NEWS

To initiate discussion amongst and between members, I wish to raise several issues that remain central to the core values of both the AIMS and Marine Surveying Profession in Australia. These may provide some talking points for the next State, local area or team meeting in which you are involved.

1 – The ethics around meeting client requests that do not sit well with the fundamental independence of the professional marine surveyor will raise voices within two distinct camps – those who maintain that the client should receive whatever they request and those who draw a line in the sand. 

“That is a rather simplistic view” I hear you saying. Okay, there are a number of factors to be considered: 

What exactly is being requested of the surveyor? 

Does it compromise the integrity of the surveyor?

Does it compromise the independence of the surveyor?

Is the surveyor meeting the obligations of the scope of the appointment?

It is fair to say that, when a client provides a detailed scope, the surveyor is able to decide whether they are: 

A) capable and competent, and 

B) happy to consent to the requests within the scope. 

However, when the client request is simple e.g. an on hire bunker survey for a charterer, it will often leave the surveyor exposed to further requests, often following acceptance of the quote and the appointment of the surveyor. Such requests may leave the surveyor in a difficult position, compromising integrity and introducing another complexity to an often already challenging situation. 

The surveyor has to decide: 

A) do it and report to meet the client request, 

B) do it and report actual findings or 

C) decline to do it. As business ethics dictate, the client will have the say in who receives the report, but should they also have a say in how we conduct our professional operations? 

2 – A closely related issue which draws upon the above bunker survey example is the ‘bunkers for money’ surveys that are used by certain companies in attempts to discover undeclared bunkers. This practice ‘rewards’ the surveyor by offering an incentive payment per tonne for any additional bunkers discovered! I condemn this practice and suggest that AIMS members should insist on fair payment for their services and refuse these incentives which may well tempt those less ethical to rort their existence. 

3 – Being a member of the AIMS should be considered beneficial for the surveyor in a number of ways:

It can offer networking opportunities with other members, government and regulatory department personnel, and potential clients.

It is an effective way to build business relationships with other members in other locations and possibly effect an efficient servicing of client needs without the expense of travel and accommodation. 

It facilitates professional development targets and helps you reap the benefits of improved knowledge, competency and job satisfaction for yourself or within your team. 

It helps to future proof and expand your business and train Australians to meet your exact business requirements 

It allows for individual development and interaction with others within the profession
It encourages discussion and debate between members on fairness and ethical behaviour and provides a comprehensive, reasonable and just system to deal with complaints and disciplinary matters concerning members and the profession as a whole. 

I hope this will get people talking and provide a basis for improved communication within both local and wider circles. 

I know that AIMS, and in particular some members, have been the subject of criticism over the last twelve months and we seek to better understand what members really think, what they want and how they think we can improve. 

Let me know directly by email jholden@mipec.com.au or comment on this post below.

A reminder - if you can get along to Melbourne for our 30th Birthday Dinner on 19 August we would enjoy your company.  It will be a great opportunity to meet new people and celebrate your Institute.

