News Bulletins

View the June news bulletin in full: IIMS News Bulletin June 2026 (pdf format) or click to read it in eReader magazine format.

Two ‘lite’ podcast versions are also available to listen to. Yacht & Small Craft Surveyors (run time 20 minutes) and Commercial Ship Surveyors (run time 30 minutes).

Announcing awards and recognising exceptional contributions to the marine surveying profession are always pleasing. So, I have the pleasure of announcing three honours. In no order of preference, IIMS has recognised the contribution of three exceptional maritime professionals. They are Nigel Cox, who has been awarded a Fellowship, Joel Lloyd Pinheiro, who also becomes a Fellow, and Joe McWilliam, who has been given an Honorary Fellowship. You can read the citations for the aforementioned men in the News Bulletin, and they will be formally recognised at the IIMS Annual General Meeting scheduled for Tuesday, 2 June. There’s still time (just) to make arrangements for that event, and I hope you will consider joining us from 1400 to 1600 (UK time).

View the May news bulletin in full: IIMS News Bulletin May 2026 (pdf format) or click to read it in eReader magazine format.

Two ‘lite’ podcast versions are also available to listen to. Yacht & Small Craft Surveyors (run time 26 minutes) and Commercial Ship Surveyors (run time 30 minutes).

Recently, I attended the annual UK Maritime & Coastguard Agency’s (MCA) Certifying Authority BCC meeting in Southampton, which drew about 40 attendees. All the UK Certifying Authorities and the Recognised Organisations were represented and present. We were joined by senior and key MCA personnel. For the large part, it was business as usual as the regulator announced new initiatives, interpretations, and gave a general news update on a series of policies and ongoing work behind the scenes. But mid-way through the meeting, a comment was made by the Code Lead in his presentation about the Workboat Edition 3 Code in relation to a recently circulated urgent MCA press release. I could not let this go unchallenged.

View the April news bulletin in full: IIMS News Bulletin April 2026 (pdf format) or click to read it in eReader magazine format.

Two ‘lite’ podcast versions are also available to listen to. Yacht & Small Craft Surveyors (run time 24 minutes) and Commercial Ship Surveyors (run time 27 minutes).

It troubles me once again that I feel the need to start this month’s column by raising the topic of lithium-ion battery fires, especially as the story I want to share with you is a land-based one that happened recently, and not a maritime disaster. You may know of my keen interest in this technology and the challenges surrounding it. The incident I want to speak about, and share with you, is a massive fire in the Scottish city of Glasgow. A major fire broke out in a vape shop adjacent to the city’s main railway station. Over the coming hours, the fire devastated an iconic 130-year-old Victorian building, leading to its eventual collapse, so intense was the conflagration. Imagine a similar situation on a boat or ship?

View the March news bulletin in full: IIMS News Bulletin March 2026 (pdf format) or click to read it in eReader magazine format.

Two ‘lite’ podcast versions are also available to listen to. Yacht & Small Craft Surveyors (run time 19 minutes) and Commercial Ship Surveyors (run time 26 minutes).

This month, I want to address the matter of recurring safety issues in our industry, and I pose the simple question, to which there is no easy answer: “What are the barriers to progress?” Of course, I don’t have the answers, but as a joined-up, interconnected industry, perhaps we could do as we seek to make incisive inroads into ship, crew, and vessel safety. Over the years, the realisation of enhanced safety training and mechanisms has grown and is now accepted as the norm, as has their implementation, but still, we see the same old type of incidents and accidents recurring. So, do we have an issue with the safety culture, and why are we not learning from history and the past? Nobody should go to work and not return at the end of the day.

View the February news bulletin in full: IIMS News Bulletin February 2026 (pdf format) or click to read it in eReader magazine format.

Two ‘lite’ podcast versions are also available to listen to. Yacht & Small Craft Surveyors (run time 20 minutes) and Commercial Ship Surveyors (run time 28 minutes).

You do not need me to remind you that we are surrounded by innovative, marine sector tech on all fronts, racing ahead, seemingly at a pace I can’t recall in my lifetime. And as one gets older (rather like me these days), it is easy to turn a blind eye to what’s happening, and to plough on with what we know, accepting the norm, hoping it will all just go away. But of course, it doesn’t, so we must try and embrace what’s new and cope with the inevitable change and resulting disruption to our lives it brings. For younger and less experienced marine surveyors, I’d suggest ignoring what is going on around them right now is dangerous, and creates knowledge voids and potential pitfalls.

View the January news bulletin in full: IIMS News Bulletin January 2026 (pdf format) or click to read it in eReader magazine format.

Two ‘lite’ podcast versions are also available to listen to. Yacht & Small Craft Surveyors (run time 20 minutes) and Commercial Ship Surveyors (run time 28 minutes).

IIMS celebrates its 35th anniversary later this year. That’s something to be proud of, and as an Institute we have come a long way in a little over a third of a century. I was curious to research and discover what a 35th wedding anniversary is known as. To my surprise and delight, I discovered it is referred to as a coral anniversary! The nautical connotations made it seem very appropriate indeed. Last month leading up to the Christmas break flew by. But before the festive period well and truly took hold, IIMS delivered some meaningful training which attracted huge interest and many attendees. I have written a short report about this flurry of activity in this News Bulletin for those who were unable to participate.

View the December news bulletin in full: IIMS News Bulletin December 2025 (pdf format) or click to read it in eReader magazine format.

