MARINE SURVEYORS: Off the grid

An evolving workforce and shifting market are among the many complexities facing the marine surveying sector

MARINE surveying may be a small cog in the multi-faceted maritime industry, but the sector is nonetheless integral to keep the industry turning. A marine surveyor’s role is important in maintaining the quality of vessels and their cargoes. They are professionally qualified and use their specially acquired skillsets to protect their clients’ interests.

However, the maritime industry is large and diverse and there isn’t just one type of marine surveyor. Keeping with the shipping industry in general, visibility is not a strong characteristic of this sector. Marine surveyors tend to operate somewhat under the radar, and their exact roles aren’t widely known, despite their significance to the industry.

Mike Wall is a marine surveyor and educationalist and has spent his entire career in maritime; he first went to sea as a marine apprentice engineer in 1965. He clocked up 35 years of experience in hull, machinery and cargo surveying in the USA, New Zealand, Fiji and South East Asia.

Drawing on his extensive experience, Mr Wall has also authored more than 50 training modules for diplomas in marine superintendency, ship surveying, yacht and small craft surveying and ship building and repair. He has also authored a comprehensive book entitled Running a Marine Survey Company.

“The services of marine surveyors in their various disciplines will always be needed. The shipping and pleasure craft industries cannot do without them,” Mr Wall said.

“Unfortunately, due to the lack of experienced mariners coming ashore, there are a lot of amateurs out there.”

With regards to what qualifications surveyors of the future may require, Mr Wall stated, “It should be much the same. However, with the increase in offshore structures, such as wind farms, gas platforms etcetera, surveyors need to diversify and learn about new technologies. This includes alternative fuels.”

While professional bodies exist with a goal to maintain industry standards and provide professional development, Mr Wall said membership isn’t wholly advantageous.

“Initially, yes, however as the surveyor establishes a reputation it is not so necessary,” he said.

“Their strength should be the dissemination of relevant information to surveyors, but this is sadly unforthcoming, which is the reason why I have written 13 books related to marine surveying.”

Due to the lack of experienced mariners coming ashore, there are a lot of amateurs out there.

Mike Wall

On how the use of technology has changed, Mr Wall remarked, “I remember when we moved from film to digital and printed reports to PDF, with fax replaced by email. Those were the major drivers of change. Now we have [videos of surveys] and drones used for both internal and external inspections.

“I have been officially retired for the last 14 years but still keep my hand in doing pleasure-craft accident investigations. Most clients, ports, harbours and relevant authorities realise that the surveyor must be given access to be able to do their job if problems are to be resolved.

“I once got examined by a People’s Republic of China port official and asked many questions until I asked what qualifications he had and gave him mine!”

Mr Wall’s experience in surveying overseas has afforded him a unique perspective on the sector. In fact, he spent five years as senior lecturer at the Warsash College of Maritime Studies in the United Kingdom.

“Several years ago, the UK government was requested to consider marine surveyor apprenticeships for the profession,” he recounted.

“A meeting was convened in London where all stakeholders in the shipping industry were invited. When asked by the government representative about the need for marine surveyors every one of those attending confirmed that they could not function without the services of a marine surveyor.

“The public often confuses them with marine biologists. The government representatives’ ignorance could be attributed to the lack of exposure of the public to the industry and profession as shipping takes place many miles from them.

On his enduring sentiment on the sector itself, Mr Wall said, “What keeps most marine surveyors in the job is that every day is different and a challenge with lots learned. Never boring!”

Closer To home

Based in Fremantle, Captain Michel Lagesse is the managing director and principal marine surveyor of Acme Marine Services International. He spoke to DCN about his thoughts on the marine surveying sector at present.

Mr Lagesse commented on the changing dynamics of how surveyors approach the job and the role itself.

“About 10 years ago and prior, there was a sense of professional ethics, morals and standards, etcetera, amongst most surveyors that was well respected and recognised by those in the industry,” he explained.

“Within the last 10 years or so, there is a noticeable and large portion of current surveyors where such ‘professional’ ethics, morals and standards are not noticed or evident.

“The distinct lack of proper training, especially in-house training, is apparent, and many of the current surveyors are taking shortcuts in their survey work, which may have been taught to them by their mentors.”

Recruitment, quality training and mentoring, rather than poaching, is the only way to ensure there are enough qualified surveyors available.

Louis Koutelas, Hunter Marine Surveyors

Given this viewpoint, Mr Lagesse understandably views the future of the marine surveying sector as “somewhat blurred”, with patches of blindness in some areas, and clarity in others, he said.

“I feel that as the more experienced or senior surveyors depart from the industry, the younger or inexperienced surveyors are not showing professional enthusiasm in the required level of expertise,” Mr Lagesse explained.

