News Bulletins

I am grateful to Vice President, Geoff Waddington, for his assistance in putting together an open letter to the yacht and boat manufacturing industry on the subject of latent defects. Since its recent publication via the various IIMS social media channels and online news portals, a number of supportive comments have been received. I have chosen to publish the letter in full in this news bulletin. I will let you make up your own mind on its contents!

IIMS has launched its first WhatsApp group, this one for UK based canal narrowboat surveyors – a niche grouping. I hope over the coming months we can develop this platform further with the launch of a number of specialist interest surveying WhatsApp groups around the world.

This month sees the tenth Anniversary since the inauguration of the IIMS UAE branch. This landmark is to be celebrated at a wonderful event and one day conference onboard the QE2 in Dubai on 20 November. The theme of the conference is Safe Ships, Safe Cargo – The Insurers Perspective. A full report and photographs will follow next month. Details of how to reserve your place at this prestigious event can be found in this bulletin.

View the bulletin to continue reading: IIMS-News-Bulletin-November-2019 (pdf format) or click to read it in eReader format.

Regulation changes are afoot again. In reality they are never far away as the sector is forever changing to meet the evolving needs of the modern boating and shipping world. Work is now well underway by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency  in the UK to update the “colour codes” that are used by coding examiners on vessels under 24 metres in commercial use. Presentations have been given to the UK based Certifying Authorities in recent weeks and a roll out of the first phase is not too far away I suspect. The codes are long overdue for a refresh, and this is to welcomed when the current codes are finally updated. In my role as Chair of the Certifying Authority Professional Standards Working Group, I have a special interest in seeing what the outcome is.

The other significant looming regulation change is the IMO 2020 Sulphur Cap which is set to hit the shipping sector and to be enforced from January. Disruptive change for the industry for sure, the word on the street amongst those in the know is that many ship and vessel owners/operators are struggling to be ready to meet the new regulations for a variety of reasons. The new regulation will see marine sector emissions in international waters slashed. The marine sector will have to reduce sulphur emissions by over 80% by switching to lower sulphur fuels. Clearly this is a challenge and not without significant cost for some, so it will be interesting to see how Flag States react in their local waters to non-compliant vessels.

View the bulletin to continue reading: IIMS-News-Bulletin-October-2019 (pdf format) or click to read it in eReader format.

Marine surveyors it seems face similar challenges the world over. That is my conclusion having recently met members in Brisbane and Singapore. OK maritime regulations differ around the world, but the fundamentals of the job are essentially the same, not restricted by geographical location. Put simply, it is a requirement to have enough technical competency to carry out the survey or inspection assignment, write a factual and concise report whilst having a range of business skills to enable your surveying practice to flourish. When put like that it appears to be straightforward enough. Something to think about perhaps?

I was quite overwhelmed by the number of surveyors (not all of whom are members) who turned up for the two-day IIMS Brisbane workshop on 1st and 2nd August – 50 plus in total. My thanks to all those who came along for what was an excellent event. We plan to return! From there I travelled to Singapore and was pleased to catch up with many of those who have attended previous Institute events in that area before. More details on both seminars can be found elsewhere in this bulletin.

Sad news has reached me about the death of two long standing, stalwart members of IIMS. Caroline Rostant based in Trinidad passed away unexpectedly in Austria and Tony McGrail (located in the UK) succumbed to a serious illness.

View the bulletin to continue reading: IIMS-News-Bulletin-September-2019 (pdf format) or click to read it in eReader format.

Since announcing the crowdfunding opportunity for members to support the purchase of Murrills House as the Institute’s new permanent home just a month ago, I have been delighted at the initial flurry of support. With online and direct donations, we have already raised over £10,000. A big thank you to those who have made a donation already. It is truly appreciated.

The announcement just a couple of weeks’ ago that approval has been granted with funding for a UK ‘trailblazer’ marine surveyor apprenticeship scheme is excellent news. I have been involved from the outset on this project and it is remarkable to see how it has developed; and I am proud of IIMS’s involvement. None of us know what impact this may, or may not, have on the marine surveying landscape, but it is a positive step in the right direction.

This month I would like to put out a plea to find new markers for the IIMS Diploma Professional Qualifications. Our panel is ageing, and we could do with some new faces and fresh impetus as part of our succession plans! The work is not onerous, and you do not need to leave your office. If you are an expert in an area of marine surveying and are interested in becoming a marker, IIMS is keen to hear from you.

View the bulletin to continue reading: IIMS-News-Bulletin-August-2019 or click to read it in eReader format.