John Holden
Vice Presiden

A successful marine surveyor needs to be competent in a broad range of surveys to make it in the business these days. From the specialist survey to the more mundane, our members are providing services to a broad range of clients both here and overseas. In the past, members basically learnt the ropes on the run or from an older mentor. In today’s world this is no longer an acceptable way. Expectations are much higher and, as the shipping industry changes, older mentors are getting harder to find. As the peak surveying organisation AIMS must set the standards for our industry. AIMS must provide the platform to enable members to improve and grow their professional skills. We are now approaching our 30th birthday. The aim of our founding fathers was to provide marine surveyors with a truly professional body that would represent and promote their interests. The marine surveying industry has changed dramatically since 1986 when AIMS first came into existence. This change is also reflected in kindred industries such as shipping and stevedoring.  Historically most marine surveyors were master mariners from the ranks of seagoing officers. They had a broad range of shipping knowledge which was a solid basis upon which to build a marine surveying career. These days’ seafarer training is more shore-based and seafarers may only be exposed to a limited variety of vessels.           Some years ago the AIMS executive took the decision that if the industry was to be sustained it must provide specialist training. This has been achieved with the development of the RTO and the delivery of Australia’s first ever Diploma of Marine Surveying. Whilst traditional skills are necessary, the use of latest technology cannot be ignored. It is recognised that not all skills can be learnt from books or videos. Some surveying skills are best learnt ‘on the job’. In the future this need for practical training could represent new business revenue for suitably qualified members wanting to become involved in student training.     As an industry we must continually ask ourselves what will the surveyor of the future require – not only in knowledge but in equipment. In my day it was a sturdy Dolphin torch, a pen, a note pad, a cheap calculator and a portable typewriter. Today, 30 years on, clearly this is not enough. The typewriter is a museum piece kept for old time’s sake in the back shed. I remember the time and effort put into searching for just the right one.   AIMS can – and must – be out there developing and bringing in new technologies and courses. AIMS must be working toward assisting members to develop ground breaking ideas and take them to industry users.  One proven way we can become a much stronger organisation is through sharing experiences and disseminating the ‘knowledge’ that only we have.  We must actively try to retain our existing knowledge base. How much has been lost over the years as members simply retire and sail off into the sunset - a working lifetime of knowledge simply gone.  While some of the old survey work may not seem relevant it is our history and it is important that it is not forgotten. For this reason, meetings and social events are important. Your very presence provides input at these meetings and can help influence change and bring about improvements. AIMS cannot build to be a peak body for surveyors in Australia without the support and input from our members. We cannot truly represent unless we know those we represent. AIMS is actively making more use of technology to obtain information from the membership and this shall continue to grow in importance for our future decision making. If you have issues we want you to raise them. You can show your support by attending our 30th Birthday on Friday 19th August in Melbourne at the Langham Hotel. All members should have received their invitation by now and if not there is an online registration facility on our website under the events section. AIMS has survived thirty years due to the hard work, dedication and vision of past Presidents and executives – members who gave freely of their valuable time to advance AIMS and its membership. This will be a night for us to celebrate those who have gone before us and those who are coming along behind.  Long term members will be able to get together and reminisce about the past, newer members will have an ideal opportunity to meet others, network and discuss ideas and there will be a ‘special’ presentation that will look to the future and provide something for everyone. Gary Prosser Deputy CEO of AMSA will give AMSA’s view on the future of the industry, shippers, charterers, insurers and lawyers are attending along with members from each state.  The AIMS council is attending as is our Executive Officer and new Office Manager. The inimitable AFL great, Kevin Sheedy, is giving a presentation on leadership and how we can all become leaders in our industry. If you have never heard Kevin speak then you are missing out!! This dinner will be a terrific forum for inviting along friends and clients and having a good and productive time. I look forward to meeting you there! Peter Murday President

Last Wednesday evening, I attended an AMSA board reception with WA stakeholders at the Ocean Center Hotel, Geraldton.

Holding board meetings in regional locations gives AMSA’s

constituents the chance to meet the Board and the Executive. It’s also a

chance for the Board to get a firsthand understanding of stakeholders

needs, especially newest National System stakeholders.

The Evening was very informative and outlined the direction AMSA hopes to take in the management of Domestic Commercial Vessels after State Authorities have been relieved of their responsibilities in this area, post 2017.

AMSA is prepared to assume responsibility for delivering a number of domestic commercial vessel services from 1 July 2017, and transition to delivery of all National System services by 1 July 2019. This will allow for an orderly transition and will involve consultation with industry.

AMSAs challenge is to realise the true benefits that a National System can deliver, particularly in the area of consistent service delivery.

The Marine Surveyors Accreditation Scheme, which commenced in January

2015, ensures surveyors are competent to conduct and provide survey reports

for domestic commercial vessels.

The scheme is the product of extensive consultation with the various state and

territory maritime agencies and representative bodies such as the Australasian Institute of Marine Surveyors.

I also had the opportunity to speak informally with AMSA Board and Executives about the transition plans for RTOs in relation to sea service assessment, final exams (orals assessment) and where AMSAs responsibility may lay in regards to the higher certificates of competencies, however, some areas of AMSAs projected responsibilities are yet to be finalized.

AMSA will continue its search and rescue capabilities which are being bolstered by new dedicated aircraft to be based in Perth, Cairns and Essendon. The Bombardier Challenger jets will progressively come into service from

August.

AMSA now manages a network of 492 navigational aids at 381 sites around

the 36,000 km of Australia’s coastline, assisting the maritime industry in making safe passages.

As part of AMSAs day-to-day business, they will:

• ·      Continue to monitor the 415,000 registered emergency distress beacons,
• second only to the US in numbers.
• ·      Regulate the 27,000 foreign-flagged ship arrivals each year, which.
• includes the 75% of the world’s largest bulk carriers that come to Australia.
• ·      Continue to integrate the 27,600 domestic commercial vessels into the
• National System.
• ·      Certify the 66,000 active domestic seafarers who between them hold
• 84,000 certificates.
• ·      Monitor the safety of over million Australians who choose to take a cruise
• each year in the fastest growing cruise market in the world.

I would commend AMSA for conducting these evenings around the country and people who attended were pleased with the attentive nature of AMSA delegates who made themselves available for this valuable networking opportunity.

Mick McAuliffe,

Green Sea Survey   

From July 1, 2016, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) will implement changes to regulations for container weight verifications in the shipping industry, requiring shippers to provide a verified gross mass (VGM) for containers.

