Dynamic Checklists Improve Surveys

A further enhancement to the survey services ABS offers to clients has been effected with the introduction of electronically prepared, vessel type-specific, dynamic checklists for surveys of ABS-classed vessels. The new checklists are generated for the attending surveyor at the time the survey is ordered. As they are composed in real-time, they include the most up-to-date information contained in the survey record with respect to the vessel. They are also specifically tailored to the type of vessel and to the specific survey or audit that is to be carried out.

The surveyor is automatically provided with a checklist specific to the type of vessel they are attending based on thirteen different parameters that are considered by the system. The dynamic checklist module can produce approximately 600,000 unique checklists from those parameters. And the system does not allow the surveyor to close the survey report without addressing each item on the checklist. The parameters are: Survey Task; Facility (Vessel or Company Office for Audits); Vessel Function, Type, Age, Length and Deadweight; whether Single or Double Hull; Flag (drawn from 240 possibilities); the vessel’s Service Restrictions; and applicable Notations (drawn from 290 different possibilities).

One dynamic checklist is created for each task (type of survey or type of audit) that is listed on the work order. In the event that an additional survey or audit is requested later or during attendance, the surveyor or auditor can add a task to the work order while off-line and the appropriate dynamic checklist will be added. This is possible because checklists for any type of task that the notation and service agreement permits are downloaded onto the surveyor or auditor's PC at the time the work order is created.

Since the first phase of the dynamic checklist project is vessel-type specific, some check items will be applicable to certain vessels of a given type but not applicable to all vessels of that given type. This will be addressed in phase two of the project, expected to be completed later in 2006, that will be vessel specific.

Once completed, vessel specific dynamic checklists will contain only those class required items that are specific to that particular vessel for the specific survey that is to be undertaken, together with the relevant Rule requirements for each item. These checklists will be made available to owners at that time. It will also be possible for the surveyor to append sketches and photographs to the report that can be viewed by the owner and that will enter the survey record of the vessel.