News Bulletins

Those of you who read my columns often will know I am rarely short of words or topics to write about; and I usually have an opinion on one marine subject or another. But with the pandemic engulfing us all now and overwhelming our lives, I have found the introduction to this month’s news bulletin almost impossible to write. What should I say? How should I phrase it? How to make IIMS seem relevant at a time when other things matter far more? Marine surveying suddenly seems irrelevant. So, I will be brief on this occasion.

We have made the inevitable decision to close the offices and work from home in recent days – effectively taken out of our hands. Working remotely does not mean that the IIMS team cannot serve our members and communities over the coming weeks during these abnormal times – even if you just want to chat, we’d be pleased to hear from you. Our distance learning Professional Qualifications for students continue without interruption as do all the other services we provide. Clearly, we have had to cancel all face to face conferences and seminars until much later this year, but we are rolling out a series of low-cost online seminars via Zoom to replace these covering a variety of topics.

View the bulletin to continue reading: News-Bulletin-April-2020 (1) (pdf format) or click to read it in eReader format.

February proved to be an interesting month with a lot of activity happening, much of which is reported in this bulletin. I would especially draw your attention to the short articles on misrepresentation by an accredited marine surveyor, what to do if the ICO comes knocking and the pitfalls of being an expert witness and getting it wrong – financially painful in this case! But more importantly, I would like to comment about the Institute’s policy on Coronavirus or COVID. The epidemic is a tragedy and has cost many lives already. IIMS is monitoring the situation closely and is assessing its activities on a case by case basis. The consensus is that the virus might peak by April, but that is not a given. So, we need to be careful as do you too, especially if you are travelling internationally. To those planning to attend courses in the coming period, we are advising not to travel if coming from a ‘high risk’ country. It is a worrying time and seeing the impact it is having on the dynamics of the wider marine sector is deeply concerning.

And finally you are advised that The Report Magazine March 2020 edition, number 91, has been published and is now available to download and read in pdf or eReader formats. It is another monster issue with some first class, specially commissioned content to indulge yourself in!

View the bulletin to continue reading: News-Bulletin-March-2020 (pdf format) or click to read it in eReader format.

Another day another dollar so the saying goes. There’s the clue to let you know I am just back from Baltimore, our first conference of the new decade. I am always reminded that wherever I meet marine surveyors, they are faced with similar challenges and are ultimately bonded by the desire to make a difference to the safety of lives at sea. I am grateful to those who attended and benefitted from some great conference content. Who knew there was so much to know about mould? There is a more detailed report in this bulletin. Next up conference wise is what promises to be an informative two-day IIMS Canada Branch Conference and AGM taking place on 6/7 March 2020 in Vancouver. The event is open to real time and online delegates, so be sure to join us. More details on speakers and how to reserve your place are in this bulletin.

In a recent blog I said, “If I have one wish for the 2020s it is simply this – let’s collectively strive to make this decade a safer one than the last one with fewer fatalities and casualties at sea! As the leading worldwide body for the profession, I pledge that IIMS will do whatever it can to support, train and develop existing and new entrant marine surveyors to enable them to deliver great survey work.” And I stand by that.

View the bulletin to continue reading: News-Bulletin-February-2020 (pdf format) or click to read it in eReader format.

Let me start by wishing you all the very best for 2020. We are at the beginning of a bright new decade and I hope this coming year proves to be a progressive one for you. The year 2020 is set to be an exciting and challenging one, both for the marine industry and for your Institute too. The IMO 2020 Sulphur Cap comes into force this month, the most dramatic change to impact the marine sector in the last 50 years some would say. Only time will tell how this new regulation rolls out.

As for IIMS, we are committed to developing a selection of new benefits and great events for members to take advantage of as well as seeking to push the profession of marine surveying to the fore at every opportunity! We have exciting plans for this year. As we continue our progress towards the anticipated purchase of Murrills House in the coming months, I would like to remind you that the opportunity to make a donation towards the maintenance fund in exchange for a Founder’s Plaque on the wall in the premises remains open until 31 March. We have received the most generous donations so far.

Did you miss the publication of the 108 page December Report Magazine last month – the biggest ever? Click to read it.

View the bulletin to continue reading: News-Bulletin-January-2020 (pdf format) or click to read it in eReader format.

