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Inspection & supervision services

Inspection & surveying

We help protect our clients’ interests by providing expert field inspection and supervision across a wide range of traded commodities. Our offices are led by a team of experienced inspectors, samplers and marine cargo surveyors with expert knowledge of local procedures and equipment, who work in accordance with international standards.

Our field operatives are supported by commercial, technical, operational and administrative teams providing two-way communication.

It is our responsibility to help protect your interests by obtaining fully representative sample material and determining the accurate weight of your hard and soft commodities

Commodities supervised and tested include:
  • Base metal ores and concentrates
  • Other non-ferrous ores, concentrates, metals, and alloys
  • Iron ore and pig iron
  • Ferro alloys
  • Precious metals including full platinum group metals
  • Coal and coke
  • Minor metals
  • Noble metals
  • Chemicals
  • Rare earth minerals

Field services include:
  • Pre-shipment inspection
  • Supervision of loading / transshipment / discharge
  • Monitoring cargo handling
  • Quantity and quality inspection
  • Store intervention / warehouse inspection
  • Storage and stowage inspections
  • Tallying and stockpile control
  • Calibration of weighing equipment
  • Weight control / supervision: draft survey, barge gauging, scale weighing
  • Sampling in full accordance with international Standards to ensure accurate analytical results
  • Sample preparation
  • Size distribution
  • Granulometry
  • Moisture determination
  • Transportable moisture limit / flow moisture point
Base metals analysis

Inspection & supervision

Our team of experienced surveyors focuses on our clients; their satisfaction is our main goals. Our most important asset is our people, as it is through their professionalism, values and focus that we fulfill the needs of our clients.

Inspection_Supervision

Precious Metals

We offer accurate and independent global inspection for all precious metal bearing materials. Our expertise is used to inspect, weigh, sample, analyse and report on the quantity and quality of commodities to produce findings that can be used for final commercial settlement purposes. Our services for precious metals are regularly utilized by clients from the mining, chemical, oil, petrochemical, pharmaceutical, electronic, jewellery, financial and governmental sectors. Our network provides coverage at all major precious metal and PGM refineries and production facilities around the world, many with dedicated, permanent representatives.

ALS offer a comprehensive supervision portfolio for the following materials:
  • Precious metals
  • Sweeps
  • Concentrates
  • Slimes
  • Electronic scrap
  • Chemical conductor pastes
  • Bullion
  • Dore
  • Jewellery
  • Platinum group metals (PGM's)
  • Resins
  • Precious metal bearing catalysts
  • Fresh and spent catalysts
  • Automobile catalysts
  • Platforming catalysts
  • Hydrogeneration catalysts
  • Mono and bi-metallic catalysts
  • Isomerisation catalysts
  • Reforming catalysts
  • Ethylene oxide silver catalysts
  • VAM catalysts
  • Nitric acid plant gauzes

Transportable Moisture Limit (TML) & Flow Moisture Point (FMP)

The issuance of FMP/TML certificates is one of the most important tests that ALS can perform, providing confidence to clients that their material is safe to transport via bulk carrier.


The Flow Moisture Point (FMP) is the point at which a granular bulk material becomes fluid. A Flow Table Test (FTT) is conducted to find the FMP, with the TML calculated to be 90% of this figure. This is the maximum moisture level at which it is safe to ship the material; if the cargo is found to have a higher moisture content than the TML, it is strongly recommended that the cargo not be transported (unless the vessel is specially built for this).


Coal shipment superintending and certification

Global coal inspection and testing services are coordinated and controlled by a dedicated, permanent team of ALS experts based throughout an international network of offices.

ALS offer a comprehensive supervision portfolio for the following materials:
  • Consultancy: Protecting your interests and ensuring correct application of standards and full utilisation of personnel and equipment
  • Supervision of loading / transshipment / discharge operations
  • Quality and quantity inspection
  • Sampling in full accordance with International Standards
  • Sample preparation
  • Stockpile control
  • Stockpile temperature reading
  • Size distribution
  • Analysis

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