Two ‘lite’ podcast versions are also available to listen to. Yacht & Small Craft Surveyors (run time 27 minutes) and Commercial Ship Surveyors (run time 34 minutes).

Well, it is not often that I find myself at the centre of the news! On my trip to Goa in September to participate in the IIMS Indian Conference, I met up with Nishit Doshi from Trader Magazine, who has closely followed the Institute’s progress over the past decade. We chatted, and I gave an exclusive interview to him. He was keen to know about my journey over the past decade, leadership ethos, and how IIMS continues to evolve and remain relevant amid sweeping changes across the maritime industry. Reading Nishit’s words of introduction to the interview were humbling (and much appreciated) indeed. At the same event, Nishit also spoke earnestly with the current IIMS President, Capt Ruchin Dayal FIIMS, about leadership, technology, and his vision for a more connected, future-ready IIMS. I hope you might choose to read the interviews, and if so, they are available here in one pdf.

View the November news bulletin in full: IIMS News Bulletin November 2025 (pdf format) or click to read it in eReader magazine format.

Two ‘lite’ podcast versions are also available to listen to. Yacht & Small Craft Surveyors (run time 24 minutes) and Commercial Ship Surveyors (run time 27 minutes).

It seems to be report season! In recent weeks I have been bombarded with them, more than seems normal for this time of the year from recollection. Sadly, I cannot make time to read and digest them all. But out of courtesy and duty, knowing how much time, effort and money has gone into resourcing and publishing them, I do scan read the most relevant ones, and occasionally I am rewarded with some essential nuggets of learned wisdom. One such recent report that grabbed my attention was the P&I Market Review 2025. It offers a deep dive into the current status of the various P&I Clubs. But it was the narrative in the accompanying press release that really hit home. It informs readers that the 2024/25 policy year saw the clubs report a collective underwriting loss of $312m, reversing two years of surpluses and resulting in a net underwriting loss of $98m over the past three years.

View the October news bulletin in full: IIMS News Bulletin October 2025 (pdf format) or click to read it in eReader magazine format.

Two ‘lite’ podcast versions are also available to listen to. Yacht & Small Craft Surveyors (run time 24 minutes) and Commercial Ship Surveyors (run time 28 minutes).

Wherever I go these days – and I have been around a bit recently – and whoever I meet in the maritime world, be they small craft or commercial ship surveyors, loss prevention executives, insurers and underwriters, and even maritime regulators, it seems there is one subject that comes up time and time again. Can you guess? Ah yes, lithium-ion batteries, and more importantly, the mounting challenges they are presenting in our industry! Perhaps that does not surprise you. Now, please understand, I am not here to stymie innovation or prevent the advance of new technology; clearly, the technology is amazing. However, I am concerned that people are kept safe when surrounded by lithium-ion batteries and, let’s face it, they surround us these days.

View the September news bulletin in full: IIMS News Bulletin September 2025 (pdf format) or click to read it in eReader magazine format.

Two ‘lite’ podcast versions are also available to listen to. Yacht & Small Craft Surveyors (run time 17 minutes) and Commercial Ship Surveyors (run time 30 minutes).

Over the past year, IIMS has trained approaching 500 members (and some non-members too) at various locations around the world, both face-to-face and online, in a variety of marine surveying disciplines. That is a remarkable statistic and achievement, and one I am proud of. Training is an integral part of what the Institute does. We are recognised for it and are delighted to take the lead in developing and delivering quality surveyor education and personal development. On top of that there has been strong educational demand in 2025 with over 200 students currently enrolled for the distance learning IIMS Professional Qualifications in Small Craft and Commercial Ship Marine Surveying. So, against this backdrop, I am delighted to formally announce that at the end of July, IIMS launched its On Demand Training Portal.

View the August news bulletin in full: IIMS News Bulletin August 2025 (pdf format) or click to read it in eReader magazine format.

Two ‘lite’ podcast versions are also available to listen to. Yacht & Small Craft Surveyors (run time 21 minutes) and Commercial Ship Surveyors (run time 27 minutes).

I am returning to another favourite hobby horse of mine this month – that old nugget of ‘where will the next generation of marine surveyors come from’. It is far from clear to me and others whom I meet. Why am I motivated to bring this to your attention again? I believe that those who have had a successful career as a professional marine surveyor should be encouraged to help develop those who will follow in their footsteps and ensure the future of this noble profession. However, it is not just the marine surveying profession that needs to face up to these significant challenges. Many sectors are now utilising AI technology to replace the human factor, but I remain skeptical that this innovation will replace the role of the hands-on marine surveyor in the short to mid-term.

View the July news bulletin in full: IIMS News Bulletin July 2025 (pdf format) or click to read it in eReader magazine format.

Two ‘lite’ podcast versions are also available to listen to. Yacht & Small Craft Surveyors (run time 17 minutes) and Commercial Ship Surveyors (run time 25 minutes).

It is not so often that I find myself being able to share plenty of good and uplifting news exclusively with you. So, whilst disasters at sea continue unabated (sadly, this month has been no exception), for this news bulletin, at least, my focus is firmly elsewhere.

One of the most pleasurable parts of the recent AGM for me was announcing some high-profile awards. Recognising individuals who have contributed something exceptional to the organisation and the maritime sector in general is of key importance. You can read more about those individuals who were honoured, along with some photos, elsewhere in this bulletin.