IIMS has published a new free 36-page informative guide called ‘The use of moisture meters on small craft’. Additionally, the Institute has republished another free 16-page guide entitled ‘Biological Attack on Iron & Steel’. Both guides, authored by Jeffrey Casciani-Wood HonFIIMS, are available in pdf format from the IIMS website.
The use of moisture meters on small craft
The first thing to know about moisture meters is that they do not actually measure moisture. What they do measure is conductivity. The origins of the moisture meter lie in the building and construction industries and the original scale was based on the water content of brick Continue reading “Two free guides available to download in pdf format published by IIMS”
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 accidents, 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.
As the Institute has finally taken ownership in recent weeks of Murrills House as its new flagship headquarters, President, Geoff Waddington, arrived (pictured right) to perform the ribbon cutting duties and ceremony to officially mark the completion.
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.
IIMS has released the twenty fourth handy guide in the series ‘What a marine surveyor needs to know about’ and the publication is now 
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 President of the Institute, a position he will hold for the next two years. Geoff replaces Dubai based Capt Zarir Irani who has held the position since 2018.
On-Off hire condition bunker surveys are a requirement for the commercial trade of vessels in that vessels are hired from their Owners by Charterers who trade the cargo internationally. The survey of the vessel is undertaken either before the vessel is delivered into a Charter, or re-delivered from a Charter. The reports should include a detailed description of the vessel itself, the structural condition of the cargo spaces and main deck areas surrounding the various cargo compartments and hatches, the ship’s hatch covers, the cargo gear and space. Additionally, you will inspect and report on paint coating and cleanliness, the quantity of bunkers remaining on board, verification of the validity with respect to the vessel’s certification, portable equipment and securing materials, container securing equipment and so on.
The recent second IIMS UAE Branch webinar on COVID-19 practical effects on “Claims handling and Surveys” – are they here to stay? attracted 436 registrations from 43 countries. The initiative was well-received by the community and there was excellent feedback by attentive listeners at the peak of the participation. The initiative taken by the IIMS UAE Branch to bring value to its local and international members was evident by the community coming together for this free to attend seminar for everybody.