KDS Offshore
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Capability · 07 / 09 · Project supervision

Supervision of New Constructions

Independent owner's-engineer oversight.

Lead time · Project spanFixed-fee, fixed-scopePrincipal-ledAuthor · Sérgio Ribeiro e Silva, PhDLast reviewed ·
✦ TL;DR

Supervision of new constructions is the independent owner's-engineer role that protects the operator's specification through build — material audits, gate reviews, inspection logs, sea trials, and final acceptance. KDS Offshore sits on the owner side with no commercial relationship to the yard, with written authority to stop work, and delivers a final report the operator can hand to the insurer.

Overview

What this service is

Independent supervision is the work an operator pays for so that the yard cannot quietly redefine the specification. We sit on the owner's side, with no commercial relationship to the yard, and we carry a written authority to stop work when something is wrong.

Our remit covers material procurement audits, gate reviews before each construction phase, inspection logs against the approved drawings, sea trials, and acceptance testing. We work internationally, and we travel.

The deliverable on day one is the inspection plan: which inspections, at which gates, against which acceptance criteria. The deliverable on the last day is the final delivery report. Everything in between is documented.

See our methods →

Outcomes

Numbers we expect to defend

Independent
no commercial tie to the yard
fees paid exclusively by the owner; written stop-work authority
Day-1
inspection plan with named gates
before steel is cut; locked at kick-off, not negotiated mid-build
24 h
standard NCR resolution clock
documented; most disputes resolve before escalation
Insurer-ready
final delivery report
acceptance results + outstanding-items list, formatted for hull P&I
Deliverables

What you get

01
Construction supervision
02
Inspection & QA plan
03
Technical specification audit
04
Phase reviews & inspection logs
05
Non-conformance reports
06
Acceptance-trials protocol & results
07
Final delivery report
08
Offshore platforms & port infrastructure
Fit

When this is the right call

✓ When to use
  • A new build where the owner needs an independent technical witness — first-of-class, novel design, or multi-yard subcontracting.
  • A construction phase under schedule pressure, where the owner cannot resident-staff but needs gate-level discipline.
  • A foreign yard where time-zone and language gaps require a principal-led, on-site presence at hold-points.
  • A high-value offshore structure where insurance and class will both audit the delivery package after handover.
✗ When not to use
  • A turnkey contract where the owner does not retain technical accountability and the yard carries all risk.
  • A modification or refit inside a single yard period under existing class oversight (use Vessel Conversion Engineering).
Methodology

How we run a project

  1. 01 / 04

    Inspection plan

    Phases, gates, hold-points, acceptance criteria. Issued before steel is cut.

  2. 02 / 04

    On-site supervision

    Resident or visiting principal at each gate. Real-time issue resolution; documented decisions.

  3. 03 / 04

    Sea trials

    Manoeuvring, speed, and noise trials witnessed against the contract. Discrepancies reported with corrective actions.

  4. 04 / 04

    Final delivery

    Acceptance test results, outstanding items list, and a final delivery report the operator can hand to the insurer.

Tools & methods

Software stack we use

  • Class rule sets (DNV, BV, RINA, LR, GL)
  • IMO / SOLAS / MARPOL compliance frameworks
  • Inspection software & digital logs
  • Sea-trial instrumentation coordination
Regulatory context

Frameworks we help you satisfy

  • IACS Common Structural RulesHull-structure inspection gates and acceptance criteria.
  • SOLAS / MARPOL / Load LineStatutory survey points witnessed alongside the recognised organisation.
  • IMO Sea Trial Resolution MSC.137(76)Acceptance criteria for the standard manoeuvres witnessed at trials.
  • ISO 9001 (yard QMS)Quality-management framework against which the yard's NCR process is audited.
  • Flag-state delegation (DGRM / equivalents)Statutory items delegated by the flag administration to the RO and witnessed by the owner's engineer.
Vessel types

Where this discipline applies

  • Cargo ships (newbuild block assembly through delivery)
  • Passenger and cruise vessels
  • Offshore structures (jackets, semi-subs, FPSO topsides)
  • Patrol and naval craft
  • Working boats and pilot boats
  • Renewable-energy installations (during construction phase)
Selected work

Where this discipline was used

·01OneOcean working boat (build phase)OneOcean2021↗
Common questions

FAQ

Is your supervisor on site full-time?

Depends on the project. For high-tempo phases (block assembly, outfitting), yes. For longer phases with well-defined hold-points, we attend the gates. The plan is set at project start, not negotiated mid-build.

Do you carry authority to stop work?

Yes — written, by the owner. We use it sparingly. Most disputes are resolved by a non-conformance report and a 24-hour clock.

Do you cover offshore-structure construction as well as ships?

Yes. The discipline transfers: gate reviews, hold-points, acceptance criteria. The class rule changes; the rigour does not.

Other capabilities

Eight other disciplines, one office

✦ Brief this service · Supervision

Tell us about the vessel.

A 30-minute call with a principal. No deck, no sales engineer. Two engineers, your problem, an honest answer about whether KDS is the right firm.

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