IFSMA Monthly Logs

Introduction

This has been a busy month and I do not expect that any will be easy in the forthcoming year ahead. 

It was a great honour for me to accept the post of Secretary General at the 38th AGA held at Copenhagen, Denmark on the 14th June.  It was additionally special due to the fact that I was taking over from my good friend and colleague Captain Rodger MacDonald who had held the post since 2001.

The world of shipping is changing, shifting, evolving or whatever you would like to call it.  IFSMA has to respond and meet these challenges.  It is part of my remit to explore changes to the way that IFSMA is run and how much it costs and report to the membership on the progress made.

This monthly report is part of the dissemination process of this information.

My vision is that IFSMA is a large family and that as a family we will argue and the work of the Secretariat is to find the common ground acceptable to all parties and move matters forward.

Every month there will a report on the work of the Secretariat and the Associations

IMO

6 – 8 June – Technical Co-Operation Committee (62nd)
11 – 14 June – Council (108th)

AGA 38 – Copenhagen, Denmark

This AGA commenced with a Workshop on the 13th June titled ‘Lean Ship of the Future’.

The AGA was held on the 14 & 15th June with a large turnout of delegates.  It is to be said that the DMO were excellent hosts and the setting in Copenhagen, Denmark was excellent.  The hospitality along with the venue was exceptional and a full report on the AGA along with the speakers’ notes and presentations are available on the website. There is no need to repeat what has already been said except to once again thank our hosts the DMO and those personnel who did the work in organizing and preparing the event.

IFSMA Workshop in Manila Nov 2012

This project is progressing well with the number and diversity of speakers prepared to attend.  The date is  13th November 2012 and at that time we are waiting for the confirmation of the venue.  It is hoped that a number of members will be able to attend and take part.  Full details should be available by the end of July 2012.

The Workshop will take place the day before the main Manning and Training Conference held on the 14th / 15th June.  A number of the speakers from the IFSMA Workshop may speak at the main conference.

The topic for this year is “The ISPS Code – 10 Years On?”  The focus is on questioning the ISPS Code and its effectiveness in light of the changing maritime world.  Is it working or is it another system to obtain another certificate that will allow the ship to operate.  This and a number of other questions will be raised and discussed during the workshop and the greater the number of persons attending the greater the debate should be.

UN RIO Summit

The UN Summit on climate change was held in Rio de Janeiro this year.  IFSMA was invited by the IMO Secretariat to send a delegate to the summit.  This invite was accepted and Captain Jones SOARES from the Brazilian Association was the IFSMA representative.  His report can be found on the IFSMA website.

Meeting with Bulgarian Shipmasters’ Association

On Tuesday, 26 August 2012 I had the pleasure of attending a meeting of the Bulgarian Shipmasters’ Association at Varna, Bulgaria.  Captain Dimitar Dimitrov was the perfect host and the meeting was well attended.  As Secretary General I was engaged by the membership over a number of issues and the discussions were well met with a knowledgeable group of seafarers.

This was the first of what is hoped to be many meetings with Associations.  Whenever possible I will meet with national Associations on my travels.  This information will be transmitted to the national Association in advance and see if it will be possible to hold a meeting where I can talk with the membership and hear their points of view.

Attendance at Seminars, Conferences and Meetings

I want to take this opportunity to invite all Associations and their members to send to HQ a short report on any seminar, conference, or meeting that they have attended, especially if it has been to act on behalf of IFSMA.  It has been very surprising to note the number of events that have been attended but there has been no record of them.

This is needed to raise the profile of IFSMA, but also to share expertise and to be able to support other Associations in matters of interest.  If this is not done then it will be an opportunity missed.

Captain John W. Dickie
Secretary General IFSMA