No side to take
Nick is engaged by one party and answerable to the facts. That independence is what makes a survey report worth relying on by everyone who has to read it.
Second Mate Unlimited 1600-Ton Master
Nick Salazar
Independent marine surveyor & cargo consultant
A decade surveying cargo. When something is lifted, stowed, moved or claimed, someone has to see it and write down what happened. That is the job.
Build a briefCount. Measure. Record.
Steel does not forgive a vague report. Coils arrive with mill marks, strapping, edge protection and a weight on the packing list, and every one of those is a fact to be checked before the cargo moves again. A steel survey records count, condition, marks and any damage exactly as found, with photographs that match the tally. Pipe, plate and coil are surveyed the same way, at every hand-over, so the condition at each hand-over is on record.
What the licenses certify
- Second Mate Unlimited
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A U.S. merchant mariner deck officer license in the unlimited-tonnage class. What it covers in practice depends on the routes, endorsements and limitations printed on the credential.
Why it matters to you: a stowage plan, a stability calculation or a lashing arrangement is read the way a watch officer reads it, not only the way an inspector does.
- 1600-Ton Master
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A merchant mariner master’s license in the 1600 gross ton class, likewise subject to the routes, endorsements and limitations on the credential.
Why it matters to you: it brings a master’s frame of reference, navigation, stability and vessel safety, to a towing survey or a loading survey.
- Surveying
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A decade surveying cargo. Previously employed at EIMC.
Credentials as supplied by Nick Salazar; not independently verified on this page.
Rig. Lift. Land.
A heavy lift is planned on paper and proven in the air. Rigging, sling angles, the crane’s set-up, the receiving railcar or deck, and the tie-down that follows are each checked against the plan before and after the load leaves the ground. Nick attends heavy lift and project cargo operations and railcar loadings as an independent surveyor, and reports what was done, not what was intended.
Services
Every survey type Nick offers, and what you get from each one.
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Break bulk
Condition, count and securing of non-containerized cargo, recorded at loading or discharge.
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Heavy lift / project cargo
Attendance at lifts and moves of oversized units, checked against the rigging and stowage plan.
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Steel pipe / plate / coils
Tally, marks and condition of steel at each hand-over, with damage noted as found.
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Stock throughput warehouse inspections
Inspection of stored inventory and the facility holding it, for stock insured across storage and transit.
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Cargo claim surveys
The nature, apparent cause and extent of loss or damage, as observed on attendance and recorded for the claim file.
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CSC container inspections
Structural inspection of containers against the requirements of the International Convention for Safe Containers.
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Draft survey
Cargo quantity determined from the vessel’s drafts and displacement, at loading and at discharge.
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Towing survey
Inspection of the tow, the towing gear and the connections before the voyage begins.
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Loading / stowage surveys
Verification that cargo is stowed, blocked and lashed as planned, before the hold or the doors close.
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Railcar loading
Loading and securement of cargo on railcars, documented at the ramp.
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Truck loading
Loading and securement on trailers, documented before the truck leaves the yard.
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Jack and slide
Attendance at hydraulic jacking and skidding moves of heavy, tip-sensitive equipment.
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Airfreight
Condition and packing of air cargo, surveyed before build-up.
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Packing / crate surveys
Export packing and crating checked against the cargo and the route, before closure.
Block. Brace. Lash.
Inside a container the cargo has nowhere to go but into the walls. Timber blocking, bracing frames and lashings have to hold through road, rail and sea, and how they are fitted is the whole difference between cargo that arrives and cargo that shifts. A loading and stowage survey documents the securing as fitted, with the container number, the seal and photographs, before the doors close.
Work
Photographs from Nick’s files, captioned with what is in the frame.
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Galvanized steel coils, banded and labelled, stacked in a covered store. From Nick’s files. -
A crawler crane lifting an enclosed unit over a rail flatcar. From Nick’s files. -
Cylindrical units blocked with timber frames and lashing straps inside a container. From Nick’s files. -
Enclosed units on a roller dolly on a cargo warehouse floor. From Nick’s files. -
A wrapped machine on timber cradles in an open crate, inside an industrial hall. From Nick’s files. -
Three tarped and netted loads lashed to flat racks in an open yard. From Nick’s files.
Wrap. Secure. Ship.
Break bulk cargo travels exposed: flat racks, trailers, deck stow, weather. Tarps, nets and straps only do their work if they are fitted and tensioned correctly, and only matter if the cargo beneath them was sound when it was covered. Nick surveys break bulk and truck loadings for condition, marks and securing, and produces a record the receiving end can be measured against.
Pack. Protect. Prove.
Packing problems show up long after the crate is closed, when it is too late to fix them. A packing and crate survey checks the crate, the cradle, the bracing, the wrapping and the marks against what the cargo needs for the route ahead, and photographs the work before it is closed up. If the crate is right, the report says so. If it is not, the report says that too, while there is still time to correct it.
Weigh. Watch. Witness.
Airfreight moves fast and leaves a short paper trail. High-value, time-critical cargo still needs someone to confirm its condition, its packing and its securing on the pallet or dolly before it is built up and gone. Nick surveys airfreight shipments with the same discipline as an ocean lift: condition as found, photographs, and a report written for the shipper and the underwriter alike.
Why an independent surveyor
Evidence built to be read later
Photographs, tallies, measurements and a clear timeline, written for someone who was not there and needs to understand what happened months afterwards.
One name on the report
The person who attends is the person who writes and signs. Questions about the survey go to the surveyor who was on site.
Contact
Email Nick at that address. Or describe the assignment below — this page assembles a plain-text brief you can copy or download and send there. Nothing is submitted from this page.