Tally and cargo supervision
Tally means counting cargo units — coils, bundles, bags, pieces — as they cross the ship's rail. Supervision means a surveyor watching the whole operation and recording what happens. Together they produce the outturn report that settles how much arrived, in what condition.
What is counted and recorded
- Number of units per hatch and per shift, by mark, lot or bill of lading.
- Units found damaged, wet, rusty or with broken bands, set aside and photographed.
- Stoppages and their reasons: rain, crane breakdown, waiting for trucks, shifting.
- Stowage, dunnage, lashing and hatch sealing on a loading ship.
The outturn report
At the end of discharge the tally is compared with the bills of lading. The outturn report shows units discharged against units declared, shortages and overages, and the damaged units with their marks. A supervising surveyor also attaches the time log, which is useful for laytime and demurrage calculations.
Who does it, and who needs it
In Turkey tally is done both by inspection companies, as part of a wider survey, and by dedicated tally firms (puantörlük firmaları) that do only counting and supervision.
Receivers of steel products and general cargo use it to claim shortages and damage. Sellers use it to prove what was loaded. Owners use it to defend claims, since a clean tally signed by both sides limits what can be claimed later.
Finding a surveyor
Choose the port on Portiva to see every authorized company there. To get quotes, send one request and we pass it to companies working in that port. Survey companies abroad looking for a local surveyor to attend on their behalf can use the attending surveyor request.