Any chance I might of had of slowly winding down into the long, annual Christmas break, was just a pipe dream; but no complaints.
It was a pleasure to join Capt Zarir Irani, Uday Moorthi and others in Dubai at the end of November for the 4th Biennial IIMS UAE Branch Conference. It is several years since my last trip to Dubai and I was surprised at just how much the city had changed. Money no object it seems. But I am grateful to Zarir and Uday for their warm welcome and hospitality during my time with them.
Recently the IIMS was notified by Pearson Edexcel, the external awarding body of the current IIMS HNC and HND in marine surveying qualifications, that they intended to stop supporting specialist, customised course providers such as ours. We were not alone in receiving this startling news, taken by Pearson for reasons known only to them. The final intake for students wishing to gain an HNC/HND is mid October. The scheme will then close for new student registrations, but will remain open for those already registered to complete their studies by 31 October 2018. View full press release.
The IIMS has launched a new series of reasonably priced handy guides
The International Institute of Marine Surveying (IIMS) has launched a series of self help handy guides under the title ‘What a marine surveyor needs to know about’.
The guides are available in a compact and handy A5 size. The series is launched initially with four titles, but over the next year, it is expected to expand to cover over thirty different subjects and topics.
Typically the guides are published at various price points between £20 and £30, equivalent to about US$30 to US$45. The publications are currently only being sold directly from IIMS in paperback, but will also soon be available electronically to download as e-books through the web site as well as via Kindle.
Commenting on this striking new initiative, Mike Schwarz, IIMS CEO, said, ”It occurred to me that there is a gap in the market place for a range of sensibly priced books that would be of direct benefit to IIMS members as well as many other surveyors and those associated with the marine and maritime world in general. The range of scheduled specialist topics is vast and I expect the series to grow to 30 plus booklets over the coming year.“
The IIMS President (Capt Bertrand Apperry) and I aboard HMS Belfast at the Conference Dinner
So it has been an emotional and mentally draining week, but one which will linger long in my mind and one that I will look back at with great pleasure and pride. I am referring of course to the IIMS London Conference 2015 that took place on Monday and Tuesday of this week.
To put on an event of this scale takes many months of meticulous planning and preparation. I am grateful to those around me who supported and helped me thus ensuring we were able to deliver a great outcome for the sponsors (DGS Marine Group, Constellation Marine Services and Britannia Maritime Security) and the delegates who attended. Add in the fact that we are catering for a truly international audience; and the need to appeal equally to small craft as well as commercial ship surveyors. I believe we got it about right!
Jeffrey Casciani-Wood proudly holding his lifetime achievement award
At the IIMS London Conference Dinner 2015 on Monday 7 September aboard HMS Belfast, Jeffrey Casciani-Wood was presented with a lifetime achievement award by IIMS President, Capt Bertrand Apperry. The award was unanimously agreed by the Management Board at a recent meeting and is a fitting and suitable recognition of Jeffrey’s 70 years of service to the boat, ship and marine surveying profession.
In his citation, Mike Schwarz, IIMS CEO, said, “This lifetime achievement award recognises a 70 year association, or should that be obsession, with the boating, shipping and marine surveying sectors.”
In a moving ceremony, the 100 plus dinner guests rose to their feet as one to applaud Jeffrey as he came forward to receive and accept his crystal gift from The President to mark the occasion.
The International Institute of Marine Surveying (IIMS) has launched a series of self help handy guides under the title ‘What a marine surveyor needs to know about’. The guides are available in a compact and handy A5 size. The series is launched initially with four titles, but over the next year, it is expected to expand to cover over thirty different subjects and topics. View full press release.
Capt Paul Townsend FIIMS who has sadly passed away
News has reached the IIMS head office of the sad death of Capt Paul Townsend, who passed away after a long illness fought with courage and fortitude. He died on 28 August 2015 at a hospice on the Isle of Wight, UK. He was 76 years old.
Paul was a Fellow of the Institute and an active member of the IIMS Management Board. Until recent months, he was a regular contributor to that forum. He also regularly attended Certifying Authority training days. He joined IIMS in 2002 and was made a Fellow in 2010.
Paul joined the Merchant Navy as a Cadet with Clan Line, studying at Warsash Maritime College, Hampshire, UK and obtained his Master’s Certificate in 1969.
IIMS has published its procedures on who may do tonnage surveys and what is required
There has been a steady increase in interest from IIMS members wishing to undertake tonnage surveys. If this is an area of business you with to operate in, please read this to understand who may and who may not undertake such work.
The IIMS’ authority to undertake tonnage surveys on vessels up to 24 metres and only up to 24 metres is through the Certifying Authority contract with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA). The Institute is required to demonstrate to the MCA how it authorises and controls tonnage surveys. To do this we have created a category of ‘tonnage only’ Certifying Authority surveyor, not authorised to do MCA coding work, but ok’d for tonnage.
The front cover of one of the first four new books to be published by IIMS
It has been a while since I posted on my blog due to pressure in other areas. And although summer in the UK is not quite over and done with, what a summer it has been (and no I am not referring to the indifferent British weather than has made it one to forget).
Of course my colleagues and I are now heavily involved and focused on the build up to the IIMS London Conference 2015, dinner and AGM, our showpiece annual event. Numbers for both Conference and dinner are looking excellent and I am looking forward to what will be a full on two days – the culmination of many months planning. There is an excellent mix of speakers who will, I am confident, inspire and engage the delegates. Anyone who has ever put together such an event will know the sheer amount of work that goes in to the organising side of it. So I thank my colleagues at head office who have done a great job. Look forward to seeing those of you who are coming.
The Association of Marine Surveyors British Columbia has successfully amalgamated with the International Institute of Marine Surveying.
A ceremony and meeting was held at the Mission to Seafarers in the Port of Vancouver on 8 July to formally amalgamate the Association of Marine Surveyors British Columbia (AMSBC) with the UK headquartered International Institute of Marine Surveying (IIMS). As a consequence, a new regional branch of IIMS was created, IIMS Canada.
The event was, which was well attended, comprised delegates who were existing IIMS members, AMSBC members and others from the maritime sector in the British Columbia area and further afield.
The Report Magazine went to interview Ian Millen, COO of Dryad Maritime, a specialist company providing a range of maritime security products and services that are essential in times of heightened security risks to keep seafarers safe. Dryad Maritime says it is a maritime operations company with a high grade intelligence capability. But what does this actually mean? Mike Schwarz went in search of some answers.
Q. Your company slogan interests me: ‘Dryad Maritime is a maritime operations company with a high grade intelligence capability’. What are the core services that you provide? I understand it is more comprehensive than just giving details of the threat of worldwide piracy attacks?
Just a photo I managed to take of a Le Havre pilot boat following beside the ferry I was on recently on a sunny evening
So as we approach the mid point of 2015 – time for an update?
There are a number of activities that I would like to touch on in this blog. In particular, I am proud of the work we have done recently with IMCA to bring the ‘world class’ CMID accreditation scheme successfully to market from 1 June. We now have our first two accredited CMID vessel inspectors with a further forty or so in the pipeline. It is a progressive and encouraging start.
It was exciting to reveal the IIMS London Conference 2015 speaker programme recently and I have been delighted by the initial feedback from members. I am so pleased that Nick Sloane, the man behind the parbuckling project on the Costa Concordia, has agreed to speak; but he is one of a number of excellent speakers and the conference will cover a multitude of topics. Particular thanks go to DGS Marine Group and Constellation Marine Services for their generous support and sponsorship.
