Terminal questionnaire and berth fit
The terminal-specific data set and compatibility assessment that decides whether a nominated ship can safely work a given berth.
A terminal questionnaire is the terminal-specific data set a nominated ship must satisfy before it is accepted at a berth, and berth fit is the compatibility assessment built from it. Together they answer a narrower question than a general vetting screen: not whether the ship is acceptable in the abstract, but whether this ship can safely work this berth on this call.
The data covers mooring configuration and line arrangements, manifold and hatch geometry, loading and deballasting rates, air draft and maximum draft, fender and dolphin compatibility, and where relevant helicopter suitability. Terminals administer their own questionnaires, often facilitated through a commercial vetting platform, and post-call feedback reports feed the vessel’s operational history for future calls at that terminal.
Published terminal rules commonly name a third-party agent as conducting vetting on the terminal’s behalf while expressly limiting that remit to berth fit, leaving insurance, sanctions and lien risk with the customer. The full article will cover questionnaire content, the berth-fit calculation, the feedback report cycle, and the boundary between terminal criteria and a charterer’s own vetting policy .