 These changes reflect amendments to the International Safety of Life at Sea Convention, approved by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO). To implement the new international requirements, AMSA has amended Marine Order 42 (Cargo, stowage and securing).

 

Under the changes, the shipper is required to provide a signed VGM to the terminal and the master of a vessel or their representative, in advance of a container being loaded. Providing a VGM for a container allows the master of a vessel to plan ship loading, so that the ship is stable, hull strength and stack weights are not exceeded and lashing arrangements are effective

To download the new marine order click below:

 

MO44-modcomp-130729Z.pdf

Marine Surveyor, Ships Engineer, Shipwrights and Boat Builders are among several occupations that are flagged for possible removal from SOL

The Department of Education and Training is responsible for providing advice to the Government on the composition of the Skilled Occupation List (SOL)

The annual review of the SOL takes into account the labour market prospects of skilled migrants along with domestic training and labour market outcomes.

Following each review, there are a number of occupations which are ‘flagged’ for possible removal in the future. The 2016 / 2017 review has resulted in Ships Engineer, Ships Master and Officers, Marine Surveyor, Naval Architect and Shipwright and Boat Builder all being flagged for removal from the list.

Industry feedback has cited the flagging of these occupations as a potential boost to the sector which will encourage cross training for existing non-maritime engineers and mechanics and allow them to move into the maritime sector.

AIMS Executive Officer Susan Hull advised that the news of the flagging of marine surveyors was a potential boost to accredited marine surveyor training and the industry generally. This is good news for the industry, for training and for encouraging employers to look at cross sector synergies said Hull. We now have a chance at getting Government to assist further through traineeships and incentives to employers to take on new entrants.

A significant percentage of our students in the Diploma qualification are previously qualified mariners or skilled engineers who miss out on job opportunities due to 457 visa holders.

According to the most recent figures from the Department of Immigration, there are 303 foreign workers employed in the maritime industry under the 457 program — that is despite hundreds of similarly qualified Australians looking for work

https://www.education.gov.au/flagged-occupations-sol-2016-17

The AIMS 30th Birthday Gala Dinner will be held at the beautiful Langham Hotel Melbourne at 7 pm on the 19th August 2016.

Key note speakers;

Kevin Sheedy – Leading the Pack – How will we lead this pack of diverse professional mariners to the top of their field? Kevin Sheedy is “the” AFL Legend and arguably one of its greatest leaders over the past 30 years and he certainly knows how to spot a leader.

AIMS as the peak industry body is focussing on cementing its place as the leader of best practice across all sectors of the industry. To stay at the top of our game the AIMS must know how to lead, when to lead and how to teach others to lead. Kevin presents an entertaining and insightful look at how AIMS can win the leadership race and how our members can lead their businesses to greater success.

Gary Prosser – Deputy CEO AMSA – How the industry is changing! Gary Prosser has over 30 years’ experience in the maritime industry, coming from a seagoing career serving on Australian ships in both the International and domestic trades. Gary takes a look at the past 10 years, the contribution of the AIMS and what the next 10 years might look like.

Prominent industry speakers present new opportunities for surveyors

As well as a fantastic menu and quality wines the line-up for this event will feature candid views of the AIMS and its development over the past 30 years by Past Presidents and Executive members as well as an exciting and entertaining look from the future by the 2026 President.

This will be the networking event for 2016. Be part of history, register now!

Drinks and Canapes at 6.30 for dinner at 7pm. Dinner includes a 3 course meal and wines.

Tickets are limited so register your interest now to secure your place.

MORE INFO AND REGISTRATION

In response to issues raised by members AIMS will trial an online voting system for the 2016 Council and Executive positions that will allow members to submit a private vote regardless of their location or ability to access a State meeting or the AGM.

At the conclusion of the 2016 AGM members advised that voting for Council and Executive positions did not allow any privacy of member opinion and that getting to a State meeting or the AGM was prohibitive in many cases. It was also raised that proxy forms were complicated, confusing and open to interpretation.

To try and combat the range of issues raised AIMS is implementing an online voting system in 2016 that, if successful will be used in all elections.

The new system that will allow every eligible voting member both privacy and access and will eliminate the need for proxy forms.

To be eligible to vote you must be an Associate, Full member, Fellow or Life Member and, obviously, just like the previous system, voting is not anonymous. You are required to enter your name, member number and the email address that AIMS has listed for you.

You may only vote once and cannot change your vote once you have hit the submit or end button.

You cannot allow others to vote from your computer unless they have a unique sign in and their own email account as each vote must have a unique URL that is verified by Survey Monkey.

If your URL appears twice in the statistics Survey Monkey will assume that there is a discrepancy and will notify the AIMS and a cross check of voters will occur.

