Understanding MCA survey vs. condition survey in Marine Hull Insurance

Our ongoing series with our expert Geo Marine team continues, with tips designed especially for brokers and your clients. This time, we asked the team to provide an understanding of MCA and condition surveys – what is the difference and why might you consider each one?

If your client’s vessel has an MCA certificate, they might say, “I’ve already had a survey, why do I need another one?”

Here’s the quick answer brokers need to give: Not all surveys are created equal.

MCA survey

Run by the Maritime & Coastguard Agency, this is a statutory check, mainly for compliance with UK safety, manning, and construction standards. It’s about regulatory fitness, not risk underwriting.

Focuses on:

• Safety gear
• Crewing
• Stability
• Fire protection
• Life-saving appliances.
  
  

Doesn’t assess:

• Machinery wear
• Hull corrosion
• Structural fatigue
• General maintenance condition.
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In short: it says, “this vessel is legal and safe to operate”, not “this vessel is in good condition and a good insurance risk.”

Condition survey

This is what underwriters want: an independent, in-depth inspection of the vessel’s actual physical condition, done from an insurance risk perspective.

Focuses on:

• Hull integrity
• Machinery health and maintenance (especially propulsion systems)
• Evidence of damage, corrosion, poor repair
• Valuation
• General upkeep and seaworthiness

The condition survey doesn’t replace statutory checks but gives underwriters the info they need to price risk properly or decide whether to quote at all.

Why underwriters ask for condition surveys

Because they’re insuring the risk, not licensing the boat. An MCA survey might tick a box, but it doesn’t tell an underwriter how likely the vessel is to fail at sea or trigger a claim.