SGS' Draft Survey Tool
Clarifies Cargo Weighing Process
January 15, 2021
SGS'
Draft Survey Tool (DST) is now available for the use of fertilizer trade across
North America. After a successful pilot project over the past 18 months in the
United States, SGS launched the DST Lite tool worldwide, which will be of
particular importance for the fertilizer industry.
SGS, the world’s leading testing, inspection and certification group is pleased
to announce that its Draft Survey Tool (DST) is now available for the use of
fertilizer trade across North America. After a successful pilot project over the
past 18 months in the United States, SGS launched the DST Lite tool worldwide,
which will be of particular importance for the fertilizer industry. The
innovative DST is revolutionizing draft surveys as it is the only tool on the
market that allows inspectors to measure, with more precision, the draft mark
readings which are key for the weight determination on board a vessel, while
ensuring inspector safety.
A draft survey is a method of cargo weight determination where the vessel’s
displacement figures in empty and loaded condition are recorded. The difference
between both scenarios will determine the weight of the shipment loaded or
unloaded from the vessel. The draft survey utilizes draft mark readings painted
on the side of a vessel. As a visual and subjective process until the
introduction of the DST, these marks had to be observed over time and from a
distance in the water, from the deck of a vessel or from the port's quay,
through precarious wind and wave swells. In the case of the transportation of
fertilizer, this ‘hit or miss’ target of providing accurate readings has
occasionally led to serious disputes between the shipper and the receiver. For
instance, an incorrect measurement of as little as a single centimeter could
result in a 100 metric ton discrepancy in a cargo shipment and potentially
initiate a commercial dispute that could run in the millions of dollars.
As the fertilizer industry grows and trade increases, there is an expanded need
for innovation. According to the asstra.com trade website: “Fertilizer
manufacturers, traders, and consumers are in constant search of solutions to
optimize logistics costs, which significantly affect the final costs of the
goods. In order to sell logistics services successfully in the chemical
industry, it is necessary to study the cargo precisely, i.e. its properties,
storage, and transportation conditions.”
SGS created the DST to address clients’ needs for cost control and accuracy,
while ensuring the safety of inspectors. The group understands challenges and
the dangers of taking measurements visually where weather, water conditions and
the experience of the surveyor could impact the results. The DST takes advantage
of the latest technologies with an accuracy rate to within two millimeters in 30
meters, using an algorithm which speaks to the reliability of this method.
Once
operational, another problem to solve with the space between the barges that are
frequently transporting fertilizer on the Mississippi River coming down to mere
inches when the vessels are side by side in port either being loaded or
discharged. As a result, SGS created the DST Lite, with a circumference of one
square inch allowing it to take accurate measurements in the smallest of spaces,
where the regular DST could not fit. With either tool, the results are digital
and are transmitted in real time to an APP on a surveyor’s phone in the case of
the DST Lite, or saved on the device in the case of the DST and then stored in
the cloud.
“It is a source of pride for SGS to be on the leading edge of innovation once
again,” said Carlos Cordoba, SGS Trades Director for North America Minerals
Services. “Our focus continues to be advancing technology while improving
employee productivity and safety. This focus is among our core values as a
global leader in trade and inspection.”
The DST and DST Lite are where inspiration, ingenuity, innovation, and the needs
of the fertilizer industry meet. |