When Bunker Figures Don’t Match — A Surveyor’s Dilemma at Off-Hire

Seen it all, yet always neutral: the quiet weight of doing it right

By: Kolawole O., Nautiscope Consulting – Nigeria

There are days when the figures line up. The tanks match the logs. The Chief Engineer greets you with confidence. And the final ROB mirrors the paperwork to the last decimal.

But then there are the other days. The ones that test your eyes, your tape, and your resolve.

The Off-Hire Moment

This was one of those days.

The vessel was coming off-hire after a long charter. Fuel figures were declared. The BDN stated 899.5 MT. On-hire ROB was logged at 317.689 MT. And at off-hire, the Chief Engineer calmly declared 389.45 MT remaining.

But when we sounded the tanks — twice — we got 427.672 MT.

I asked the Chief to come verify. He hesitated. Then refused to sign.

I’ve Seen This Movie Before

After years in the field, you learn to recognize the signs.

• Service tanks repainted and relabeled by engine crew to hide real depth marks.
• Settling tank gauges that “suddenly stopped working” — conveniently before off-hire.
• Hidden pipes rerouting oil into sounding-dead corners.
• Engine room crew adjusting densities on old manual logbooks post-hoc.
• And once — yes, once — fuel deliberately trapped in a forward cofferdam.

But this job isn't about paranoia. It’s about precision.

The Surveyor's Dilemma

When figures don’t match, everyone looks at you.

Owners want maximum returns. Charterers want to pay no more than due. Chief Engineers want to protect their records. Superintendents want the survey done yesterday.

And in the middle — stands the surveyor.

Do I accuse? Do I question intention? No. I simply report what I see. Neutrally. Firmly. Transparently.

Beyond the Numbers

We’re not detectives. But we are defenders of clarity.

Our job is to create a common ground of facts. Numbers that both parties can live with — because they are true.

At Nautiscope, our reputation is not just in what we find — but in how we deliver it: Measured. Defensible. Fair.

We are not here to catch anyone out — but we also don’t let smoke cloud the facts.

Final Thoughts: No Wool Over These Eyes

You can repaint the gauge. You can fiddle with the log. You can hide oil in corners. But the tape doesn’t lie — and neither do we.

We’ve seen most of the tricks. We expect a few more still.

But through it all, we maintain:

• Professionalism
• Neutrality
• And partnerships built on trust

So when the bunker figures don’t match — we don’t flinch.

We calculate. We double-check. We report. And we stand by the facts.