In the event that a discrepancy does arise Survey Monkey will alert AIMS and will, if necessary, provide all URL and personal details to AIMS to cross check and confirm that a member has not voted twice.

The online system also means that we have an independent scrutineer. Survey Monkey will scrutinise and cross check the results with our member list and provide us with the final results.

This year nominations for State Rep positions (including incumbents) will be called for on June 1st & close on 15th June.

To download a State Rep nomination form click here

To download an AGM Executive nomination form click here

Voting for nominees will commence on June 16th and will close on the 30th June. This will give any new State Rep time to acclimatise before the AGM.

Executive nominees (including incumbents) will be called for in July. Voting for nominees will commence in August and close at least 5 working days prior to the AGM which will also provide ample time for the Executive Officer to prepare and publish the AGM agenda.

 

As foreshadowed in both the 2016/17 Federal Budget, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) is implementing a fee-for-service (FFS) arrangement to recover the costs associated with delivery of marine surveyor accreditation. The costs will apply to

•  receipt of initial/new applications for accreditation
•  assessing initial/new applications, usually involving an interview  process, and
• receipt and processing an application for renewal of accreditation every 5 years

 

The fees will apply to applications received from 1 September 2016.

 

To become an accredited marine surveyor, there will be a one-off fixed fee of $1390 payable upfront on lodgement of an application where the applicant is applying for 1 -5 categories of survey. The fee payable is a combination of the application fee ($650) plus a set ‘assessing/interview’ fee.

Applicants who are applying for 6-10 categories will pay $2130 and those wishing to have 11 -16 categories will pay $2870.

There will also be a surveyor accreditation renewal fee of $254. Accreditation is for a period of 5 years.

The fees (GST exclusive) will apply from 1 September 2016 with an annual indexation factor linked to the consumer price index (CPI)

More information can be found at http://www.amsa.gov.au/domestic/fee-for-service/

Don’t miss out on the 2016 Shipping forum.

The forum is open for registration and AIMS encourages grain surveyors and those surveyors who have an interest in the “Inspection at Anchorage” and Authorised Officer trial programs to attend.

CBH Group will present details on their rule changes for the current season, Viterra discusses the implementation of their new LTA’s and Oldendorff will provide a market briefing for the dry bulk sector

Leading Australian Exporters and Charterers deliver their views on the changes to terminal rules, improvements in supply chain efficiencies and counter party risk.

AIMS will also provide information on the Accredited Grain Surveyor program.

Date: 25 May 2016

Time: 0930hrs to 1600hrs

Location: Melbourne - Crown Towers

Cost: $120 per person - includes cocktail lunch. Limited accommodation packages are available.

Registration: Please fill out and return the registration form by 10 May 2016. Attendees will need to arrange their own transport to the venue.

2016 SHIPPING FORUM FLYER REGISTRATION.pdf

The Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport References Committee for inquiry and report into the use of Flags of Convenience was initially due on the sitting day of Parliament in 2016. The report deadline has now been extended to June 22 2016.

The Committee is charged with reviewing the increasing use of so-called Flag of Convenience shipping in Australia, with particular reference to:

• a)       the effect on Australia‘s national security, fuel security, minimum employment law standards and our marine environment;
• b)      the general standard of Flag of Convenience vessels trading to, from and around Australian ports, and methods of inspection of these vessels to ensure that they are seaworthy and meet required standards;
• c)       the employment and possible exposure to exploitation and corruption of international seafarers on Flag of Convenience ships;
• d)      discrepancies between legal remedies available to international seafarers in state and territory jurisdictions, opportunities for harmonisation, and the quality of shore-based welfare for seafarers working in Australian waters;
• e)      progress made in this area since the 1992 House of Representatives Standing Committee on Transport, Communications and Infrastructure report Ships of shame: inquiry into ship safety; and
• f)        any related matters

The Committee has received 25 submissions from interested parties including Australian and New Zealand Maritime and Trade Unions, Government agencies, Private individuals and Industry Associations.

Issues such as the use of foreign workers, tax avoidance and foreign ships being able to retain their foreign registry even if they continuously operate entirely within Australia’s claimed EEZ have been reported. There are also favourable reports suggesting that the current use of Flags of Convenience is an asset to Australia. AMSA has also been cited as being competent and diligent in its Flag inspections and ensuring that ships are both seaworthy and meet all required standards and IMO Conventions.

Reading through the submissions it appears that opinion is divided pretty much equally into those who favour the scheme and those who are vehemently against it.

The report into the use of Flags of Convenience was initially due on the first sitting day of Parliament in 2016. The report deadline has now been extended to June 22 2016.

Although submissions have now closed you can download copies of each submission from the following link. http://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Rural_and_Regional_Affairs_and_Transport/Shipping/Submissions