Marine Survey & Compliance for the modern fleet.
Technical survey and compliance work for owners and operators — from the IMO 2027 Carbon Intensity Indicator regime and commercial vetting readiness through to remote magnetic compass adjustment, VDR-based navigation audit, and bespoke inspections. Led by partners with operational command experience and naval architecture expertise.
Survey and compliance led by people who lived the regime.
This vertical covers the technical survey and compliance work that keeps a modern fleet trading: the IMO Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII) regime that increasingly governs decarbonization, the commercial vetting inspections (SIRE 2.0 for tankers, RightShip for dry bulk) that determine which vessels get fixtures, and the technical surveys delivered remotely or on-site — remote magnetic compass adjustment, VDR-based navigation audit, quality-system development — that owners need from a credible independent surveyor.
Lex Dux combines the operational background of a Master Mariner with the technical and design expertise of a Marine Chief Engineer and Naval Architect. This combination matters because modern compliance — especially the CII regime and navigation auditing — sits exactly at the intersection of operational reality, regulatory interpretation, and engineering.
C/E Manu Singh, our Director of Marine Engineering & Compliance, leads the technical engineering side of this practice. As inventor of the Manus-Zim Modular (MZM) Hybrid Protocol — a ship design framework engineered specifically for IMO 2027 CII compliance through modular power generation and structural ballast redistribution — he brings genuine naval architecture credentials to decarbonization and survey work.
Engagements range from discrete surveys and inspections to ongoing advisory. The 2027 CII advisory and the VDR-based navigation audit are where our depth is most distinctive.
Seven service lines across survey & compliance.
Each line is offered as discrete project work or as ongoing advisory. The 2027 CII advisory and VDR navigation audit are the most distinctive.
IMO 2027 CII advisory
Decarbonization strategy for the 2027 CII regime: gap analysis against current vessel ratings, SEEMP Part III drafting and revision, operational efficiency intervention design, and — where structural intervention is needed — MZM Hybrid Protocol implementation analysis. Based on the latest MEPC.400(83) reduction factors.
SIRE 2.0 inspection readiness
Preparation for OCIMF's SIRE 2.0 regime — the sole commercial tanker vetting tool since it replaced VIQ7 in September 2024. Gap assessment across Hardware, Procedures, and Human Factors; CVIQ question-library readiness; photo repository review; crew briefing on the nine Performance Influencing Factors; and mock inspections on the four-tier grading scale.
RightShip inspection & deficiency closure
RightShip inspection preparation for dry bulk operators, RISQ readiness assessment, and structured closure of RightShip-raised deficiencies. Root-cause analysis, corrective-action planning, and evidence preparation to restore and protect your RightShip Safety Score and vetting standing.
Remote magnetic compass adjustment & deviation report
Remote magnetic compass adjustment delivered entirely by correspondence. The master swings the vessel at sea on the standard headings during a normal passage and supplies the observed bearings by email; we calculate residual deviations, prepare the corrective measures, and issue the deviation card and adjustment report required under SOLAS — without the cost, delay, or port time of a physical adjuster attendance.
QMS development
Development of Quality Management Systems for shipping companies and maritime service providers — designing the documented procedures, manuals, and processes that underpin consistent operations and certification readiness. Built from operational reality, not generic templates, by an experienced lead auditor.
Remote navigation audit using VDR
Navigation audit conducted remotely by analysing Voyage Data Recorder (VDR) data — bridge audio, radar, ECDIS, and sensor records — to assess watchkeeping standards, passage-planning compliance, near-miss events, and bridge resource management, without the cost and delay of placing an auditor on board. A modern, evidence-based safety tool.
Customised inspections & audits
Bespoke inspection and audit services scoped to the shipowner's specific request — condition surveys, pre-purchase inspections, on/off-hire surveys, draught surveys, bunker surveys, or tailored technical audits. Where you need an independent, qualified eye on a specific question, we scope to it.
Most fleets are not yet ready for the 2027 regime.
The IMO Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII) regime came into force on 1 January 2023 for ships of 5,000 GT and above on international voyages. It sets a required annual operational CII for each vessel and rates vessels A through E on performance.
The reduction factor relative to the 2019 baseline tightens each year. Through 2026 the reductions are progressive — 5%, 7%, 9%, 11%. From 2027 the trajectory steepens sharply: 13.625% (2027), 16.25% (2028), 18.875% (2029), 21.5% (2030), figures adopted at MEPC 83 on 11 April 2025 (Resolution MEPC.400(83)).
The practical consequence: a vessel rated C today may rate D within two years and E within four. A vessel rated D for three consecutive years, or E for one year, triggers a mandatory corrective action plan under MEPC.347(78). Beyond that, the commercial implications compound — charterer screening, financing, and insurance all increasingly reference CII rating.
Most fleets have completed the basic CII reporting but have not developed a credible compliance trajectory for 2027 onward. SEEMP Part III for the 2026–2028 period needed revision and approval by 31 December 2025 — so this is active work now, not future planning. Our engagement covers baseline assessment per vessel, trajectory projection to 2030, intervention identification (operational, technical, or structural), SEEMP Part III drafting, and — where deeper structural intervention is needed — MZM Hybrid Protocol analysis through C/E Manu Singh's naval architecture practice.
