The amount of claims and complaints regarding small craft surveyors continues to sadden me. I know that the reality of a pre-purchase survey is a long way from the commercial vessel classification society periodic survey where when I was a shipyard manager we would spend the first week of a docking preparing the vessel for survey, creating safe access, fire point, safety equipment, opening ventilating and cleaning tanks and spaces, removing propellers, pulling shafts, opening engines and removing pistons as required etc etc. all in advance of the surveyors attendance. However it is apparent that pre-purchase surveys of vessels are continuing to be undertaken in unsuitable conditions, unintentionally or perhaps driven by commercial pressure to reduce costs, or even some misguided good intentions. I will remind you all that the pathway to hell is paved with such good intentions. I know from personal experience that if there is a survey sure to go wrong and cause trouble in the future it will be the one which started with an enquiry along the lines of “Can you do me a favour” and it would appear that there may be some “I would be grateful if you could” cases out there as well, even the all too common “I need this done as soon as possible”. Surveyors will often have pressure put upon them, but whatever the circumstances surveyors must above all be honest, unbiased, and truthful in the results of their instructions irrespective of how much grief this may cause. Being a
good surveyor is not a popularity contest it is a professional contest, if you wish and one in which the best and most professional person wins, even if this means that your friend or regular client decides to go elsewhere for his surveying work, this is the price that you have to pay for being an ‘Independent Marine Surveyor’.
Going back to inland waterways craft I had reason to research the standards and rules which should be applied to the inspection and operation of these vessels. I was amazed to find that many surveyors of inland waterways craft had little knowledge of the rules and that they applied their own standards and formed their own opinions. As a result, Mike and I have been invited to raise questions for British Marine which can then be brought up at the next inland boatbuilding association committee meeting.
Contrary to popular belief the MCA continues to be setting the standards for Construction and Maintenance of inland waterways craft and as mentioned earlier a code of practice for Inland Waters Small Passenger Boats in cooperation with The Association of Inland Navigation Authorities and British Marine have produced a Code of Practice for Inland Boatbuilding. Unfortunately, all this means is that there are a number of rules and standards and also a number of associations are involved - in fact over 60 different inland waterways authorities at my last count.
All interested members are invited to follow the links that we will publish and view the documents and Mike and I would be grateful for any feedback, which could assist us in raising our questions for British Marine. This is why we as an institute are continuing to produce quality training for members and non- members and set high standards that all IIMS members and ultimately all Accredited Surveyors will need to achieve. I believe we are getting ever closer to achieving an international requirement for all Marine Surveyors to have to prove that they are professional people qualified to conduct surveys on both commercial and pleasure vessels. I am not naïve enough to think that this will happen in the short term but this is something that must be done and I am pleased to be a part of the Institute that is at least standing up and starting the process which I hope will ultimately reach a successful completion.
Geoff Waddington
I.Eng;
IMarEng.M.I.Mar.EST; F.I.I.M.S. (President IIMS)
President: Mr Geoff Waddington (FIIMS) Immediate Past President: Capt Zarir Irani (FIIMS)
Chief Executive Officer: Mr Mike Schwarz Head Office Team
Mrs Camella Robertson
....Membership Secretary & Office Manager Mr David Parsons .............Certifying Authority Administrator Miss Holly Trinder
.............Office Administrator Miss Lorna Robinson
........Education, Training & Events Co-ordinator Mr Craig
Williams.............Graphic Designer
Vice President: Mr Peter Broad (FIIMS) Deputy Vice President: Capt Ruchin Dayal (FIIMS)
Miss Jen Argent
................Management Accountant Miss Elly Bryant
................Accounts Support Administrator Mrs Hilary Excell
...............Marine Surveying Academy Business Manager Mrs Pui Si Chung
..............MSA Accreditation Scheme Administrator Mrs Sharon Holland
.........MSA Events & Course Co-ordinator
Tel: +44 (0) 23 9238 5223 | Email:
info@iims.org.uk | IIMS, Murrills House, 48 East Street, Portchester, Hampshire, PO16 9XS, UK |
www.iims.org.uk © The International Institute of Marine Surveying 2020 - The Institute and authors accept no responsibility for any opinions, statements or errors made in any article, feature or letter published in this Magazine.
The Report • December 2020 • Issue 94 | 7
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116
