The IIMS Annual General Meeting 2026 was held on 2 June. Often rather dry events, an AGM is a vital part of what any Institute or Association does once a year. It was a great opportunity to inform and share the many activities being undertaken by IIMS with an engaged online audience. My thanks to all those who voted this year – looking at our records, we logged the highest number of votes in memory – and especially to those who took time out from their busy schedules to join us online as we broadcast the event live from IIMS HQ at Murrills House. The management board, many of whom were at Murrills House in person, were joined by the IIMS team along with nearly 80 other members online. Continue reading “CEO blog: July 2026”
Oh, the ingenuity of it all. Whatever next? On-water golf, it seems!
Recently, I attended the annual Certifying Authority BCC meeting at the UK Maritime & Coastguard Agency’s (MCA) in Southampton, which drew about 40 attendees. All the UK Certifying Authorities and the Recognised Organisations were represented and present. We were joined by senior and key MCA personnel and others from the Jersey and Cayman Islands registries. For the large part, it was business as usual as the regulator announced new initiatives, interpretations and to give a general news update on a series of policies and ongoing work behind the scenes. 
This is not the first time that floating sauna stories have come to my attention, so clearly, you can see I am fascinated by this concept. It is just, well, so whacky!
It troubles me once again that I feel the need to start this month’s column by raising the topic of lithium-ion battery fires, especially as the story I want to share with you is a land-based one that happened recently, and not a maritime disaster. You may know of my keen interest in this technology and the challenges surrounding it. The incident I want to speak about, and share with you, is a massive fire in the Scottish city of Glasgow. A major fire broke out in a vape shop adjacent to the city’s main railway station. Over the coming hours, the fire 
This month, I want to address the matter of recurring safety issues in our industry, and I pose the simple question, to which there is no easy answer: “What are the barriers to progress?” Of course, I don’t have the answers, but as a joined up, interconnected industry, perhaps we could do as we seek to make incisive inroads into ship, crew and vessel safety. Over the years, the realisation for enhanced safety training and mechanisms has grown and is now accepted as the norm, as has their implementation, but still, we see the same old type of incidents and accidents recurring. 
Of course, the sea, ships and boats have inspired artists for centuries – as well as me, although my artistic skills are not at the level of Joey Blazek! The original work of art (pictured right), entitled Matagorda Pilot Transfer, was painted by US artist Joey Blazek and measures 30 by 48 inches. It depicts a dramatic scene of a pilot transfer underway, and his expressive style of painting really caught my eye.
For my first two stories this month, I turned to the UK inland waterways, always a source of inspiration. The first story is shocking as you are about to find out.