Page 42 - Port of Baltimore - May/June 2019

PORT BUSINESS
college in the country. The school also prepared him to become a U.S. Merchant Marine officer, and after graduation he spent three years as a deck officer. “I saw fewer fish and more ships,” he said. And not a single mermaid.
Eventually, he and a partner, whom he bought out in 1983, launched ICS.
“A surveyor is basically the referee of the marine terminal,” said Miernicki. “I provide measurement surveys to determine the cubic capacity for the freight rate. We
will sample bulk cargo to determine quality and set the price on the letter of credit. We also inspect damaged shipments, and our detailed reports with photographs are the basis for the claim.
“Many times, these will go to court, where we provide expert- witness testimony. We also inspect empty containers and their chassis to determine if they are Cargo Worthy or Road Worthy.”
Miernicki and his surveyors
may also be hired for a sampling inspection. Recently, he drilled into a cargo of tin ingots and sent samples to a lab to test whether the quality matched the letter of credit.
Sometimes matters go to
court, such as after an accident or discrepancy. In recent years, Miernicki has testified in court as an expert witness “probably 20 or 30 times.”
“A witness,” he said, “testifies to what he saw. An expert witness testifies as to what he saw and what he thought.
“As an independent, uninterested third party, I don’t care what anyone says,” he asserts. “This morning,
I was booked by a shipper. They provided the dimensions. That results in the cubic feet of a shipment to figure out the freight rate.” But when Miernicki’s measurements come
in, that will be considered the final number upon which the freight rate is based. This, along with checking
to see a container is loaded properly and secured properly and that the container is in good order, comprises preventative surveying.
There are several other surveyors based at the Port of Baltimore
too. “We are all independent contractors,” Miernicki said. “We call balls and strikes.” But rather than being in competition, the surveying
[40] The Port of Baltimore ■ May/June 2019