audits, collateral verification, and stock monitoring on a schedule, in writing, for as long as the exposure runs.

Forwarders, clearing agents, and transporters

Give us your next vessel, box, or convoy over any Nigerian port. Findings go to you, your client remains your client, and the first file is the introduction.

How an instruction works

1. Tell us the cargo

Vessel or container numbers, the commodity, and where it stands: expected, discharging, or already a problem. WhatsApp, email, or a call, at any hour.

2. Attendance confirmed in writing

Who attends, when, where, and on what basis, stated before work begins, usually within hours. No surprises on scope or cost.

3. Findings first, report to standard

Flash findings within 24 hours so decisions can be taken early; the full report follows with photographs and the arithmetic annexed.

To Nigeria’s forwarders and clearing agents

Your Client Remains Your Client

Forwarders and clearing agents sit closest to the cargo and carry blame that is rarely theirs. An independent survey protects you twice: the record that keeps another party’s handling from becoming your liability, and a service you can offer your own clients under your instruction. We work to forwarders’ instructions across Apapa, Tin Can, and every Nigerian port, findings go to you, and your client remains your client.

Give us your next vessel or box: rice, fertilizer, containers, or steel. One nomination, one attendance, and a file you can put beside any file you have ever received. The better file wins the next instruction, and the one after that. The first vessel is the introduction.

WhatsApp a Surveyor ops@observater.com

Our commitment to quality

The Observater Standard

Every survey in Nigeria is delivered under the Observater Standard: our surveyors are consistently trained against the current codes and methods, every figure is produced by a written procedure and shown in the report, and every file is reviewed before it leaves, so the result you receive is accurate, verifiable, and stated in a form the other side’s expert cannot dismiss. The standard is the same at every port and on every cargo, which is exactly why the file from Lagos reads like the file from Calabar.

What You Receive: Flash Findings the Same Day, the Full Report to Standard

Every instruction produces two things. First, flash findings within 24 hours of first attendance, so decisions can be taken while they still change the outcome: what was found, what it means, and what should happen next.

Second, the full survey report to the standard adjusters, clubs, and courts apply: the facts of the attendance, the counts and measurements with the arithmetic shown, the cause, nature, and extent of any damage, photographs annexed and referenced, supporting documents listed, and the conclusions stated in a form the other side’s expert has to engage with rather than dismiss.

The report is written to be used: in a negotiation, in an adjustment, or in a courtroom, whichever your matter needs. And it goes to you first, in confidence: what the instructing party does with the findings is the instructing party’s decision.

What instructing parties say

“The out-turn showed the shortage happened before our custody. The claim moved off our desk the same week.”

Terminal operations manager, Lagos

“Fertilizer discharge with daily figures both sides could read. The dispute we budgeted for never arrived.”

Commodities importer, Lagos

“Flash findings on the casualty inside a day, full report to club standard. Exactly what we needed from a local surveyor.”

P&I correspondent, West Africa

“The seal looked fine. Their examination showed it had been substituted. Without that, we would have paid a claim that was never ours.”

Container line claims officer, Lagos

“Rice devanning attended at Tin Can, count and condition on record before the argument started. The file settled it in one exchange.”

Rice importer, Lagos

“Joint draft surveys at both ends of the charter. The quantity dispute we have every voyage simply did not happen.”

Chartering manager, West Africa

“Bunker figures at redelivery matched the delivery note for once, because somebody independent measured both. Worth every naira.”

Ship operator, Port Harcourt

“They instruct under our name and our client stays ours. The reports come to us first, every time.”

Clearing and forwarding agent, Apapa

“Stock verified monthly at the warehouse, in writing, on schedule. The collateral file has never been questioned.”

Trade finance officer, Lagos

Straight answers

Can you provide a surveyor at short notice in Lagos?

Yes. We answer 24/7, and a surveyor can be moving to any terminal in Lagos (Apapa, Tin Can) and other major Nigerian ports at very short notice, with who attends, when, and on what basis confirmed in writing before work begins.

Do you offer services in other Nigerian ports besides Lagos, like Port Harcourt or Onne?

Yes. Attendance runs at all major Nigerian ports, including Port Harcourt, Onne, Calabar, and Warri, with the same discipline and the same reporting standard at every one.

What is the difference between a tally survey and an out-turn survey?

A tally survey counts each piece or unit of cargo as it is loaded onto or discharged from a vessel. An out-turn survey is the fuller reconciliation: the manifested quantity against what actually landed, in what condition, so shortage and damage are stated together in one result.

Do you survey fertilizer, rice, and wheat cargoes?

Yes, with the discipline each needs: draft surveys and weighbridge verification for the tonnage, tally for the bags, sampling for moisture and infestation, fumigation supervision where required, and condition recorded from hatch to warehouse.

Can you handle petroleum and liquid cargo inspections?

Yes: tank cleanliness, first foot and pre-load samples, ullage and temperature measurement, API/ASTM calculation, shore tank gauging, ROB/OBQ determination, and contamination investigation, at terminals across Nigeria.

Do you survey vehicles and RoRo cargo in Lagos?

Yes. Vehicles are recorded unit by unit at discharge against the load port record, chassis numbers verified and damage photographed where it stands, so each unit’s condition is fixed before the yard, the carrier, and the dealer each take their turn with it.

Do you attend at Lekki Deep Sea Port?

Yes: container condition and seal examination, devanning attendance, reefer monitoring, and project units over the quay, with attendance confirmed in writing before work begins, the same as at every port we serve.

Can both sides use the same survey?

Through a joint survey, yes: both parties witness the same readings and the same evidence, which is often the fastest and cheapest route to settlement, because the argument shrinks to what the figures actually show.

Do you act on insurance claims in Nigeria?

Yes, on both sides of the work: damage and shortage surveys that build the evidence, and claims management that moves the file from investigation to recovery, with findings reaching the instructing party first.

From our Nigeria files

Fieldwork From Port Attendances

Cargo survey fieldwork at the portDischarge attendanceVessel condition inspectionMarine survey attendanceWarehouse attendanceDischarge supervisionClaims investigation attendanceCargo survey during dischargeVessel attendance at the portProject unit lashing inspection

When precision matters, your partner of choice

Something Is Discharging in Nigeria Right Now. Whose Figures Will Survive It?

Tell us the vessel, the container numbers, or the problem, and our surveyors confirm who attends, when, and on what basis, in writing, before anything starts, at Lagos, Port Harcourt, Onne, Calabar, and Warri.

Get a Surveyor Moving in Nigeria Email the Instruction

International Marine Cargo Surveyors, Claims Handlers and Technical Consultants in Africa. On-ground expertise, global reach: anywhere you go in Africa, we are already there, with capacity to serve globally.

Observater Surveys and Services Group · ops@observater.com · All attendances are performed under our standard terms of business, available on request. Also see: Angola · Cargo Surveyors in Mombasa · Project Cargo & MWS.

Port-by-port survey pages

Our surveyors attend port by port, with a dedicated page for each service: Cargo surveyors in Lagos · Marine surveyors in Lagos · Bunker surveyors in Lagos · Cargo surveyors in Port Harcourt · Marine surveyors in Port Harcourt · Bunker surveyors in Port Harcourt · Cargo surveyors in Onne · Marine surveyors in Onne · Bunker surveyors in Onne · Cargo surveyors in Warri · Marine surveyors in Warri · Bunker surveyors in Warri · Cargo surveyors in Calabar · Marine surveyors in Calabar · Bunker surveyors in Calabar.