Seaways Focus - February 2025

Working behind the scenes for higher safety standards

As we resume our activities across The Nautical Institute after the end of year break, I wanted to turn the spotlight on some of our activities that do not hit the headlines quite so often, and which may be invisible to many of our members and stakeholders.

Oil spill response

In the area of oil spill response, The Nautical Institute makes a key contribution to helping organisations ensure their training meets national or international standards. In the UK we have a contract with the government to audit and inspect all providers of oil spill response training, who must themselves be trained and assessed in accordance with the UK’s national regulations.

At an international level, a number of providers establish their courses for oil spill response training on the requirements of the IMO’s Model Courses. The Nautical Institute offers a service to inspect and audit this training provision as an independent observer of the standard of training. With over thirty providers accredited under these arrangements, we are the world’s leading provider of accreditation in this area. As well as approving the centres, we maintain a global database of personnel trained at these centres so we can confirm at a moment’s notice whether or not a responder has received the relevant training.

I would be happy to receive any enquiries from individuals or organisations wishing to learn more about how we contribute to the maritime community maintaining the highest standards through this work. Contact me on [email protected]

Collaboration with The Seafarers’ Charity

Last year we established a Memorandum of Understanding with The Seafarers’ Charity that provides a framework for collaboration between our organisations. One area where this has proved an outstanding success has been an agreement for The Seafarers Charity to support The Nautical Institute Academy team in delivering courses on leadership and management to learners from around the world. The arrangements provide for bursaries to students from developing nations to undertake professional development in a way that would otherwise be beyond their reach financially. Already we have provided this opportunity to over two dozen learners who have provided outstanding feedback on their learning experience.

We want every mariner to have the opportunity to be one of the leaders of tomorrow and this initiative helps open the door to those opportunities. My thanks to The Seafarers’ Charity for their commitment in this regard and their international perspective in identifying areas of need. Real leadership in action!

What comes next?

Something to watch out for in the coming weeks is the launch of our President’s Questionnaire. We undertake this member consultation every five years with a view to updating our knowledge of what members see as the key priorities for The Nautical Institute. The feedback helps us establish our main areas of focus for the next five years as the Board and the HQ team draft the next version of the Strategic Plan. Your responses are really important to us. Based on your answers, we will know where to place the efforts of our staff, how to encourage the branches to sustain their technical, social and welfare initiatives and how we can keep you informed of progress against your priorities.

The Nautical Institute is your organisation – help shape its future and help us all sustain the growth and influence we have seen in recent years.

"We want every mariner to have the opportunity to be one of the leaders of tomorrow"

As we shape the future, I hope those of you in the region and beyond, will come and join our Annual General Meeting, which is scheduled for 7 May in Dubai. It will form the opening event of our period there leading to our Technical Conference as part of the United Arab Emirates Maritime Week in the showcase location of the World Trade Centre. What a fabulous chance to catch up in one of the world’s iconic locations.

We will be supporting the UAE Branch of The Nautical Institute in their hosting of the Maritime Ball, bringing together leaders from the community and maritime professionals of all disciplines, and raising money for good causes in the region. One of the highlights of the Dubai Maritime social calendar. We hope to see you there!