Maritime Chief Surveyor Rob Cumbes and Senior Surveyor Dylan Cocklan attended the annual 'Red Ensign Group Conference' at Portland, UK from 24th to 26th May.

Delegates representing the United Kingdom’s maritime authorities and shipping administrations of the Crown Dependencies and UK Overseas Territories engaged in a wide range of topics, which included:

• Compliance with the IMO Instruments Implementation Code 

• Maritime Security 

• Yacht technical Code Development 

• Delegation Policy 

• Marine Surveyor Standards 

• Maritime Casualty Investigations 


The conference was chaired by Sir Alan Massey KCB CBE, Chief Executive of the UK Marine & Coastguard Agency. Sir Alan is a former senior officer in the Royal Navy who served as the Second Sea Lord. 
Maritime security is high on the agenda for all involved in international shipping. Senior representatives from the UK Department of Transport Marine Security Section were in attendance to provide updates on shipping security and hot spots around the world and existing and proposed measures to aid shipping in the addressing security threats. 


A conference reception was held on board the historic HMS Warrior in Portland Harbour, hosted by the MCA and attended by Mr Robert Goodwill MP, Minister of State for Transport, and the Labour Shadow Minister for Shipping. 


Maritime Chief Surveyor, Rob Cumbes, said: ‘Surveyor training to be able to comply with the III Code – which will soon become mandatory internationally - was of particular interest to Gibraltar. Because of our unique position and the number of ships that visit Gibraltar, the GMA has been requested to aid in the training of Port State Control officers from the Isle of Man. We expect Isle of Man surveyors to come to Gibraltar for periods of one or two weeks during the summer months to gain experience and be mentored by GMA surveyors. As another example, Cayman Islands, who specialise in yachts and super yachts, have provided training opportunities for other REG members’ surveyors to gain yacht surveying experience.’

Minister for Shipping, Albert Isola, said: ‘Conferences such as this are a fantastic opportunity for Gibraltar to have a voice in exchanging views, discussing technical issues and formulating joint policy, involving the directors of REG maritime administrations and their senior technical personnel. This is a growth industry for Gibraltar and professional development opportunities for our staff are crucial to ensuring that we are best placed to capitalise on it.’

Pics: Top left: REG delegates on the stern of HMS Warrior Below: Chief Surveyor Rob Cumbes and Senior Surveyor Dylan Cocklan meet Robert Goodwill MP, Minister of State at the UK Department for Transport. Table: Top 10 Merchant Fleets of the World, by Registration

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