It is hard for me to imagine that I have been at IIMS for five years this coming January. So much has happened in that time. Good friendships have been made, first class business relationships forged, new suppliers and service providers engaged; and the Institute has gone from strength to strength financially. The organisation I took over in 2014 is now almost unrecognisable from what it has become.


In truth I have no idea


where the past five years have gone. They have flown by. But what I do know is that I have thoroughly enjoyed the challenges of my role (and still do). Apparently I have a few years left in me still! Given the many training events, seminars and conferences I have personally attended, I must surely qualify as the most knowledgeable man never to have completed a marine survey? As I start to look forward to the next five years, it is safe in the knowledge that what I have learnt in the past will stand me in good stead for the considerable and varied challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.


But lest I forget, this is a review of the past year so let me refocus my mind on what has happened during the last twelve months; and the answer put simply is a considerable amount.


For me personally and the Institute, 2018 started on a low note. Following a desperately sad fatality late last year, the result of a racing incident west of Australia in the Clipper Ventures round the world race fleet, (the fleet being coded by the IIMS certifying authority), it was inevitable that an investigation would follow. And so it was. The Marine Accident Investigation


32 | The Report • December 2018 • Issue 86


Branch (MAIB) were the first to come knocking in early 2018, soon to be followed by the Maritime & Coastguard Agency’s investigation team. If you have never been on the receiving end of such an MCA investigation - (and why would you) – let me tell you that it is not a pleasant experience, nor one I am keen to repeat any time soon. This meant that the first three months of the year were something of a blur and, guilty or not guilty, it makes one question a lot of things, sometimes irrationally, not least as a breach of the Merchant Shipping Act (if proven) can carry harsh penalties. A hastily arranged meeting at MCA headquarters resulted, followed by the need to send one of our most senior surveyors to check, inspect and ratify the condition of the fleet when they put in for a routine stop at China. The final outcome remains unknown as the MAIB report is yet to be published and the MCA’s investigation remains open as far as I know. I say all of this, because sometimes IIMS members are totally unaware of what goes on at HQ behind the scenes and the important issues we have to deal with. I am most grateful to Fraser Noble, IIMS Certifying Authority Chairman, for his unstinting support over that period and also Tania Bernice, Certifying Authority Administrator, for her immense secretarial assistance.


EDUCATION, TRAINING AND EVENTS


Having weathered the storm of the first three months, we moved into calmer waters. A number of


successful training events were delivered in the first half of the year, many of them very well attended. Most notable in terms of volume of attendance was the British Stainless Steel Association one day corrosion seminar that attracted fifty plus delegates. The sheer size of the course manual was, according to one member, ‘worth the day’s seminar fee alone’. Our annual Western Med training event in April was a great success. We spent time looking at a couple of facilities on the island of Majorca covering topics as diverse as propeller repairs, fire equipment and life raft servicing and testing. And IIMS formed a UK based inland waterways working group, which has now met twice. During recent months, we have delivered another round of successful training in various locations.


The Institute remains active with its overseas training opportunities and seminars too. The annual two day event in Baltimore was curtailed by heavy snowfall in the area, but that did not prevent some excellent speakers making it to the venue to present to those who managed to get there also. My thanks to James ‘Randy’ Renn for organising. Another highlight was undoubtedly the India Branch Symposium held in Mumbai in October. An illustrious group of surveyors and others from the maritime world came together for a thoroughly thought provoking day.


After some inactivity, it is good to see IIMS members in Australia having the opportunity to meet for a day’s seminar in Sydney early in November. My thanks to Adam Brancher and Mick Umberti for facilitating locally.


2018


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