It was great to see so many of you at Seawork and to catch up – both around the event and at the NWA Seawork dinner. Please find below a quick round-up of highlights from the event.
- Seawork Opened by the Shipping Minister
Following our early discussions with the Seawork organisers, Mercator Media, it was good to see Nusrat Ghani MP, the Shipping Minister, opening Seawork this year. This was a great opportunity to give the Minister a better idea of the size and contribution of the Workboat sector to the UK economy.
- Apprenticeships
The NWA took a leading role in the showcase of Marine Apprenticeships on Tuesday afternoon, consisting of a series of short presentations on both the Workboat Apprenticeships in England & Scotland and on the other related sector apprenticeships.
We were pleased to present the Trailblazer Workboat Apprenticeship, and to share the news that funding of £20,000 per apprentice has now been recommended. More information can be found in the leading piece of this newsletter.
Rebecca Jeffrey of the Maritime Journal was in attendance at the session, and you can read her write-up here.
- European Commercial Marine Awards (ECMA) Judging
It was a great pleasure to see Founder and Lifetime President of the NWA, Norman Finlay MBE, join the judging panel for the European Commercial Marine Awards, which are a highlight of Seawork – with the presentation attracting over 400 guests.
Having won the Lifetime Achievement Award at Seawork himself in 2013, Norman was well-placed to take part in the judging, and we were additionally pleased to see NWA member Topbond win the Marine Engineering & Construction award for their project work on the expansion of London City Airport.
While at Seawork, Norman also spoke to Damen Magazine about the origins of the NWA and the future of the workboat sector – you can read the interview here.
- NWA Seawork Dinner
Wednesday evening saw almost 90 members and guests sitting down to the Seawork Dinner at the Chilworth Manor, with people travelling from the Scottish Highlands and Islands, and Japan, as well as a good contingent from the Netherlands. From workboat operators and our regulator, the MCA, as well as our Insurers and Training Providers, there were some excellent conversations on various tables. We were very grateful once more for the continued sponsorship of the evening’s wine by the Shipowner’s P&I club
- NWA Committee Meeting
The NWA Committee met on the Thursday morning to finalise potential changes to the NWA constitution, which will go to the AGM in January 2019, and to cover a range of other current items. We are grateful to our committee members for making the time to ensure your Association keeps flourishing and moving with the times.
- Towage Guide Launch
Seawork also provided a great opportunity for us to launch the newly updated Towage Guide, revised and edited to reflect changes to the Towage sector – and with a significant addition: the Stability Annex, developed by Captain Gareth Bonner of SMS Towage Ltd.
Hard copies of the Towage Guide, including the Stability Annex, will soon be available to members for a small fee, while the digital version of the Guide will be available for download at no cost via the Members Area of the website. Further details on how to obtain your copy will follow as soon as the guides are in print.
In the meantime, you can read more about the Guide in Tug, Technology and Business magazine.
2018-07-13 09:00:00.0