View the June news bulletin in full: IIMS News Bulletin June 2025 (pdf format) or click to read it in eReader magazine format.
Two ‘lite’ podcast versions are also available to listen to. Yacht & Small Craft Surveyors (run time 24 minutes) and Commercial Ship Surveyors (run time 25 minutes).
It may have passed you by, but there seems to have been a string of eye-catching large yacht fires erupting since the start of 2025. So, what is behind this surge in large yacht fires and is it acceptable? Of course not, and it is not yet entirely clear, are the simple answers. Whilst the reason for a boat fire is not always known instantly, lithium-ion batteries are said to have been the cause of one devastating fire in Marseille in January, which kick started this unwelcome run of boat fires. The fire in question spread to two nearby yachts. The second yacht was also a total loss, while the third sustained severe damage to her port side. Oil booms were deployed to mitigate the environmental harm. Who knows what the final cost to insurers will be once the dust settles? But this incident started an alarming trend.