Hull and machinery claim documents: the checklist

A hull and machinery claim is settled on documents produced by owners, surveyors, the classification society, the repair yard and the average adjuster. This checklist sets out which documents a typical file needs, who provides each one and at which stage it usually arrives.

Updated 14 October 2026 · 8 min read

How a hull and machinery claim file is built

A hull and machinery (H&M) claim follows physical damage to the ship: a grounding, a contact with a berth, heavy weather damage, a fire in the engine room or a machinery breakdown. The file grows in four stages. At the casualty stage owners notify underwriters and record what happened. At the survey stage surveyors and class establish the cause and extent of the damage. At the repair stage the yard quotes, repairs and invoices. At the adjustment stage the average adjuster sets the recoverable costs against the policy terms.

The stages overlap. Class may issue a condition of class at the first attendance, and a revised quotation may arrive after the repair has started. A file that is complete for one stage can still be incomplete for the next, so it helps to check each stage separately.

Invented example. A bulk carrier suffers main engine damage on a ballast passage and is towed to a repair port. Owners notify the leading underwriter, the chief engineer's log shows a sudden drop in lubricating oil pressure, a joint survey is held at the yard and class imposes a condition of class on the main engine. Three yards quote, one is chosen and the final invoice is higher than the accepted quotation. Each of these steps leaves at least one document in the file.

The checklist by stage

Document	Who provides it	What it shows	Stage
Notice of casualty to underwriters (and to the leader or claims leader)	Owners or managers, often through the broker	Date, place and nature of the casualty; when underwriters were told	Casualty
Master's statement or report	Master	The master's account of events, actions taken and damage observed	Casualty
Sea protest (note of protest), where made	Master, before a notary, consul or port authority	A formal declaration of the event, made under local law	Casualty
Deck logbook extracts	Owners, from the ship	Positions, weather, manoeuvres and times recorded on the bridge	Casualty
Engine room logbook and alarm or data logger printouts	Owners, from the ship	Pressures, temperatures, alarms and engine operations around the event	Casualty
Crew statements	Officers and crew, collected by owners or their lawyers	First-hand accounts of the sequence of events	Casualty
Photographs and video	Crew, superintendent, surveyors	The condition of the damage before and during repair	Casualty and survey
Owners' surveyor's report	Surveyor appointed by owners	Cause, extent and proposed repair from owners' side	Survey
Underwriters' surveyor's report	Surveyor appointed by underwriters	Cause, extent, repair scope and the reasonableness of costs	Survey
Joint survey report or agreed minutes	Owners' and underwriters' surveyors together	Points agreed and points still open between the surveyors	Survey
Class survey report and any condition of class	Classification society surveyor	Damage found, repairs required to retain class and any time limit	Survey
Superintendent's reports	Owners' technical superintendent	Owners' technical view, repair planning and progress	Survey and repair
Planned maintenance (PMS) records and running hours	Owners or managers	Maintenance history of the damaged machinery	Survey
Lubricating oil analysis and manufacturer's reports	Owners, laboratory, engine maker	Condition of oil and components before and after the damage	Survey
Repair specification	Owners or superintendent, often reviewed by surveyors	The work to be quoted, item by item	Repair
Yard quotations and tender comparison	Repair yards; owners and underwriters' surveyor review them	Price and time offered by each yard and the basis for choosing one	Repair
Repair invoices and accounts	Repair yard, suppliers, service engineers	Costs actually charged, split by item	Repair
Owners' general expenses (port costs, agency, crew, fuel during repair)	Owners, agents, suppliers	Costs incurred around the repair, with vouchers	Repair
Salvage or towage agreement and invoices	Salvors or tug owners, owners	Terms and cost of assistance after the casualty	Casualty and repair
General average declaration, security and adjustment	Owners declare; cargo interests give security; average adjuster prepares the adjustment	How general average sacrifices and expenses are shared between ship, cargo and freight	Adjustment
Policy, clauses and deductible	Owners or broker	Insured perils, conditions, deductible and notice requirements	All stages
Adjustment of the claim	Average adjuster	Costs claimed, items allowed under the policy and the deductible applied	Adjustment

Casualty: notice and the first accounts

The first document in the file is usually the notice of casualty. Its timing matters, and the requirement comes from the policy wording, not from general practice. Hull clauses commonly require notice of an accident that may lead to a claim to be given to underwriters before survey, so that they can appoint their own surveyor. They often also deal with tenders for the repair and may reduce the claim if those conditions are not met. Wording differs between the 1983 and 1995 Institute clauses and the International Hull Clauses 2003, so check your policy. Under the Nordic Marine Insurance Plan the assured has to notify the insurer without undue delay, and a claims leader acts for the insurers on the claim. Read the clauses that actually apply to the policy and keep proof of when notice was sent.

