The background to this consultation is that some years ago the Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA) began to experience difficulties in recruiting and retaining surveyors in a highly competitive market place. This trend has accelerated recently and has now reached the point where the MCA is no longer able to fulfil all of its statutory functions and obligations. Following completion of a review, which started in 2011, changes have been recommended, resulting in the suggested new operating model upon which they are now consulting.
In order to focus on the modernisation of the MCA survey and inspection functions in a way that most effectively supports their customers, the MCA welcomes contributions to the consultation process, which will run until midday on Thursday 21 April 2016.
In his letter to the industry and other interested parties, Sir Alan Massey KCB, CBE, Chief Executive, Maritime and Coastguard Agency says:
“The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) is constantly looking for ways to do better in delivering our services, and we have now developed proposals to modernise and improve
our marine survey and inspection activities.
The MCA’s vision is to be the best maritime safety organisation in the world, driving progress towards safer lives, safer ships, and cleaner seas. The work carried out by
our survey and inspection staff is critical to supporting that vision, and we have been concerned for some time that the current model has been under considerable pressure.
The Maritime Growth Study published in September 2015 made a series of recommendations about how the MCA could play a stronger role in supporting a vibrant maritime sector and the associated marine industries. In order to provide a strong foundation for the future, we have developed alongside these wider proposals a programme specifically to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of our survey and inspection services to all our customers, including our domestic and international fleets, across ships and vessels of all types.
The core of this programme is the delivery of a better service to customers principally through improvements in our internal standards, procedures, systems and processes with a fully resourced and enthused surveyor workforce. Some changes may however affect the way customers have been used to interfacing with our survey and inspection teams. This
consultation covers how we propose to restructure our Marine Office estate from which our survey and inspection teams operate in support of the shipping industry. It also sets out new ways of working and communicating that will enable surveyors to better respond to and engage with the needs of our customers.
The other elements to the transformation programme, including revised terms and conditions and reward packages for our marine surveyors to support more flexible working will
quite rightly be for negotiation with our Trades Unions and are separate from this consultation. We want to provide a better service in meeting our customers’ expectations, whilst operating efficiently and regulating in a way that is both effective and supportive to our industry. Your response to this consultation will help us to design improved ways of working so we can play our full part in growing the UK economy, as well as supporting our vision and the goal of safer lives, safer ships and cleaner seas. I look forward very much to receiving your contributions.”
Sir Alan Massey KCB, CBE, Chief Executive, Maritime and Coastguard Agency
If you are keen to make a contribution to the consultation, or are simply interested to understand what is in it and the proposals it makes, follow the links below:
For more details about the consultation: More_Information_ext_21032016v0.1
Read the consultation document in full: MCA Consultation Document
