Increase in bagged cargo claims in West Africa
The Skuld P&I Club recommends the practice of a joint tally procedure due to the increase in bagged cargo claims in West Africa. Club’s following recommendations aim to mitigate loss as it ties in all parties to daily figures of discharged and/or damaged bagged cargoes.
The Club notes that some ports may have different procedures but the concept of having a daily tally figure countersigned by all parties remains the suggested manner to mitigate inflated claims.
Image Credit: The Skuld P&I Club
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The recommended tally procedure
- Daily tally sheets should be countersigned by all other tallymen/surveyors directly onboard, this prevents the possibility of amending unilaterally the tally figures.
- Each tally sheet should bear the signatures from representatives of all attending surveyors who hand writes the quantity discharged per hold and per shift. Tally reports which are presented to ship’s command for signing each day must reflect the quantity jointly recorded the previous day (for day and night shifts).
- If one surveyor presents a daily tally report showing a different figure, this allows the other parties to timely raise an objection that this figure is in contradiction with cross-signed tally sheets.
- The attending surveyor for Owners/Charterers comments on the joint tally figures in his/her final report, demonstrating mathematically if/how these were unilaterally changed by other parties (stevedores/ cargo interests’ surveyors) and indicating at which date this happened (based on the countersigned tally sheets).
- It is noted that certain cargo interests’ and stevedores’ surveyors have recently developed a strategy which consists of refusing to countersign tally sheets during the last shifts. Depending of the circumstances, a bailiff could be placed on stand-by ready to attend the vessel and on Owners and Club’s instructions, to put on record resistance from any surveyor to comply with the joint tally procedure and refusal to countersign. Members should consult the Association who will seek advice from local correspondents should cargo and stevedore representatives refuse to sign the daily tally sheets.
- Each surveyor may sign the other surveyors’ tally sheets with reservations. The most important thing is that each surveyor must mention the quantity discharged/damaged/caked per shift and per hold on tally sheets of the other surveyors.
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Source: The Skuld P&I Club
