Over recent weeks, the International Institute of Marine Surveying has run a series of training events, conferences and training seminars at a variety of worldwide locations, including Mumbai, Sydney and the UK. All events have been well attended and it brings the number to 200 plus of the members who have taken part in face to face training events and seminars in 2018.
IIMS has also recently published its provisional schedule for training events in 2019. Click to see the outline schedule. As well as the UK and Europe, events are planned for USA, Australia (to be confirmed), South East Asia and the UAE. Next year, IIMS is returning with a high profile London Conference too in June.
IIMS Scotland LYSCWG annual training report
The annual two day training event for IIMS members in Scotland took place on 12/13 November at Inchinnan Cruising Club by Glasgow Airport and drew a dozen members.
The first day opened with an update on head office matters. Jon Sharland, Tritex NDT, had travelled north with his ultrasonic thickness gauge testing equipment and after the theory came the practical session out on the hard. Simon Limb from Sunbird Yachts gave an informative presentation on surveying from a broker’s perspective, which seemed to capture delegate’s attention.
The afternoon session was mostly devoted to Nigel Clegg, who brought his extensive knowledge of osmosis and moisture meters to the proceedings. In his first presentation, he assessed what has been learnt about osmosis over the past forty years and offered some helpful tips to surveyors. His second presentation reintroduced delegates to the theory of moisture meters and the makes available. There followed a practical session outside on the boats on the hard. Ian Lumley and Ricky Tropman brought the day to a close as they spoke briefly about some of the known challenges associated with surveying Sealine boats.
Day two dawned and those present were treated to videos about wooden boat surveying and disruptive synthetic rigging technology. Karen Brain, Matrix Insurance, gave detailed information and advice on how to write an expert report for court. The morning session was brought to a conclusion by Tim Bannister, Akzo Nobel, when in the first of two presentations, he spoke about corrosion.
It was Tim again who opened the afternoon session with a presentation that introduced attendees to the various types of paint and coating testing equipment, much of it used in the superyacht sector. After the theory came the practical and one by one, those present had a go at trying out the myriad of paint testing equipment on offer. IIMS Certifying Authority Chairman, Fraser Noble, closed the event with an update on the various activities of the IIMS CA and the many regulation changes emanating from the Maritime & Coastguard Agency.
To mark and recognise Tim’s excellent work and contribution, IIMS has made a charitable donation to the Rona Sailing Trust.
IIMS Australia training day report
IIMS held its first one day seminar in Australia for some while, which was well attended. The venue was special too – the Sydney Heritage Fleet.
Adam Brancher, (IIMS Immediate Past President), welcomed delegates to the event. A series of presentations and discussions ensued over the course of the day, including an introduction to the Sydney Heritage Fleet and some of the challenges of surveying heritage vessels. The subject of lightship measurement was presented followed by an open panel discussion surrounding general surveying matters.
Following lunch, those in attendance were treated to further presentations on safety management, corrosion and electrical surveys. Adam gave a refresher on report writing techniques.
Report on the IIMS India Branch Mumbai Symposium 2018
After the success of the 2016 seminar, Offing conceptualised and conducted the biennial conference of the International Institute of Marine Surveying once again. The knowledge rich event was held at the Courtyard Marriot Hotel in Mumbai on 10 Oct 2018.
A niche event with a niche audience included representation from leading Marine Surveying companies, P& I Clubs, H&M Underwriters, Marine Logistics companies, Correspondents, Insurance Brokers, OEM’s, Law Firms, Design & Engineering Consultants, Aspiring Surveyors, the Indian Navy, Offshore EPC Contractors and of course, the London HQ of the IIMS made the event rather unique in content and nature.
It was the privilege of the Institute to have the honorable Director General of Shipping, Dr. Malini Shankar, grace the occasion as the Chief Guest and she opened the event.
The Guests of Honour were the veterans of the industry with such names as Capt. J.C. Anand, Capt. Kapil Dev Bahl & AWJ (Tony) Fernandez.
Report on the second inland waterways training event
A group of a dozen plus surveyors, all with a keen interest in surveying inland waterways craft and narrowboats, met at Aqueduct Marina in the tiny village of Church Minshull, Cheshire, UK on 22 October for what turned out to be a valuable training day and sharing of knowledge opportunity.
Gerry Sheridan spoke knowledgeably and at length on the topic of spray foam insulation, an area which it was evident, most delegates knew little and about which he knew plenty gained from over 30 years in that sector. Paul Winter, Winter & Co Insurance, who is known to many IIMS members, gave his usual thought-provoking (and sometimes chilling) presentations on things that go wrong with the writing of the report as well as the actual survey itself. He shared a number of case studies and it acted as a reminder that a surveyor is only as good as his/her last report.
After lunch, the group was given a tour around the marina workshops and all were surprised, and agreed, that the investment in Church Minshull was pleasing to see, setting itself apart from many other similar organisations. Mike Lewus from the British Stainless Steel Association addressed the subject of welding in his presentation and in particular how to spot bad welds, welding defects and what repair might be required to make good. It fell to the inimitable Jeffrey Casciani-Wood to close the event as he gave an informative short presentation entitled ‘Corrosion, pitting and anodes’.
LYSCWG ‘Super’ training day report
More than twenty surveyors met at The Maritime Club in central Portsmouth on 29 October for the annual Large Yacht & Small Craft Working Group ‘Super’ training day. A diverse group of speakers presented to an audience eager to learn.
After a welcome from John Excell, LYSCWG Chairman, Mike Schwarz gave an update and overview on IIMS HQ activities. He was followed by Jeffrey Casciani-Wood, who at short notice due to a speaker cancellation had stepped in to reprise his presentation from the week before.
After a short presentation on managing cashflow, a key skill for surveyors running their own business, Andy Ridyard from SeaSystems Electrical Controls gave a fascinating talk entitled ‘Teach a man to fish – (and give him a fishing rod) – electrical controls’. Friend of IIMS, Jon Sharland from Tritex NDT spoke about ultrasonic thickness gauges, explaining the technology behind them and how to use them.
The afternoon session was opened by Charlie Carter from Spinlock. The theme of his presentation was ‘Load measurement for validation and data collection’. He also introduced the new App about to be launched called Sail Sense, a system that will provide a detailed log and record of the life of a sail. Another friend of IIMS, Karen Brain from Matrix Insurance, talked about how to write an expert report for court. In her presentation, she stressed the obvious need for clarity and precision in the report.
The day was concluded by Alasdair Reay, CEO HPI Verification Services, who tackled the thorny topic of how to spot a fake boat and what marine surveyors need to know about the Recreational Craft Directive. The RCD remains problematic for some and his thoughtful approach to this subject was appreciated by those who attended.
