Where we’ve been and Who we’ve seen
Every week representatives of British Marine meet with industry partners, industry stakeholders, regulatory bodies, government officials, members of Parliament etc. But why do we have these meetings? In fact they represent a very important part of the membership service that British Marine delivers to its 1600 member companies. In this new regular feature, British Marine provides a short update on where its team has been and who they have met with, but more importantly why those meetings took place, what the benefit to the membership was and which sectors of the membership those meetings were most relevant to.
Port of London Authority (PLA)
Ed Tuite and Brian Clark met with PLA officials to discuss industry objections to a byelaw change regarding sewage discharge from passenger boats. The meeting was a success and the PLA will support our efforts to lobby the Maritime & Coastguard Agency on certain technical matters which will greatly clarify how passenger boat operators comply with the PLA byelaws. Passenger Boat Association, British Marine Thames Valley
Environment Agency (EA)
Brian Clark attended a meeting with officials to discuss improvements to communication and signage on the River Thames. The EA will improve the signage at locks for unassisted passage. This is important for the hire fleet whose customers may not have the confidence to operate a lock independently. British Marine Inland Boating, British Marine Thames Valley
Sponsors’ Alliance
Andrew Harries attended the AGM of this representative body which brings together a wide range of industries and lobbies the UK Government for more and improved resources to support UK companies attending and exhibiting at overseas shows. The main outcome was the arrangement of a briefing meeting with a group of influential MPs, who are prepared to support the Alliance in holding DIT to account and lobbying for more resources. International Development
boot Dusseldorf
Ross Wombwell (representing BSI and British Marine) joined international representatives in a number of International Standards Working Groups. The review of ISO 12216 (the international standard for windows, portlights, deadlights and doors) led to the assessment of the current pressure test for appliances in Areas I and II, the acceptance of alternative strength tests for appliances and a review of the size limitations imposed on Area I appliances. The latest updates on standards are available from the technical pages on the British Marine website. British Marine Boatbuilders, Superyacht UK, Passenger Boat Association, Commercial Marine, British Marine Trades Association
Richard Selby held some very productive meetings with officials from the British Embassy in Berlin. Keep your eyes on future editions of British Marine Latest News for the exciting outcomes of this meeting. International Development
