Council minutes 3rd October 2013 ‐ At the Society’s Headquarters

1. Confirmation of Minutes to Last Meeting – 20th June 2013
The minutes to the last meeting were agreed as being a true record, on the proposal of Chris Jones, seconded by Bob Barnes.  

2. Matters Arising
All outstanding matters covered below. 

3. MCA
MCA Codes
Norman Finlay reported in writing that the development of a revised Workboat Code continued with a final meeting scheduled for 24th October following which it will be sent out for a 3 month consultation. 

Number of vessels
The Secretary reported that we currently certify 1001 vessels, the recession is only now having a slight effect on numbers, but the number represents a good performance. It was pointed out that it is not possible to identify the small craft examiners from the website. The Secretary remarked that at present we only use a printed list which is distributed to all who request it, usually by email. It was agreed there is room for improvement with listings on the website. 

MCA Audit Report
The Secretary reported that, although the Audit was carried out on 21st August, the MCA report has not yet been received. 

Boatmasters Consultation. 
The Secretary handed out a communication from MCA concerning a future consultation exercise concerning the Boatmasters qualification. It was agreed we should ask to be included in this exercise. Any future communications should be circulated to the CA Technical Committee. 

4. Technical
A list of relevant changes and updates of British and ISO Standards is annexed. 

5. Membership & Professional Standards
The Secretary agreed to record in the minutes the names of those admitted to membership since the previous Council meeting and to make the list of new members available at future meetings. 

Further to the above it was also agreed that we should add to the website the ability to list individuals expertise, for example with a section for each member so they can tick a checkbox for their expertise related to the work they undertake. The individual Examiner listings must be authenticated before they go live. New members since last Council meeting: 

Ian M Anderson MCMS (Felixstowe) 
W M Caselton MCMS + Examiner (Bournemouth) 
Fiona Dando MCMS + Examiner (North Shields) 
John Kernaghan MCMS (Maidenhead) 
Allan T Larsen MCMS (Grimsby) 
Matthias Hendrick Post MCMS (Netherlands) 
Errol G. Yon MCMS (Gibraltar) 
Dale Bradley AMCMS (Pending)  

6. Budget Manager
The Secretary presented his proposed budget together with the figures for the end of June, these had been sent to the Budget Manager. After discussion it was agreed to add £2,500 to the Annual Dinner outgoings to cover any costs for a Society ‘Event to Support Clients’ (Buffett Lunch), this would be balanced by increasing the income for MCA work by an equivalent amount to £135,500 – this adjustment is subject to approval by the Budget Manager who was unable to attend today. 

The Secretary reported that the Corporation Tax due for last year was £22. This was a good result following the recent amendment to our Statutes and Byelaws. 

7. Recruitment & Marketing
There was a discussion on the possibilities for boosting recruitment. One proposal was that we should aim to recruit seafarers who are soon coming ashore. Clive agreed to produce a short paper for Council on the way forward. 

8. Publications
Norman Finlay had been unable to progress the production of a newsletter so far. 

9. Presidential Activities
The President reported that he had been invited and had attended the IMO World Maritime Day event in London and had useful conversations with delegates from Philippines and Croatia. 

He planned to visit Genoa for the FEMAS Conference, and at the same time to visit Gibraltar to meet with the Gibraltar Maritime Authority and as many of our members in that area as possible. 

10. Society Event to Support Staff and Members (Buffet Lunch)
This was a replacement for the Annual Dinner which it had been agreed at the previous Council Meeting not to hold this year.  

11. Annual Weekend Event for Staff and Members
It was agreed that the social event for staff and members was a good idea, it had not been held for some years, and should be restarted next year. A couple of venues were suggested – Tortworth Hall near Bath (previously used and liked) and Berry Head Hotel in Torquay. 
Bob agreed to draft a programme of events for next year. 

12. Benevolent Fund
The Secretary drew attention to an invitation to pay ongoing maintenance fees for Mr. Cherry’s stair lift by the installation company, for either one year or three years. It was agreed that we should pay the three years maintenance option for Mr. Cherry. 

13. Any Other Business
FEMAS Conference
The Secretary updated the meeting of progress being made. Details may be found linked to the front page of our website. The theme for the event is “Maritime Emergencies and their Aftermath” which included the program for the event. Prominent industry speakers from UK are included, Steve Clench (MAIB) and Hugh Shaw (SOSREP), amongst others. 

SeaWork(2104) Exhibition
Following some discussion it was decided that we should have a stand separate from the Workboat Association next year to maintain the Society’s identity. It was suggested that we should ask for volunteers to man the stand, perhaps half a day each. 

PI Insurance
Further to agreement to proceed being given at the last Council meeting the Secretary brought members up to date with the current situation. The agreement had been signed with Dublon (Broker) and Travelers (Underwriters) for a PI scheme for members, information would be placed on our website to replace the ITIC information. The offer included to meet, or be less than, members’ current PI premiums. The Society would also be changing to this new PI provider with improved cover for a lower premium. 

President’s Medal
The Secretary updated Council that a new batch of 6 medals had been procured for a total cost of £699.55. 

William Ceselton MCMS
The Secretary informed that this member had offered his legal services to other members at special rates. Council suggested that his offer be added to the members listing on the website. 
London International Shipping Week (LISW) 

It was felt that we had missed an opportunity with LISW, the Secretary agreed to inform members as soon as the dates for the next LISW were known. 

14. Date of Next Meeting
The Secretary informed that he would schedule the next Council meeting when the Accountants had reported on our 2013 accounts next spring, this is likely to be at the beginning of March. 

There being no further business the Chairman closed the meeting at 16:00. 

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