A ceremony and meeting was held at the Mission to Seafarers in the Port of Vancouver on 8 July to formally amalgamate the Association of Marine Surveyors British Columbia (AMSBC) with the UK headquartered International Institute of Marine Surveying (IIMS). As a consequence, a new regional branch of IIMS was created, IIMS Canada.
The event was, which was well attended, comprised delegates who were existing IIMS members, AMSBC members and others from the maritime sector in the British Columbia area and further afield.
Richard Smith, President of AMSBC, welcomed guests and spoke about how the association had grown and developed since its inception in 1969. He then stressed that in the best interests of the members of AMSBC, it was time to merge in with an internationally recognised and better resourced organisation that would help members grow and develop further. After a couple of years of soul searching and negotiations, it had been decided that IIMS was the best and most suitable fit.
Richard invited Capt. Ieuan Lampshire-Jones, the guest of honour and one of the original founding members of AMBC, (now in his nineties), to step forward and take a round of applause.
Richard introduced Capt. Andrew Korek, past President of AMSBC and the new Regional Director of IIMS Canada, to say a few words. Andrew thanked the guests for coming then welcomed and introduced Mike Schwarz, the IIMS CEO, to address the audience.
In his comprehensive presentation about the amalgamation process itself, Mike also showcased the many and varied activities that IIMS and its subsidiary, the Marine Surveying Academy, are engaged with both in the UK and worldwide. He stressed the importance of educating marine surveyors and bringing the next generation of professionals through. Mike also talked about the benefits of membership of the Institute.
Over the coming weeks, existing AMSBC members will be invited to formally make their application to transfer into IIMS. It is anticipated that the 50 plus AMSBC members will all want to become members of IIMS.
At the end of the event, Capt. Lampshire-Jones and Mike Schwarz cut the specially prepared cake featuring the IIMS Canada logo on it to formally mark the occasion.