When asked where future surveyors will come from, Mr Lagesse said he believes some will still be ex-seagoing, with a smaller portion to come from other industries. Echoing an oft-discussed sentiment surrounding the opportunities (or lack thereof) for youth to enter maritime in Australia, he said, “marine surveying should be exposed at high schools, as part of a careers pathway”.

From West to East

Louis Koutelas, director and senior marine surveyor of NSW-based Hunter Marine Surveyors, believes the sector faces some “serious challenges” as the older crop of surveyors retires.

He said the future of surveying will not change on the demand for inspections or surveys, but unless staff are trained properly, standards will begin to slide.

“Recruitment, quality training and mentoring, rather than poaching, is the only way to ensure there are enough qualified surveyors available,” he said.

He believes more dedicated courses will be required to cover the shortage in experience for new entrants, and that the surveyors of the future will need solid grounding in what to do if equipment and computers fail.

“At the same time, they will need to be tech savvy to maintain efficiency,” he posits.

Regarding where the surveyors of the future will come from, he anticipates “overseas seafarers from the Philippines, India or Bangladesh on skilled visas, or [recruitment] through training non seafarers from uni-level graduates”.

“The difficulty these days is finding people with the right work ethic who can think clearly at all hours of the day and night. Marine surveying is not a nine-to-five occupation so living and working with broken shifts is normal for many surveyors.”

While Mr Koutelas doesn’t believe seagoing experience is still as necessary for a marine surveyor, he does believe it is “a big advantage”.

“There is also more credibility when discussing an inspection or survey with the ship’s crew if you have indeed been in their shoes. Ship’s masters enjoy communicating with surveyors who can empathise with their situation,” he said.

Take the job, work hard, be loyal and go from there.

Roger Weiller, The MCC Group

In his 40-plus years’ experience in shipping, Mr Koutelas recalls that digital photography and the internet have been the biggest changes.

“Faster survey calculations with quality dedicated software has reduced the downtime for terminals which has in turn improved port throughput,” he said.

Commenting on the sector’s shifting market, he affirmed, “One of the challenges for those looking for a marine survey is to look beyond the cost. Saving a few hundred dollars on a job may mean you are supporting a survey company that does not understand the big picture.”

A different perspective

Roger Weiller is the CEO and managing director of The MCC Group and has been involved in the shipping industry for 18 years. While The MCC Group is engaged in a variety of operations from numerous corners of maritime, MCC has a vested interest in the surveying world.

Mr Weiller said it’s hard to say what direction the marine surveying sector will drift in the future – just like any other industry – but he believes “it will be great”.

“It’s not in a fantastic place right now, due to some politics, uncertainty and confusion between the regulators, and thus creates challenges – but like everything, it always works itself out,” he told DCN.

At the helm of a group that enjoys a diversity of operations, Mr Weiller believes the industry is going through a renewal period which he expects to last for another seven to 10 years. Once this period is completed, he said, it will be refreshed, and marine surveyors will be more influential and better recognised. But why?

“Because the industry needs it,” he said.

“As the industry becomes filled with business professionals, entrepreneurs and new blood, it will bring new connections with government participants, and strong and reputable stakeholders. More energy. Don’t you agree that it needs that?”

Though it has been suggested marine surveying has an ageing workforce, Mr Weiller’s day-to-day perspective is slightly different.

“Half of my marine surveyors are between 25 and 35 years old,” he said.

“Their future is my responsibility, and with our resources I will fight to give them a better future and most importantly, certainty that someone has their back.”

Mr Weiller believes those coming from humble beginnings, who have needed to push through and make room to be noticed, will “prevail over those with self-entitlement and not being hungry enough to make it work”.

“Take the job, work hard, be loyal and go from there.

“This mentality is hardly present locally, hence why it is my humble opinion that unfortunately, we won’t have many local marine surveyors left in the next five to 10 years, once the old-school Australian seafarers hang their boots.”

On the technological aspect of the future, including the potential of artificial intelligence, Mr Weiller said, “It’s already in play [with] various software and plug-ins that assist with report writing, calculation checking, etcetera.

“We have our own systems that run and operate each office independently, in-house coded and built. Currently, we are developing AI plug-ins that will read emails and port schedules, so it reduces our manual data entry. There’s a long road ahead but it’s certainly exciting.”

However, Mr Weiller believes new technology could still hurt surveying standards if not managed properly.

“We can’t lose touch, meaning if every report, email and essay is re-written by AI or every photograph is analysed by AI, then all content will sound the same, read the same, look the same, thus, same outcome! Therefore, there will be no X factor,” he said.

“Knowledge is power and most of it will come from having practical experience combined with the knowledge passed on through generations.”

On his feeling about the sector overall, he related, “I love it all … But you must have the stomach and the vision for it, or you will fail.”

This article appeared in the February | March 2025 edition of DCN Magazine