Do you recall those days when we used to get together in a room to do some face-to-face training and networking? It seems an age ago already with Zoom and Teams taking over as the was to train. So, imagine my angst when the planned 7 day practical course at the Boat Building Academy in Lyme Regis, which had been under development for more than a year, was placed in jeopardy by the pandemic. It was unclear if we could run the event safely until just a couple of weeks prior. But I am delighted to say we managed to get the course away with a reduced number of 6 students.
I spent a day with the students – social distancing and other sensible pandemic measures were in place naturally. As I write, the course has just one more day to run, including the multiple choice testing for students to undergo. Over the week, students have had the chance to get their hands dirty learning skills in the workshops about vessel structure as well as undertaking some practical activities with GRP. Continue reading “Remembering the novelty of face-to-face training”
Over the years, Karen Brain, Managing Director of Matrix Insurance Services Ltd, has spoken at various IIMS events, conferences and small craft seminars, both in person and online. Her input has been invaluable, her depth of knowledge is significant and is always much appreciated by surveyors.
Strange and positive things can and do happen at times of great adversity it seems. And let’s face it, the world is facing adversity like no other most of us will have seen. I repeatedly hear from small craft surveyors around the world that they have had their busiest ever year. Yes, the rules of survey have changed, but many people in the world have decided this is the perfect time to purchase a boat remarkably. Equally cargo and commercial ship surveyors are reporting that they too are busy. But again, the rules of engagement and survey are different now.
Of course, we have always known that the sea can be and is a treacherous place at times; but the past few weeks have seen a spate of distressing incidents and accidents, seemingly occurring on an almost daily frequency and resulting in the loss of life with substantial damage to vessels and cargoes around the world. Before I became involved in my role as CEO of IIMS, I was blissfully unaware of the sheer number of lives lost at sea, as indeed are most members of the general public. The reason for that is simply that most marine accident, apart from the really major ones, never make the general news agendas. When I tell my friends and family about the tragedies that routinely happen at sea, they are disbelieving.
My blog is long overdue for an update and what better time to scribble down a few words than at the start of UK Maritime Safety Week which runs from 6 to 10 July 2020. It seems appropriate to put the IIMS weight behind an awareness campaign of this kind, not least as one of the major roles of any marine surveyor, not just in the UK, is to help to keep lives safe at sea and to help protect vessels, cargoes and maritime assets.
The International Institute of Marine Surveying’s (IIMS) submission to the Australian Senate, raising members concerns as to the direction and delivery of AMSA’s services for domestic commercial vessels, has been widely agreed with and extensively quoted in the Rural and Regional Affairs committee’s recently published report entitled Performance of the Australian Maritime Safety Authority.
At the Annual General Meeting of the International Institute of Marine Surveying held at Murrills House, Portchester on 16th June 2020, Geoff Waddington took up the position of IIMS President., a position he will hold for the next two years. Geoff replaces Dubai based Capt Zarir Irani who has held the position since 2018.