News Bulletins

View the news bulletin in full to continue reading: News Bulletin September 2021 (pdf format) or click to read it in eReader format.

In the past few weeks, several members have commented to me that in their opinion IIMS has become expert at developing and delivering quality training that meets the needs of the marine surveying profession. I am grateful to them for their unsolicited comments and am happy for my colleagues and I to accept the plaudits. I know just how much time and effort we (and those who assist in developing the course and seminar material alongside us) put into perfecting our training offerings. However, I rather hope IIMS is recognised as more than just a training organisation, although I cannot deny we have more exciting training opportunities up our sleeve.

I received an email recently from IIMS member, James Newcombe, one of very few experienced and recognised yacht and small craft surveyors practicing in New Zealand currently. He made two interesting observations and I am sure he will not object if I quote him verbatim. James said, “I joined the IIMS not just for back-up support, or a community to belong to, but also, more importantly, to increase my knowledge.” I hope we deliver all of that and more for members and yes, that takes us full circle back to training and surveying knowledge resources.

I recommend the September Report Magazine, another bumper edition, which has just been published.

View the news bulletin in full to continue reading: News Bulletin August 2021 (pdf format) or click to read it in eReader format.

Covid-19 regulations in the UK have changed recently as the government seeks to unlock further. Will it make a big difference for marine surveyors in the UK? Possibly. And just when we thought we were heading into calmer pandemic waters, two of my colleagues came into contact with people who have tested positive and had to self-isolate. I labour the point about Covid only to highlight that it remains a hazard to us all, not just in the UK.

The IIMS team is now back working full time from Murrills House. Fortunately, before my colleagues had to self-isolate, we managed a highly successful overnight team building event, which brought us altogether face-to-face as a group for the first time in over 18 months. I have included a few photos in this news bulletin to give you a flavour of what the team got up to.

Another story that broke in the last month that caught my attention was indirectly related to the pandemic. The US Coast Guard has published its 2020 Boating Safety Statistics Report and the findings show a rather depressing surge in fatalities during the pandemic. Click to read the full story and the report. In 2020, the report reveals there were 767 boating fatalities nationwide, an increase of 25%. These are troubling statistics and can only be explained by the fact that so many more people have taken to the water in the last 18 months – many of them, I suspect, first-time boaters.

 

View the news bulletin in full to continue reading: IIMS-News-Bulletin-July-2021 (pdf format) or click to read it in eReader format.

This month there is only one place to start and you will forgive me for being a little self-centred. I am delighted to inform you that we have passed the 1,000 member mark for the first time; and we have another 40 plus applications currently under review by the Professional Assessment Committee. This is a milestone and worth celebrating. The timing could not have been more perfect either as this achievement coincided with the Institute’s 30th birthday celebrations.

The remarkable and positive reaction to edition 96 of the Report Magazine, published last month, was heart-warming and I am grateful to those who took the time to comment on the publication. And as someone was heard to remark as they picked up one of the very few copies we print, “I see we are in the catalogue business now.” At 136 pages it is a monster.

The formal 30th birthday celebrations took place on 9th June prior to the Annual General Meeting. Duncan William bedazzled those who were online with his unbelievable cyber magic and was an instant hit. Just how did he do that? And the 30-minute video that was compiled especially for the IIMS by the Portsmouth Shanty Men was well received. Videos of the Shanty Men and the AGM are available to view on a private playlist on YouTube.

View the news bulletin in full to continue reading: IIMS-News-Bulletin-June-2021 (pdf format) or click to read it in eReader format.

The coming weeks for me are about celebrating the Institute’s 30th anniversary, participating fully in the birthday celebrations and delivering the 2021 Annual General Meeting on 9th June. I encourage you to join us, if at all possible. My personal birthday present to IIMS members (and the wider maritime world) is a gigantic and most comprehensive 136-page Report Magazine, by some margin the biggest we have ever published – click to access it.  For me, this is a fitting way to celebrate and commemorate the Institute turning thirty! Compiling each edition of the magazine remains one of my favourite activities and gives me great pleasure.

Turning thirty provokes mixed emotions – a degree of poignancy laced with a sense of euphoria would perhaps sum it up best. It is an opportunity to pause and reflect for a moment, but not to stand still. I believe, however, it is necessary to look back at our roots, to understand where we have come from as an organisation, recognising the challenges we have faced and overcome; and to acknowledge our significant achievements over this time. But, as I say, we cannot dwell in the past. The profession has come on in leaps and bounds over the past thirty years and marine surveying is unrecognisable from what it was back then, but there is a way to go still. The marine world is evolving rapidly, and we must grasp and embrace what is happening around us to ensure we remain relevant and will continue to be successful over the next thirty years.