The Maritime Professional Council (MPC) of the UK has responded to a recent Department for Transport (DfT) consultation on whether personal watercraft (PWC) users should be subject to the same safety obligations that exist for the operators of ships.
A ship being built at dock – Image used only for illustrative purposes
The new Shipbuilding Acquaint Course has been developed by Broadreach Marine Ltd and is presented exclusively in conjunction with the International Institute of Marine Surveying, the leading worldwide professional body for the marine surveying profession. The aim of this unique one-week online course starting from 7 February 2022 is to provide an opportunity for the student to gain an understanding of modern shipbuilding procedures, from placing a contract to delivering a completed ship.
IIMS President speaks out: Beware the challenges of surveying steel hull inland waterways craft – and other considerations
IIMS President, Geoff Waddington, has spoken out passionately in light of a number of issues that are causing concern regarding the survey of steel hull inland waterways craft, steel narrowboats and barges in the UK particularly. His advice, however, is good practice for surveyors working around the world. The result is a helpful pdf document that can be downloaded and retained as a reference source (see below).
Geoff takes up the story:
I admit that I have only limited experience of inland waterways craft. My career in the marine industry started over fifty years ago on ships. Over the last forty years of surveying both large and small craft, I have been involved with the new construction of a wide beam barge, fitting out of a narrowboat, insurance investigations involving narrowboats and small, steel inland waterways craft, and of course many GRP motor cruisers designed for both use on inland waterways and RCD CE CAT B vessels, which were in use on inland waterways. Continue reading “Beware the challenges of surveying inland waterways craft”
Norman Finlay MBE receiving his award from Her Majesty The Queen in 2018
A new scheme has been established that aims to support the development of talent ashore within the small commercial vessel sector. The Norman Finlay Memorial Development Scheme is designed to increase the amount of small commercial vessel seafarers and those with a passion for these types of craft moving onto advanced careers ashore within the sector.
This includes vessel owner/operator organisations as well as within the supply chain such as manufacturers, regulators, surveyors, inspectors, charterers and professional services. The stakeholders will work together to provide a variety of resources towards the development of small commercial sector seafarers.
The logo of the newly formed Maritime Professional Council of the UK
Shipping and boating are going through huge technological changes, but the industry’s professional bodies say their expertise needs to be listened to when policy decisions are made in this vital sector. To make this easier five professional bodies have formed the Maritime Professional Council of the UK to make sure policymakers are aware of the considered professional opinions of those with the qualifications, expertise and experience to provide informed advice on the many policy decisions that need to be made.
Karen Brain responds to Jeffrey Casciani-Wood about the use of reported dimensions in reports
In the June edition of the Report Magazine, Jeffrey Casciani-Wood submitted a letter to the editor and invited Karen Brain to give a comment on the following, when he wrote: ‘Perhaps the most common of the errors that I have seen over the years is the use of so-called reported dimensions, not measured ones. I should point out that the marine surveyor’s report is a legal document and therefore requires content that he/she has measured, weighed, tested, or examined, whatever, not what he/she has been told by a third party who may, or may not, have given him/her valid and correct information. Reported dimensions are hearsay and, as such, are not admissible in Court, except under very special circumstances.
The precise definitions of the principal dimensions of a boat up to 24 metres in length are given in the publicly available document ISO8666, a copy of which should be in every small craft marine surveyor’s library. I would like to see Karen Brain’s comments on this paragraph’. Jeffrey Casciani-WoodContinue reading “Karen Brain responds to Jeffrey Casciani-Wood”
IIMS set to roll out remote tonnage measurement training for small craft surveyors
A proposal by IIMS to extend its popular face-to-face tonnage measurement training into an innovative remote online format has been accepted and approved by the Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA). The innovative approach to delivering this training, which is open to both IIMS members and non-members, marks new ground for the Institute. The first online seminar will be delivered on 22 September from 10.00 (UK time).
To become formally authorized to process tonnages through IIMS you need to be a member, and Part I and Part II must be completed. Those who wish to study Part I only, the UK online tonnage measurement theory, may do so to extend their surveying knowledge.
Is your new bike stuck in the Suez Canal on the Ever Given?
There is never a shortage of news stories as far as the shipping and boating world is concerned, many of them bearing bad tidings of more incidents and accidents the have happened at sea. In fact, daily maritime news feeds fill my inbox to capacity. Some of these articles are of great importance and relevance, others rather more frivolous by nature. There is room for both of course.
Sometimes these articles leave room for further thought and require more digging around to really understand what is at stake, often creating more questions than they answer. Anyway, here are three news items from the last month that caught my eye. Continue reading “What caught my eye last month”
The highlights and feature articles of this special 136 page edition of The June 2021 Report (the biggest ever) to mark the 30th anniversary of IIMS include:
– The design of cathodic protection schemes for canal craft
– Seafarers ‘N’ Ever Given respect. What will we do this time so that history is not repeated?
– Containers overboard – is theory overtaking practice?
– Stitch by stitch: The art of sailmaking is alive and flourishing
– Could our ‘old friend’, the wind, be the solution to reducing the fuel consumption of ships?
– Seaman’s Manslaughter: An arcane US statute turned enforcement risk
– Elevators on ships – failures, service, and maintenance
– How well does Cathodic protection negate corrosion when used in seawater filtration?
– A personal account of gender diversity at sea
– A look back at 30 years of IIMS history and articles by a number of Past Presidents
– A day in the life of Nick Parkyn
Cygnus Instruments: Famous Face Gets a Lesson on Surveying and UTG (Sir Tony Robinson pictured left)
Cygnus Instruments developed the Multiple Echo technique in the 1980s in conjunction with IACS (International Association of Classification Societies). This special ultrasonic technique uses a “single crystal” probe utilising multiple back wall reflections to both ignore coatings (such as anti-fouling paint) and to give an accurate and reliable result on metal thickness.
Mr John Heath, a highly experienced and respected marine surveyor with over 40 years’ experience is the IIMS Technical Director and a board member. He recalls using his first piece of Cygnus equipment back in the 1980s. “I certainly remember using the very large oscilloscopes, pencil and tracing paper to conduct diminution surveys – and naturally, I recall what a revolution it was for our industry. Continue reading “Cygnus Instruments: Famous Face Gets a Lesson on Surveying and UTG”
We put some questions to Mike Schwarz, Chief Executive Officer of the International Institute of Marine Surveying (IIMS), about the new Marine Corrosion Professional Qualification which is launching in June 2021.
What prompted IIMS to develop this new qualification?
“IIMS has a proud record of delivering training and education to marine surveyors going back 20 years and we were the first organisation to provide such opportunities to professionals working in this field. The award-winning IIMS diploma in marine surveying is highly regarded to this day and is constantly being updated and refreshed.
The past week has been one of great sadness for me personally, the IIMS head office team, Institute members, and the wider maritime industry with the announcements of the passing of two IIMS champions. Last week, I received news of the passing of Peter Morgan HonFIIMS. Peter died on 4 April. And then just a week later, news that John Excell HonFIIMS had lost his brave battle and succumbed to a long illness reached me. The news of both deaths affected me greatly.
Detailed obituaries are being prepared for both men and will appear in the June 2021 Report Magazine.
But for now, let me try and make sense of what has been the toughest of weeks as both men were well known to me and many others. Indeed, both in their own ways gave so much to the Institute and will be sorely missed.
The Maritime Professional Council (MPC) of the UK has responded to a recent Department for Transport (DfT) consultation on whether personal watercraft (PWC) users should be subject to the same safety obligations that exist for the operators of ships.