There is only one place for me to start this month and it is with the 10th anniversary celebrations of the IIMS UAE Branch. I had the pleasure to host the branch’s 6th biennial Conference the week before last in Dubai. Reaching this milestone makes the branch the longest running of the overseas branches. One of the reasons for its enduring success is undoubtedly the people locally who work hard to make it what it is. I applaud the various Chairmen over the years and those loyal committee members for their efforts. The event opened with a splendid cocktail party onboard the delightful Queen Elizabeth 2, now permanently moored in Port Rashid. It proved to be an excellent choice of venue, which attracted nearly 100 invited guests from around the region and further afield. The Conference the following morning opened with a warm welcome from the Dubai Maritime City Authority for the 80 plus delegates.

Don’t forget to join us online on 10th (small craft) or 12th (commercial ship) December for the Marine Surveying International Fest II 2019. Great value. Great content. And if you cannot join us online, you can purchase the videos we will make on the days.

We have just published our schedule for the IIMS Baltimore 2020 Conference to be held on 24th and 25th January. James Renn has lined up a cracking list of speakers. See inside for details.

View the bulletin to continue reading: IIMS-News-Bulletin-December-2019 (pdf format) or click to read it in eReader format.

I am grateful to Vice President, Geoff Waddington, for his assistance in putting together an open letter to the yacht and boat manufacturing industry on the subject of latent defects. Since its recent publication via the various IIMS social media channels and online news portals, a number of supportive comments have been received. I have chosen to publish the letter in full in this news bulletin. I will let you make up your own mind on its contents!

IIMS has launched its first WhatsApp group, this one for UK based canal narrowboat surveyors – a niche grouping. I hope over the coming months we can develop this platform further with the launch of a number of specialist interest surveying WhatsApp groups around the world.

This month sees the tenth Anniversary since the inauguration of the IIMS UAE branch. This landmark is to be celebrated at a wonderful event and one day conference onboard the QE2 in Dubai on 20 November. The theme of the conference is Safe Ships, Safe Cargo – The Insurers Perspective. A full report and photographs will follow next month. Details of how to reserve your place at this prestigious event can be found in this bulletin.

View the bulletin to continue reading: IIMS-News-Bulletin-November-2019 (pdf format) or click to read it in eReader format.

Regulation changes are afoot again. In reality they are never far away as the sector is forever changing to meet the evolving needs of the modern boating and shipping world. Work is now well underway by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency  in the UK to update the “colour codes” that are used by coding examiners on vessels under 24 metres in commercial use. Presentations have been given to the UK based Certifying Authorities in recent weeks and a roll out of the first phase is not too far away I suspect. The codes are long overdue for a refresh, and this is to welcomed when the current codes are finally updated. In my role as Chair of the Certifying Authority Professional Standards Working Group, I have a special interest in seeing what the outcome is.

The other significant looming regulation change is the IMO 2020 Sulphur Cap which is set to hit the shipping sector and to be enforced from January. Disruptive change for the industry for sure, the word on the street amongst those in the know is that many ship and vessel owners/operators are struggling to be ready to meet the new regulations for a variety of reasons. The new regulation will see marine sector emissions in international waters slashed. The marine sector will have to reduce sulphur emissions by over 80% by switching to lower sulphur fuels. Clearly this is a challenge and not without significant cost for some, so it will be interesting to see how Flag States react in their local waters to non-compliant vessels.

View the bulletin to continue reading: IIMS-News-Bulletin-October-2019 (pdf format) or click to read it in eReader format.

Marine surveyors it seems face similar challenges the world over. That is my conclusion having recently met members in Brisbane and Singapore. OK maritime regulations differ around the world, but the fundamentals of the job are essentially the same, not restricted by geographical location. Put simply, it is a requirement to have enough technical competency to carry out the survey or inspection assignment, write a factual and concise report whilst having a range of business skills to enable your surveying practice to flourish. When put like that it appears to be straightforward enough. Something to think about perhaps?

I was quite overwhelmed by the number of surveyors (not all of whom are members) who turned up for the two-day IIMS Brisbane workshop on 1st and 2nd August – 50 plus in total. My thanks to all those who came along for what was an excellent event. We plan to return! From there I travelled to Singapore and was pleased to catch up with many of those who have attended previous Institute events in that area before. More details on both seminars can be found elsewhere in this bulletin.

Sad news has reached me about the death of two long standing, stalwart members of IIMS. Caroline Rostant based in Trinidad passed away unexpectedly in Austria and Tony McGrail (located in the UK) succumbed to a serious illness.

