Dear colleague
Wherever I go these days – and I have been around a bit recently – and whoever I meet in the maritime world, be they small craft or commercial ship surveyors, loss prevention executives, insurers and underwriters, and even maritime regulators, it seems there is one subject that comes up time and time again. Can you guess? Ah yes, lithium-ion batteries, and more importantly the mounting challenges they are presenting in our industry! Perhaps that does not surprise you. Continue reading “CEO blog: October 2025”
You don’t need me to remind you of the safety concerns and issues surrounding lithium-ion battery technology. My views are well known! But this is the first instance I am aware of a narrowboat on the UK canal network exploding as a result of this battery technology. Reports suggest that debris was thrown 40ft across the canal and witnesses said the explosion was very loud and shook their boats. Fortunately, there were no injuries. This is yet another wake up call, but sadly, I suspect we will never know what caused the batteries to blow given the total destruction of the boat. 
Edition IV of the IIMS Safety & Loss Prevention Briefings Compendium has been published and is available for download. This is an essential addition to every marine surveyor’s online library. As you read and browse the 172-page publication you will discover:
When I read this story in December 2024 despite the report coming out in October, it did not shock me, but it certainly saddened me. I guess we all know the inherent dangers that fishers the world over face. So, I read that a global safety charity is calling for urgent change and investment after its latest report named fishing as the world’s most dangerous occupation.
The first artwork on water by Alex Chinneck, the sculpture celebrates Sheffield’s historic waterways and industrial heritage. It takes the form of a full-size canal boat, whose body behaves in an extraordinary way, performing a six metre-high, gravity-defying, loop-the-loop.
It seems we have gone full circle. Cargo ships powered by sail were lost to us a century or more ago, and to the current generation such vessels are regarded as outmoded transportation from a bygone era. But now they are back, more sophisticated and sustainable than ever. Recently I read about the Anemos, which has claimed the title of the world’s largest sailing cargo ship as she made her inaugural voyage from Concarneau, South Brittany, France. 
