SGS holds Authorized Inspection Agency status under ASME and operates as an API 653 authorized inspector across its global network, positioning it as the dominant single provider for both structural tank integrity and commercial cargo verification. Founded in 1878, the Swiss testing and certification group now runs storage tank inspection, audit and calibration programmes across more than 2,600 offices and laboratories worldwide. For terminal operators weighing an SGS tank terminal inspection against regional alternatives, the scale and accreditation depth are the two factors that matter most.
SGS Tank Terminal Inspection: Company Overview
SGS began as a grain shipment inspection house in Rouen, France, and has grown into the largest company in the global Testing, Inspection and Certification (TIC) sector. The group is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and trades on the SIX Swiss Exchange under the ticker SGSN.
The company reported record annual revenue of CHF 6.945 billion (approximately $7.8 billion) and employs 103,175 people globally. That scale underpins its position as the anchor player in a fragmented TIC market, ahead of Bureau Veritas, Intertek and TÜV SÜD on both headcount and revenue.
SGS Tank Terminal Inspection: Service Portfolio and Standards
SGS splits its terminal inspection work into two distinct service lines. The first is structural integrity and engineering inspection: physical audits of tank floors, shells and foundations against API 653, EN 14015 and ISO frameworks. Field teams use Magnetic Flux Leakage testing paired with ultrasonic thickness measurement to detect corrosion, and generate laser-scanned 3D models of tank floors and shells to map deformation.
Additional structural services cover subsoil corrosion assessment, active leak tracing, sludge and water volume assessment, and calibration work that produces strapping tables for inventory management. For operators managing ageing assets, this is comparable in scope to the checks covered in our API 653 tank inspection guide, though SGS executes the audit rather than simply advising on the standard.
The second service line is commercial trade and cargo inspection, used during custody transfer of products such as EN590 diesel and Jet A1. This is where the SGS tank terminal inspection process differs most from a routine engineering survey. Inspectors carry out Dip Test Authorization, physically gauging liquid levels and pulling samples before a buyer and seller complete a transaction.
SGS does not run these commercial checks on demand. The company requires verified buyer and seller identities, proof of product existence, and a signed Tank Storage Receipt before an inspector will enter a terminal. Samples then go to laboratory analysis for density, flash point and purity, with quantity verification calculations adjusted for temperature and water cut.
2026 Developments
SGS T&CS secured recognition from the Netherlands’ Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate in late 2025, permitting the company to carry out statutory periodic, intermediate and exceptional inspections on ADR-regulated transport tanks and tank containers. This extends SGS’s authority beyond fixed storage into the transport tank segment feeding into and out of terminals.
The company has also expanded its Plant and Terminal Operations division, moving beyond pure inspection into outsourced management of customer-owned terminal assets, jetty operations and ship or barge loading. For terminal operators, this signals SGS positioning itself as an operational partner rather than a purely third-party auditor, a shift worth watching against independents like Square Robot’s autonomous inspection model, which competes on the technology side rather than the operations side.
SGS in the Global Market
SGS’s accreditation portfolio is what separates its SGS tank terminal inspection offering from generic third-party surveying. The company holds authorized inspector status under API 653 specifically, rather than a blanket notified-body designation, meaning field inspectors are legally qualified to sign off on fitness-for-service audits, tank settlement evaluation and major AST alterations.
It also maintains organisational competency against EN 14015 and EEMUA 159, and operates as an accredited Authorized Inspection Agency under ASME code, covering non-destructive testing and welding procedure qualification inside refinery boundaries. That breadth of parallel accreditation is a meaningful differentiator against regional inspection firms that hold a narrower standards scope, and it explains SGS’s regular appearance among the operators featured in our ranking of the world’s leading tank inspection companies.
Company Snapshot
| Founded | 1878, Rouen, France |
| Headquarters | Geneva, Switzerland |
| Employees | 103,175 globally |
| Annual Revenue | CHF 6.945 billion ($7.8 billion) |
| Stock Listing | SIX Swiss Exchange (SGSN) |
| Core Storage Services | Structural integrity inspection, calibration, custody transfer/dip testing |
| Key Accreditations | API 653 AIA, ASME AIA, EN 14015, EEMUA 159 |
Read more from SGS directly on its storage tank inspection, audit and calibration service page, and on API’s own API 653 certification programme for background on the standard SGS inspectors are qualified against.
What does SGS’s tank terminal inspection service cover?
SGS covers two distinct areas: structural integrity and engineering inspection of tanks (floor testing, 3D modelling, calibration), and commercial trade inspection during custody transfer, including dip testing and quality lab analysis.
Is SGS accredited to carry out API 653 inspections?
Yes. SGS employs field inspectors authorized under the API 653 framework, qualifying them to audit structural fitness-for-service and sign off on major tank alterations or reconstructions.
Where is SGS headquartered?
SGS is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange under the ticker SGSN.
How does SGS’s Dip Test Authorization process work?
SGS inspectors enter the terminal to physically gauge liquid levels and pull product samples, but only after verified buyer/seller identities, proof of product existence and a signed Tank Storage Receipt are in place.
What is SGS doing in tank terminal inspection in 2026?
SGS gained Dutch ILT recognition to inspect ADR transport tanks and tank containers, and has expanded its Plant and Terminal Operations division into outsourced terminal and jetty management.