DAR ES SALAAM, TANZANIA – July 5, 2025 – As Eastern Africa’s maritime gateways from Mombasa to Dar es Salaam report record cargo throughput, a quieter, more urgent challenge is unfolding on board the vessels that power this trade. All in Maritime News has learned that shipowners and charterers are increasingly turning to intensive, independent survey programs to combat systemic fuel losses, uncovering discrepancies that amount to millions of dollars.
The maritime sector across the region is navigating a complex environment. While ports like Mombasa celebrate surging container traffic, and Dar es Salaam earns praise for dramatically improved efficiency and reduced vessel waiting times, the operational pressures on shipping lines have never been greater. Volatile fuel prices, stringent environmental regulations, and the vastness of the Indian Ocean coastline create opportunities for significant financial leakage.
In this high-stakes climate, the role of the marine surveyor is evolving from a simple trade facilitator to a critical financial auditor. Industry insiders report a clear trend away from single, ad-hoc surveys towards sustained, fleet-wide audit programs designed to root out deep-seated inefficiencies and fraudulent practices.
To understand the scale of this issue, All in Maritime News spoke with Eng. Daniel Esilaba, a Senior Marine Surveyor with Observater Surveys and Services, a firm with a significant operational footprint across the key ports of Eastern and Southern Africa. According to Esilaba, the focus has shifted from isolated disputes to strategic, data-driven partnerships aimed at protecting entire fleets.
“A single survey can resolve a single dispute, but a strategic, fleet-wide program can diagnose and cure systemic issues that cause millions of dollars in losses over time,” Eng. Esilaba explained. “We recently concluded a nine-month engagement with a major fleet operator whose vessels trade extensively across all key Eastern African ports. The results were staggering.”
The challenge laid out by the fleet owner was significant: despite having internal controls, they suspected consistent, hard-to-pinpoint fuel losses across their vessels. Observater was tasked with implementing a comprehensive audit program that went far beyond routine checks.
“This was a systematic campaign involving over 100 carefully timed surveys across their fleet,” Esilaba emphasized. “We deployed a combination of survey types: Bunker Quantity Surveys (BQS) to witness and verify every drop of fuel being delivered at bunkering ports like Djibouti and Mombasa, alongside targeted Off-Hire and Remaining On Board (ROB) surveys to establish precise fuel figures at critical charter-party junctures or during strategic audits.”
This sustained, multi-faceted approach allowed Observater’s team to do what single surveys cannot: identify patterns. Discrepancies that might seem minor on one vessel became glaring red flags when seen recurring across sister ships.
“By correlating data from over one hundred surveys, our team could map the anatomy of their losses,” Esilaba detailed. “We could see a pattern of under-delivery at certain supply points, consistent overstatement of consumption on specific routes, and identical methods of concealment being used on different vessels. The methods were classic but effective when not being systematically checked: under-reported quantities in slack tanks, unaccounted fuel in overflow compartments, and manipulated consumption logs.”
The surveyors’ findings paint a picture of a forensic, deep-dive process. Every sounding tape measurement, every temperature correction, and every cross-check of an engine log became a data point in a much larger investigation. This meticulous work was coordinated between teams on the ground, with surveyors in Dar es Salaam sharing insights with teams in Nacala or Beira to build a comprehensive intelligence picture of the fleet’s vulnerabilities.
“The results of this nine-month, data-intensive program were unambiguous,” stated Eng. Esilaba. “By systematically auditing the fleet, identifying and closing loopholes in procedure and practice, we helped the company recover over 4,500 metric tons of bunkers. This is fuel that was physically on their vessels but was unaccounted for—effectively lost to their balance sheet.”
This figure represents a multi-million-dollar recovery and a fundamental shift in the client’s fleet management and loss prevention strategy.
To provide further context, Esilaba added:
“At Observater, we routinely conduct bunker surveys in all major Eastern Africa ports, including Mombasa, Dar es Salaam, Tanga, Djibouti, Lamu, Beira, Nacala, Maputo, and Port Sudan, as well as Southern Africa ports like Durban and Richards Bay. Across the continent – from Lagos, Tema, and Abidjan on the West, to Port Said and Alexandria in the North – we’ve seen that bunker discrepancies are not regional anomalies. They are continent-wide financial blind spots that must be independently verified and tightly managed.”
As Eastern Africa continues to solidify its position as a global trade hub, the complexities of modern shipping demand a new level of diligence. For fleet operators navigating the region’s vast coastline, the question is no longer just ‘how much fuel do I have today?’, but rather, ‘how do I build a system that ensures I never lose track of my fuel again?’. Based on these findings, it appears comprehensive, independent auditing is providing the answer.
Based on these findings, it’s clear: independent, sustained auditing is no longer a luxury – it is the backbone of loss prevention in the region’s maritime industry.
For more on bunker trading and surveys in Africa reach Eng. Daniel at: daniel.n@observater.com or visit: www.observater.com
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