Paranaguá anchorage, June 2026. A bunker quantity survey that started as a 35 MT shortage claim ended with the supplier cleared, the vessel’s ROB figures corrected and a costly dispute avoided.
The situation
A bulk carrier under time charter took 400 MT of VLSFO from a barge at Paranaguá anchorage. Our surveyor’s barge and vessel figures showed an apparent shortage of about 35 MT against the Bunker Delivery Note. The vessel was at roughly 2 m trim and only the aft draft could be verified from the launch, so the charterer asked for a second survey alongside, at minimum trim, before raising a claim against the supplier.
What we found
During the re-survey at berth three days later, the readings through the sounding pipe of one of the HFO tanks did not match the quantity expected on board. Instead of accepting the figure, our surveyor requested the Master to open the tank manhole and took a direct sounding: 1.31 m through the manhole against 1.67 m through the sounding pipe, a 36 cm difference. The result was confirmed with a hose water-level test in the presence of the Master and the agent’s representative.
With the corrected sounding, the quantity received was recalculated at 399.2 MT, only 1.7 MT below the BDN and within normal tolerance. The apparent shortage was caused by an obstruction in the vessel’s own sounding pipe, not by the supplier.
Why it matters
- An unfounded claim was avoided. A 35 MT claim against the supplier would have been rejected after a costly exchange of evidence.
- The vessel’s ROB figures were corrected. The same verification showed the vessel carrying 11 MT less VLSFO than its log book, information the charterer needed for the rest of the voyage.
- The numbers were witnessed. Master, agent and surveyor signed the same figures, so there was nothing left to dispute.
The charterer’s bunker desk closed the case with a short message: thanks for assisting to get this bunker shortage claim sorted out.
What a bunker quantity survey should include
Sounding the barge and the vessel before and after transfer is the minimum. A survey that protects your interests also checks the sounding pipes and tank tables, verifies drafts and trim, reconciles the ROB with the log book and documents every discrepancy on the spot, while the parties are still on board. That is how we run every bunker quantity survey in Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil and the US Gulf.
Talk to our team about your next bunkering.