View the bulletin to continue reading: IIMS-News-Bulletin-September-2019 (pdf format) or click to read it in eReader format.

Since announcing the crowdfunding opportunity for members to support the purchase of Murrills House as the Institute’s new permanent home just a month ago, I have been delighted at the initial flurry of support. With online and direct donations, we have already raised over £10,000. A big thank you to those who have made a donation already. It is truly appreciated.

The announcement just a couple of weeks’ ago that approval has been granted with funding for a UK ‘trailblazer’ marine surveyor apprenticeship scheme is excellent news. I have been involved from the outset on this project and it is remarkable to see how it has developed; and I am proud of IIMS’s involvement. None of us know what impact this may, or may not, have on the marine surveying landscape, but it is a positive step in the right direction.

This month I would like to put out a plea to find new markers for the IIMS Diploma Professional Qualifications. Our panel is ageing, and we could do with some new faces and fresh impetus as part of our succession plans! The work is not onerous, and you do not need to leave your office. If you are an expert in an area of marine surveying and are interested in becoming a marker, IIMS is keen to hear from you.

View the bulletin to continue reading: IIMS-News-Bulletin-August-2019 or click to read it in eReader format.

To say June was a month to remember is something of an understatement. As I look back now, it seems barely possible that we got through the sheer volume of work that we did. It started with a Maritime & Coastguard Agency audit of our Certifying Authority. These are never the easiest of days and auditors are always looking for whatever they can find. Next up was the annual Seawork exhibition at Southampton. This is a renowned three-day show for the workboat sector and draws a number of members to the event and to our stand. I was unable to leave the stand due to the number of visitors.

The following week brought new challenges for the head office team as we headed to London to prepare and deliver the three-day IIMS Conference, Annual General Meeting and eCMID seminar. Handing out three Blue Water awards and three Honorary memberships was a great pleasure.

As you may have heard, IIMS is now deep in negotiations to purchase Murrills House from our landlord as the new permanent home for the Institute. This is an extraordinary opportunity and exciting project to be involved with. IIMS has started a crowdfunding campaign which will remain open until 31 March 2020.

View the bulletin to continue reading: IIMS News Bulletin July 2019 (pdf format) or click to read it in eReader format.

Halfway through the year already? Extraordinary. The past month for me has been administratively top heavy and burdensome. A few days with the Western Mediterranean LYSCWG was a welcome and much needed escape.

The June Report magazine is published. The centrepiece 12-page article is about our office, Murrills House, Portchester. I am teasing you again by not saying what the significance of this article is, suffice to say this breaking news is highly significant for the Institute and its members. Click to read the latest copy of The Report.

And our latest handy guide has been published, this one entitled What a marine surveyor needs to know about paint failure, corrosion and rectification by Peter Morgan and Roger Weatherhead – and the biggest booklet to date at 224 pages. It is a corker of a publication and as I look back now following the publication of what is the twentieth handy guide in the series since we started three years or so ago, it is with a sense of great pride at this landmark! Click here to view this and 19 other handy guides.

View the bulletin to continue reading: IIMS-News-Bulletin-June-2019 (pdf format) or click to read it in eReader format.

The IIMS London Conference 2019, Dinner and AGM at Regent’s University will be upon us soon, taking place on 17/18 June. The event will draw members together from around the world and offers not only some excellent presentations to learn from, but also the chance to network with other surveyors from all branches of the profession. And remember this year the Conference is open to both real time and online only delegates. Please reserve your place now by clicking here. There have been a couple of tweaks and additions to the speaker schedule. It is perhaps wrong to single out individual speakers, but we are especially interested to hear about cyber security in the marine sector. President, Capt Zarir Irani, and Keith Chappell will address this hot topic in separate presentations on each day. Guest of Honour at the IIMS Conference dinner on Monday 17 June at 10-11 Carlton House Terrace is Capt Andrew Moll, Chief Executive, MAIB, who will speak.

The past month has seen IIMS deliver more quality training activities. In early April a group of surveyors attended our one-day tonnage training course at Itchenor Sailing Club. And just last week, a group of around 20 surveyors took part in what proved to be an excellent two-day event at the Western Mediterranean Large Yacht & Small Craft Working Group in Palma, culminating in a practical sea trial demonstration. There are more detailed reports in this news bulletin about both events.

View the bulletin to continue reading: IIMS News Bulletin May 2019 (pdf format) or click to read it in eReader format.