Port captain and cargo surveyor, on the dock when your vessel calls.
Independent port captaincy, marine cargo survey and vessel operation management for container vessels and break-bulk cargo at Northern California ports, led by a master mariner.
What we do
Three services, one person responsible. You get a single point of contact who has stood the watch, loaded the cargo and written the report.
Port captaincy
- Owner’s or charterer’s representative attending the vessel from arrival to sailing
- Berthing and cargo operations oversight, with the master, agents and terminal
- Stowage, securing and lashing checks against the vessel’s cargo securing manual
- Time and event log and statement of facts support for laytime and demurrage
- Incident attendance and factual reporting if something goes wrong alongside
Marine cargo survey
- Pre-loading and hold inspection for cleanliness and cargo readiness
- Draft survey to determine cargo quantity loaded or discharged
- Loading and discharge supervision for break-bulk and containerized cargo
- Damage, shortage and condition surveys with photographs and a written report
- Cargo claim support with documented findings for insurers, P&I clubs and cargo interests
Vessel operation management
- Voyage and port call planning with owners, charterers, agents and terminals
- Operational oversight on the owner’s behalf, with regular reporting from the master
- Fuel, lube oil and performance monitoring with clear summaries for decision makers
- Safety, maintenance and compliance support for inspections, audits and port state control visits
- Crew and shore-side coordination, supplies and technical service arrangements
Ports near San Mateo, California
These are the commercial ports around San Francisco Bay and the Delta that we attend. Distances are approximate road miles from San Mateo.
Schematic only. Coastline and port positions are approximate; not for navigation.
- Port of Redwood City≈ 10 miThe Bay’s southernmost deep-draft port. Bulk and break-bulk cargoes such as aggregates, cement and scrap.
- Port of San Francisco≈ 20 miBreak-bulk, project cargo and cruise calls, with ship repair at Pier 70.
- Port of Oakland≈ 25 miThe Bay Area’s main container gateway, with a large share of Northern California’s export and import cargo.
- Port of Richmond≈ 35 miVehicle imports plus liquid and dry bulk at several terminals.
- Port of Benicia≈ 55 miOn the Carquinez Strait; vehicles and bulk cargoes.
- Port of Stockton≈ 80 miInland deep-water port on the San Joaquin River: bulk, fertilizer, steel and project cargo.
- Port of West Sacramento≈ 95 miInland port on the Sacramento Deep Water Ship Channel; agricultural and bulk cargo.
Need a port not listed? Ask. Attendance outside this area is quoted case by case.
Surveys written by someone who has commanded ships
Captain Meghdadi is a master mariner. Sea command gives a surveyor a practical view of how cargo behaves on passage, what a master needs from the shore side, and what a report has to say to be useful to owners, underwriters and lawyers.
Our focus is container vessels and break-bulk cargo. With more than 25 years of maritime experience, the work is built on long practice: reading a stowage plan, watching a cargo operation and recording exactly what happened.
- Plain-language reports with dated photographs
- Independent: the findings are what was observed
- Direct contact with the person who attended, not a call centre
Send a message
Tell us the vessel, the port, the cargo and the date. We reply by email, and for urgent attendances please also say so in the subject.
- [email protected]
- Phone
- Available on request
- Covering
- Redwood City, San Francisco, Oakland, Richmond, Benicia, Stockton and West Sacramento