Can Nansen Holt handle yacht claims for an insurer?

Yes. Nansen Holt can act as an external claims department: we take the first notification, contact the policyholder, collect documents, instruct a surveyor from our network, check repair quotations line by line and give a settlement recommendation with a figure, or settle within an agreed authority and report to you. Surveying and claims handling are kept as separate roles in every file, and the insurer keeps full instruction and audit rights. Terms are agreed per insurer.

Can you survey a yacht in a country where I have no contacts?

Yes. You send Nansen Holt the location and the vessel, and we assign an affiliated surveyor in that region. You deal with us in English or German; the surveyor on site speaks the local language.

How quickly can a surveyor attend?

That depends on the region and the season. We tell you the earliest realistic date in our first reply, together with the cost, so you can decide before anything is instructed.

What does a yacht survey cost?

Damage, condition and expert surveys are charged by the hour plus travel time and mileage, at one rate card worldwide. Pre-purchase surveys are a fixed price per metre of the yacht's length. You receive the figure in writing before we instruct a surveyor.

Who do I contract with?

With Nansen Holt. The affiliated surveyor acts as our subcontractor. You have one contract, one invoice and one contact, whatever country the vessel is in.

Who reviews the report?

Nansen Holt. Every report is checked against the photographs, the figures and the attachments before it is released.

Do you work for private owners and buyers, or only for insurers?

For all of them. Insurers, adjusters and law firms instruct us for claims and disputes; buyers for pre-purchase surveys abroad; owners for valuations, repair supervision, damage surveys and coding or flag inspections.

Sample reports

Every Nansen Holt report follows the same structure, whichever affiliated surveyor attends the vessel and in whichever country. The samples below are complete reports with fictitious data: vessel, owner, places and figures are invented, the method and layout are the ones we use. Open them before you instruct us, so you know exactly what you will receive.

Damage survey report

For insurers, adjusters and owners after a claim: what happened, whether the damage matches the account of the incident, the extent, the repair method and the reasonable cost of repair, with photos and a clear conclusion on cause.

Download the sample damage survey report (PDF)

Pre-purchase survey report

For buyers: condition of hull, deck, rig, engine and systems, defects ranked by priority, an estimate of the cost to put them right, and what that means for the price you are about to agree.

Download the sample pre-purchase survey report (PDF)

Condition and valuation survey

For owners, insurers and banks: the condition of the yacht and its market value, for insurance renewal, an agreed value, finance or sale.

Download the sample condition and valuation survey (PDF)

AIS investigation survey

For claims handlers and law firms: a reconstruction of the vessel's track, speed and use from AIS data, with weather and sea state, checked against the reported place, time and sequence of events.

Download the sample AIS investigation survey (PDF)

Desktop review

When an attendance is not worth the cost: a second opinion on photos, quotes and an existing report, with the questions that need answering before a claim is settled.

Download the sample desktop review (PDF)

Need a survey?

Tell us where the vessel lies and what you need. We name the surveyor, the date and the price before any work starts. Request a survey or write to claims@nansenholt.com. How we work and who checks every report: How it works.