Page 40 - Port of Baltimore - May/June 2019

PORT BUSINESS
Call the
Surveyor!
AT INTERNATIONAL CARGO SURVEYORS, WORK IS A ROUND-THE-CLOCK COMMITMENT
BY MERRILL WITTY | Photographs by Donovan Eaton Photography
As President of International Cargo Surveyors (ICS), a local Port of Baltimore company near Dundalk Marine Terminal, Stephen Miernicki is much like a midwife: on call seven days a week, 24 hours a day. Because the Port of Baltimore never sleeps. And the ships can’t wait.
“Sometimes you’re so busy, you don’t want the phone to ring,” he said. “Other times it may be slower and you ask yourself: Am I in the right business?”
But this time of year, stores want to make sure they have inventory in time for the holidays; is everything OK in China? It’ll take a month for a ship to get in from there. Then the cargo has to go to distribution centers. ICS can be involved for customers every step of the way.
“IKEA and Costco take in thousands of containers a year,” he notes. “If there’s a small hole in a container, it can become damaged by water seeping in. What is the extent of the damage? I can also bid out
salvageable goods to salvage companies if anything can be saved.”
ICS’ cargo surveyors conduct inspections, surveys or examinations of marine vessels to assess, monitor and report on their condition and the products on them, as well as inspect damage caused to both vessels and cargo. Marine surveyors also inspect equipment intended for new or existing vessels to ensure compliance with various specifications. Marine surveys typically include the structure, machinery and equipment, and general condition of a vessel and/or cargo. They also judge materials on board and their condition. Certifications and subsequent payments
are processed only after the surveyor has expressed his satisfaction.
Originally, a young Miernicki wanted to follow in the fin-kicks of Jacques Cousteau. He saw the famed marine biologist on TV and knew he wanted to study oceanography. So he attended the State University of
New York’s Maritime College at historic Ft. Schuyler; it’s the oldest and largest maritime
[38] The Port of Baltimore ■ May/June 2019