Special Survey (SS)

The Special Survey is the major class survey carried out every five years to renew the ship’s classification certificate, the most extensive of the periodical surveys. It includes close-up examination, thickness measurement, and testing of the hull structure to confirm it remains within renewal limits, with the scope increasing with the age of the ship. The survey may be done in a concentrated docking or spread over the fifth year under a continuous survey arrangement, and it is normally combined with the renewal of statutory certificates.