The master's statement and, where one is made, the sea protest give the ship's account. They should be consistent with the deck and engine room logbooks. When two records of the same event differ, for example on the time an alarm sounded or a manoeuvre was ordered, both entries belong in the file side by side with their source. The same approach is described for cargo claims in our guide on Statement of Facts and deck log.

Notice of casualty with date sent and recipients (leading underwriter or claims leader, broker).
Master's statement signed and dated.
Deck and engine room logbook extracts covering a period before and after the event, not only the hour of the casualty.
Crew statements taken early, while recollection is fresh.
Photographs with date and location, before any temporary repair.

Survey: cause, extent and class

Survey reports are the technical core of the file. Owners and underwriters may each appoint a surveyor, and in many cases they attend jointly and record what they agree. The underwriters' surveyor typically comments on the cause of the damage, the scope of repair and whether the costs are fair and reasonable. Those comments are inputs: whether the damage falls within the cover is decided by underwriters and, in the adjustment, set out by the average adjuster.

The classification society's report is separate from the insurance surveys. Class surveys the damage against its rules and may issue a condition of class (some societies call it a recommendation): repairs or further surveys to be carried out within a set time for the ship to keep its class. A temporary repair with a condition of class followed by a permanent repair later is common, and both repairs need their own documents.

For machinery damage the history of the machine matters. Planned maintenance records, running hours since overhaul, lubricating oil analysis results and reports from the engine maker or service engineer help surveyors assess the cause. The superintendent's reports add owners' technical view and record decisions taken during the repair.

Repair: specification, tenders and accounts

The repair specification describes the work to be priced. Yards quote against it, and the quotations, the tender comparison and the reason for choosing a yard all belong in the file. Policy terms may give underwriters a say in the choice of repair place or yard and in taking tenders, so check the clauses before a yard is appointed.

Quotations are often revised. Keep every version with its date, not only the final one, because the adjuster and underwriters' surveyor will compare the accepted quotation with the final invoice. Where owners carry out their own maintenance or class work during the same yard stay, the invoices need to show which items relate to the damage and which are owners' own account. Common costs such as dry-docking and port charges may then have to be apportioned, and the adjuster will need the supporting figures.

Repair specification, with any later additions.
All yard quotations and revisions, dated.
Tender comparison and the reason for the choice of yard.
Final invoices with item detail, and supplier and service engineer invoices.
Owners' general expenses during the repair, each with its voucher.

Salvage, towage and general average

If the ship needed assistance, the salvage or towage agreement, the salvors' or tug owners' accounts and any award or settlement go into the file. If owners declare general average, a further set of documents follows: the declaration, the security collected from cargo interests (typically an average bond signed by cargo owners and an average guarantee from their cargo insurers, or a cash deposit) and finally the general average adjustment, prepared by an average adjuster, usually under the York-Antwerp Rules incorporated in the contracts of carriage. The cargo side of a casualty has its own documents, covered in our guide on marine cargo claim documents.

Adjustment: policy, deductible and the final statement

The average adjuster brings the documents together into the adjustment: the costs claimed, the items allowed under the policy, the deductible and the amount recoverable from underwriters. The adjuster needs the full policy with all clauses and endorsements. How the deductible applies depends on the conditions. Hull clauses commonly apply the deductible per accident or occurrence, and often treat heavy weather damage during a single sea passage between two successive ports as one accident. Gard's comparison notes that under the Nordic Plan general average, salvage and sue and labour are not subject to the deductible, while under the Institute Time Clauses Hulls 1983 they are. Check the deductible clause of the actual policy rather than relying on a summary.

Questions of cover, such as whether a breakdown was caused by an insured peril or whether a condition was breached, are for underwriters and the adjuster under the policy and governing law. A complete file does not answer them. It makes sure that whoever answers them has the same documents.

Common gaps in a hull and machinery file

Proof of when notice was given, and to whom.
Engine room records that cover only the hour of the casualty, not the period before it.
Maintenance history for the damaged machinery.
The underwriters' surveyor's approval of the repair costs.
Earlier versions of the yard quotation once a revised one has arrived.
A clear split between damage repairs and owners' own work.
Closing documents for a condition of class after the permanent repair.

Not legal or coverage advice. This checklist describes common practice. Notice requirements, deductibles and the documents underwriters require depend on the policy, its clauses and the governing law. Check them for each claim, and take advice from your broker, average adjuster or lawyer where needed.

Dossima files these documents into one claim file per casualty, keeps every version, including revised repair quotations, and shows what is still missing. The decision stays with you.

Sources

Public sources this guide relies on. Check the current text before you rely on a rule.