The IIMS SCWG (Small Craft Working Group Scotland) met for a two day training seminar on 17-18 November at Silvers Marine in Rosneath, near Helensburgh in the west of Scotland.
Under the capable Chairmanship of Tom Elder, the training session attracted a dozen IIMS members and made full use of the vessels and craft available to view at the yard. On the first morning, Mike Schwarz gave an update and overview on IIMS head office activity. This was followed by a lengthy walk through the yard and work shops to see the work being currently undertaken. Fraser Noble, Chairman of the IIMS Certifying Authority, was on hand to give an update on some of the key changes affecting the work of surveyors. The rest of the first afternoon was taken up with a Small Craft Working Group meeting.
The second day morning was spent looking at a couple of business themed topics. Briony McKenzie from IRW Systems (a leading Microsoft partner and web developing company) gave an informative presentation on ‘What makes a good web site’. Tom then took up the theme of ‘Marine Surveyors and a virtual office’, extolling the virtues of Microsoft Office 365, including discussing back up, storage of data (especially digital images), cloud based storage and so on.
One of the highlights of the two days was on Tuesday afternoon when the group visited the Denny Ship Model Experiment Tank at nearby Dumbarton – built in 1882 – for a working demonstration. The test tank was built to test ship hull designs and retains many original features including a water tank as long as a football pitch.
All in all a successful two day session, which was enjoyed by all involved.
The IIMS would like to express their thanks to the new management and staff of Silvers Marine (Gareloch Support Services Ltd) for their support and generous hospitality during the stay. A return visit is planned for 16-17 November 2015.
