IIMS through the ages: 1990 - 2026
1990 The first International Marine Surveying Conference sponsored by IMarEST and The Nautical Institute was held.
Reflections on 35
Years of IIMS from our current President Capt Ruchin Dayal, FIIMS
When I look back at my journey with the International Institute of Marine Surveying, I realise that it began not with a title or a role, but with a sense of purpose.
In 2014, I presented a paper on cargo liquefaction at a packed lecture hall at the IIMS Conference in London. That moment was formative. The discussion that followed, the engagement from fellow professionals, and the seriousness with which the subject was received gave me a profound sense of meaning. For the first time, I felt truly proud - not just of what I was doing, but of the difference that work could make. In IIMS, I found an organisation that valued integrity, technical rigour, and the courage to speak up when safety was at stake. In many ways, I found my professional inner self.
Over the years, IIMS has evolved dramatically, and in my opinion, one of the most defining moments in its recent history has been Mike Schwarz since he took the helm as CEO. Under his leadership, the Institute has not only grown rapidly but done so with clarity and purpose. The team he has built at Headquarters in Portchester, UK has ensured that IIMS has remained not merely relevant, but ahead of the curve, during what has arguably been the most technically explosive decade our profession has ever experienced.
Digitalisation, new cargo types, remote surveys, cybersecurity, and now artificial intelligence have fundamentally altered how surveying is practiced. Through all of this, IIMS has moved, and continues to move, with the times - adapting, learning, and leading. That gives me great confidence that the Institute will continue to remain relevant well into the future.
As the AI revolution begins to take shape, many within IIMS are already embracing it with open minds. And if the profession must evolve again, as it surely will, I have no doubt that the Institute, and its members, will be ready to evolve with it.
At 35 years, IIMS stands not just as an institution, but as a community - one that continues to matter.
Capt Ruchin Dayal, Master Mariner (MMI), President - International Institute of Marine
Surveying, FIIMS | AMS - SAMS (USA) | MAIMS (Australia) | AFNI (London)
1991 April - Institute of Marine Surveyors founded. Capt Bill McDonald elected as first President.
1997 The first issue of The Report magazine published.
1998 IIMS appointed as a certifying authority by the MCA.
2001 IIMS celebrates its 10th anniversary.
2002 Professional qualification distance learning courses launched.
2003 April - Change of name from ‘Surveyors’ to ‘Surveying’.
2004 January - John Lawrence appointed CEO. 2007 March - New Zealand branch established. 2008 February - first IIMS Australasian conference held.
2010 March - Registered office address changed from Gosport to Portchester. Indian Branch launched.
2013 December - John Lawrence, CEO retires. 2014 January - Mike Schwarz appointed as CEO.
2015 Registered Marine Coatings Inspector and eCMID Accredited Vessel Inspector programmes launched.
September – first IIMS handy guide published: What a marine surveyor needs to know about enclosed spaces.
IIMS presents Jeffery Casciani-Wood with a Lifetime Achievement Award.
2016 IIMS turns 25 years old and holds a Gala Dinner in London and presents Awards for Excellence.
Association of Marine Surveyors of British Columbia merges with IIMS Canada Branch.
May - IIMS Nigeria branch formed. 2017 February - CPD App launched.
September - IMC Golden Shield Excellence awarded to IIMS for Leading Maritime Training Institute.
Mike Schwarz appointed Chair of the MCA certifying authority professional standards working group.
2019 February - Marine Surveying Search App launched.
November - UAE branch celebrates its 10th
anniversary on the QEII in Dubai. 2020 IIMS purchases Murrills House.
2021 January - IIMS launches first Safety & Loss Prevention Briefings Compendium.
September - IIMS becomes founder member of the Maritime Professional Council of the UK.
2023 First Mid Month Marine Communiqué broadcast.
2025 IIMS presents Paul Homer with a Lifetime Achievement Award.
2026 IIMS is 35 years old… we’re looking forward to where we go next.
THE REPORT | MAR 2026 | ISSUE 115 | 23
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