Editor’s Letter Dear Colleague


I am especially proud to have edited this bumper edition of the Report Magazine, which once again sets a new record as the biggest we have produced. In my opinion, edition 94 is one of the most complete magazines we have published to date, by which I mean the breadth of content is so wide and varied.


At the end of the strangest year ever known to most of us, I have tried to set down my thoughts to accurately reflect my experiences of 2020 - a year never to be forgotten - which on one hand has seen the world engulfed by the worst pandemic for a century, yet on the other has been a productive and progressive one for many surveyors and for the Institute too (see my 2020 review on page 36).


The troubling subject of end of life boats is one The Report Magazine has brought to readers’ attention before. Yet the challenge of how to deal with them remains unclear. What’s more, there is emerging evidence of the potential health hazards of such vessels. The article entitled Abandoned fibreglass boats are releasing toxins and microplastics across the world by Corina Ciocan makes for sobering reading (page 54). On a more upbeat note, Corina’s article is counterbalanced by Simonetta


Pegorari, who looks at a new and more environmentally friendly composite, basalt fibre (page 56).


The now infamous MV Wakashio disaster that happened at Mauritius earlier in the year - the cause of so much angst for the local population - has attracted much attention, and rightly so. As an outline of what probably happened has started to emerge and IMOs actions in response to the event have become understood, there are many questions to be answered and lessons to be learnt. There are two excellent and thought provoking articles on this topic to read.


Inviting a number of members to contribute to a special article on COVID-19 and how it has affected marine surveying (page 43) seemed like a good idea - and I am grateful to those who took up my challenge. But as you read their accounts, it is apparent that the situation is almost the same worldwide. Perhaps I was expecting to see some differences from country to country, but that is not the case it seems.


There are several articles on topics of direct relevance to cargo and commercial ship surveyors, including why stainless steel in scrubber manufacture is the best option to minimise corrosion (page 100), cargo liquefaction guidelines (page 86), the new IMSBC Code


4 | The Report • December 2020 • Issue 94


amendments (page 89) and making a hash of lashings (page 81).


For a bit of fun, I challenge you to test your knowledge about how much you know of the industry in which you work and to look at future trends. The article entitled Shipping, superyacht and boating facts, statistics and trends. ‘How well do you know your industry?’ proved to be something of a labour of love to compile (see page 91). It should act as a reminder (as if you needed one) that you operate in a massively valuable worldwide industry.


My thanks to Uday Moorthi, the subject of A day in the Life of feature (page 109) for answering my questions and sharing his back story and marine surveying ethos.


And to everyone who has contributed to The Report Magazine in 2020, it is much appreciated.


As always, if you celebrate Christmas and its associated festivities, I wish you a happy digital Yuletide! Let’s join together to wish each other the best for a much less stressful 2021.


Mike Schwarz, Chief Executive Officer


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