CEO blog

Great venues. Brilliant speaker content on a range of relevant surveying topics. Meeting old friends and colleagues. Excellent food and the odd beer or two. What’s not to like about an IIMS London Conference? OK so we had non stop rain and a train strike to contend with, but that did not put a dampener on proceedings! Judging by my email inbox, the event would seem to have been a great success not only for those who joined us in person, but also for our increasing number of online delegates who joined online from far afield via Zoom. If I have one regret it is simply that only 75 of our near 1,000 members were present and exposed to some wonderful and pertinent content.

These events are not easy to get right and they require detailed preparation. The IT is always a challenge – trust me I know! Making the right food choices is equally challenging. So my thanks to my colleagues who worked so hard behind the scenes to deliver this year’s Continue reading “Reflections on a memorable 2019 IIMS London Conference”

Once again the subject of enclosed space fatalities is back in the marine news headlines following a spike of fatalities and incidents over the past 18 months. I for one find it very distressing to read about this phenomenon on a regular basis, which could surely be prevented? This news story brings the numbers into stark reality and, as it clearly shows, 2018 was a shockingly bad year, in fact the worst since statistics became available back in 1999; and 2019 has started in a similar vein with more high profile cases. Seemingly we do we not learn as an industry. Why? At the very least it would seem sensible to take appropriate precautions before entering an enclosed or confined space. I wonder if it simply a lack of training and education, because I suspect it runs deeper than that. None of us is immortal and indestructible. We think it will not happen to us. But I urge any marine surveyor to take extreme caution when entering an enclosed space and, let me remind you, small spaces in yachts and small craft can Continue reading “Are we compromising life due to enclosed spaces?”

We all love to knock new technology it seems don’t we? For many of us, technology can be something of an Achilles heel and because we do not understand it, we go slightly negative and on the defensive! However, I have been genuinely taken aback by the initial feedback following the launch of the IIMS Marine Surveyor Search App last month. Comments received such as “Simplicity itself” and “Fabulous cutting-edge initiative IIMS” have certainly buoyed me up. One gets so close to these projects during the development phase, so it is pleasing to get positive early feedback from real users who see instant benefit. Interestingly only a handful of IIMS members have yet to download the App. I urge you to do so. Our developers, eDot Solutions, have released several updated versions and are continuing to look for ways to enhance the App and the experience of using it. Keep watching for more news. If you have yet to engage with the App, this link will help you do that.

Continue reading “New technology – the root of all evil or the way forward?”

The month of November is looming large and for IIMS that means a busy month of training, seminars and a Conference too. Yes the coming weeks will see IIMS personnel out and about meeting members from all over the UK and further afield too. I recommend the programme of events we have put together for your benefit over the coming weeks and hope to meet many members at them. And remember if you cannot be there in person, some of the events you can attend in an online capacity using the Zoom option. Full details about the upcoming events can be found elsewhere on the web site.

But in brief, we kick off with the Large Yacht & Small Craft Working Group Scotland two day training event by Glasgow Airport on Monday 6 and Tuesday 7 November. This is rapidly followed by the Large Yacht & Small Craft Working Group ‘Super’ training day near Portsmouth a week later on Monday 13 November. The week after sees the Certifying Authority two day training event taking place in Continue reading “We are never too old as a month of learning opportunities looms”

Life at IIMS is always challenging. Trying to keep nearly 1,000 members, who work in every conceivable area of marine surveying in its broadest sense, content is never a simple task. So I have been particularly pleased to have heard from a large number of members on three counts in the past month. Firstly, I am grateful that members took the opportunity to write and tell me what a great edition number 80 of The Report magazine was. Indeed some said the best they had ever read. I cannot disagree. It was, in my opinion, a comprehensive publication touching many areas of your profession. If you have not read it, I encourage you to do so by clicking this link.

The second cause for member reaction followed the launch of Version II of the IIMS CPD App. A small handful of members have reported one or two issues with the iOS version, so if you are having problems, please let head office know. But putting that aside, a good number of members have written to say how much they appreciate this development to what was an age old problem.

Continue reading “Midsummer madness”

Sometimes in my role as CEO, I find myself in the unlikeliest of places doing the strangest things. This was true just a couple of week ago and I am grateful to IIMS member, Jacek Goszczynski, who is based in Poland for inviting me to visit Szczecin to participate in the annual ‘Herring Gathering’. This event attracts over 2,000 people for an evening of celebration in the city of Szczecin in the north of the country. I found myself interacting with shipowners, hull insurance brokers, underwriters, educationalists and London P&I Club representatives. What a night and of course all in celebration of the humble herring – indeed I have never seen so many herrings in one place before, but I have acquired the taste.

Planning has been the name of the game recently at IIMS. We have a Large Yacht & Small Craft Super Training day coming up in November and the final finishing touches are being put to that. But more of that in the coming weeks. I am thrilled to announce that we have arranged a three day seminar in Singapore and I very much look forward to welcoming members, eCMID accredited vessel inspectors and anyone involved in the marine sector who would like to participate from 31 July to 2 August. We have a cracking couple of days lined up. For full details click here.

Continue reading “More herrings than you can throw a fish at”