Discrete survey, then specific intervention, then advisory where it makes sense.
Most engagements follow a clear path. Stage one is a defined survey or assessment — a CII trajectory analysis, a SIRE 2.0 gap assessment, a remote compass adjustment, a VDR navigation audit, a customised inspection. Fixed scope, fixed fee, defined timeline.
Stage two is implementation of the findings — SEEMP Part III drafting, deficiency closure, QMS development, corrective-action execution, or interface with Class society and flag Administration. Typically project-based with milestone billing.
Stage three, where the owner wants ongoing presence, is an advisory relationship — recurring CII monitoring, periodic navigation audits, or a standing arrangement for inspections across a fleet. This is typical for owners with several vessels under common operational control.
Every engagement is led by a partner with the relevant credential — Master Mariner for navigation and survey work, Marine Chief Engineer and Naval Architect for CII and engineering matters — not delegated to junior staff.
Common questions, candidly answered.
How do you help with SIRE 2.0 inspection preparation?
SIRE 2.0 fundamentally changed tanker vetting when it replaced VIQ7 in September 2024. The old approach — rehearsing answers to a fixed questionnaire — no longer works. Each inspection draws a bespoke question set (CVIQ) from a large library, grades responses on a four-tier scale, and assesses every question across Hardware, Procedures, and Human Factors.
Our preparation covers a pre-inspection gap assessment against the current question library; review of your photo repository (which must be current within six months); crew competency briefing on the human-element dimension; and mock inspections that simulate the graded, tablet-based, photograph-driven reality of a real SIRE 2.0 attendance. We also convert negative observations into auditable corrective actions.
What is a remote navigation audit using VDR, and why does it matter?
A Voyage Data Recorder captures a continuous record of a vessel's operation — bridge audio, radar, ECDIS, heading, speed, and sensor data. A remote navigation audit analyses this recorded data to assess how the vessel is actually being navigated: watchkeeping standards, passage-plan adherence, bridge resource management, COLREG compliance, and any near-miss events.
The value is twofold. First, it audits real behaviour rather than documented procedure — what the bridge team actually did, not what the manual says they should. Second, it does so without placing an auditor on board, removing the cost, delay, and observer-effect of a physical attendance. For owners managing safety across a fleet, it is one of the most cost-effective navigation assurance tools available.
How does your remote compass adjustment service work?
SOLAS requires every vessel's magnetic compass to be properly adjusted and a deviation table maintained. Our service is conducted entirely remotely. The master swings the vessel at sea through the standard headings during a routine passage, takes the bearings, and sends us the data by email.
We then perform the calculations to determine residual deviation, prepare the corrective measures where deviation exceeds permitted limits, and issue a current deviation card and adjustment report that satisfies SOLAS, Class society, and port-state expectations.
The advantage is structural: no waiting for an adjuster to attend, no port time consumed, no scheduling against the vessel's itinerary. The work happens during a normal sea passage and the deliverables arrive by return.
What is the current 2027 CII deadline situation?
Two deadlines matter. First: the SEEMP Part III revision for the 2026–2028 implementation period needed amendment and approval by 31 December 2025 under MEPC.347(78). If your vessel's SEEMP Part III still reflects pre-2025 reduction figures, it is overdue.
Second: the new reduction-factor regime from MEPC.400(83) takes operational effect for the 2027 reporting year — vessels need to be performing against the 13.625% reduction threshold from 1 January 2027, with formal reporting in early 2028. A vessel currently rated C with a tight margin may face D in 2027, so corrective planning is happening now.
What's distinctive about the MZM Hybrid Protocol?
The MZM (Manus-Zim Modular) Hybrid Protocol is C/E Manu Singh's naval architecture framework for IMO 2027 CII compliance through structural design rather than operational compromise. It addresses two of the largest CII levers — power generation efficiency and ballast water management impact on transport work — through modular interventions applicable to existing vessels.
The distinction matters because most CII improvement programmes rely on operational measures (slow steaming, weather routing) that have practical limits and commercial costs. Structural intervention through modular hybrid power generation can deliver improvement that compounds with operational measures rather than competing with them. For owners deciding whether their fleet's 2027 gap is closable operationally or needs structural intervention, the MZM analysis is the relevant diagnostic.
What is the typical fee structure for survey & compliance work?
For discrete surveys and inspections (remote compass adjustment, VDR navigation audit, SIRE 2.0 gap assessment, customised inspection): a fixed fee per engagement, scaled by vessel and scope.
For 2027 CII strategic advisory: typically a two-phase engagement — phase one is a fleet-wide gap analysis on a fixed-fee basis; phase two is intervention implementation on a project basis. Phase one often determines whether phase two is needed at all.
For ongoing advisory (recurring CII monitoring, periodic navigation audits across a fleet): a retainer covering defined scope, with project work billed separately.
From a single remote compass adjustment to a fleet-wide 2027 CII strategy.
Send a brief note about the survey, inspection, or compliance question. Initial assessment is without obligation.