News

After months of wrangling with officialdom we have finally had the Workboat Crewmember apprenticeship standard for England approved and published on the Institute for Apprenticeships website. The NWA Training/Trailblazer group are now working hard to get the 'End Point Assessment' detail and, crucially, the government funding agreed in the New Year, before this pathway can […]

Having got the Scottish version of the Workboat Apprenticeship approved some time ago, we are delighted to announce that Stream Marine Training Ltd (SMT) are well advanced in their preparations to offer the Modern Workboat Apprenticeship for Scottish-based operators, starting in Q2 2018.   Operators are reminded that there is significant funding on offer from […]

We talk to Gareth Escreet, Director at SMS Towage, about the growth and development of this family-run business in the harbour towage space, the launch of its latest vessel, and how the firm’s specialism continues to create opportunities for expansion throughout the UK.   Could you tell us a bit about SMS Towage and your […]

NWA members have been invited by Shipowners P&I Club to participate in a short online survey to inform a study on the effects of bridge equipment alarms on watch keepers.   The details of the survey are as follows:   “We are conducting a survey, in conjunction with Royal Holloway, University of London, to research […]

The MCA has announced a series of dates in 2018 for its Renewables Offshore Search and Rescue (SAR) Management courses.   Courses will be taking place on the following dates at a range of locations across the UK, as below:   OSARM R3   Feb 6/7         Humber Coastguard Operations Centre (Bridlington) OSARM R4   Apr 17/18      Holyhead […]

We are pleased to announce that, at long last, we have secured acceptance for our workboat crewmember apprenticeship in the new ‘Trailblazer’ format. This format attracts a higher level of government funding and will enable you to receive additional funding to train new crews for our industry in the future. Our hard-working Training and Trailblazer […]

Yvonne Orr, Nick Allen and Mark Ranson met MCA representatives last month to express disquiet at how things were to be taken forward with regard to the acceptance of the <200GT Masters Certificate of Competence (CoC) in German waters. The MCA have written to BG Verkehr requesting another meeting ASAP and the German have responded […]

We can confirm the Annual Dinner and AGM will once again be held at the Lakeside Hotel, Windermere on Thursday 18th and Friday 19th January, following a similar format to last year.  We have again booked the entire hotel’s rooms for the night of Thursday 18th January as our membership numbers continue to grow.  Rooms […]

In our latest ‘member profile’, we speak to Malcolm Duncan of Briggs Marine, a longstanding member of the association, with 28 workboats registered. Malcolm gives us an overview of the firm’s current commercial priorities as an integrated marine service provider – and an insight into the challenge of helping clients reduce project costs while facing […]

After two weeks of waiting for the BG Verkehr to respond to Roger Towner’s last proposal, we have now had two unwelcome developments: We understand the BG Verkehr are requesting more detail – which sounds suspiciously like a delaying tactic We have learned that Roger Towner has recently been suspended from his role at the […]

The National Workboat Association (NWA) would like to thank everyone who attended our first Offshore Wind-specific Safety Forum on 6th September, at the Orbis Centre, Lowestoft.   The forum provided a round table discussion for crew transfer vessel operators and managers, and wind farm operators, to address common issues challenges in the safe operation of […]

In the first of a series of regular ‘member profiles’, we talk to Kerrie Forster of Acta Marine, Chairman of the NWA Safety Forum and a Member of the Committee. Kerrie gives us an insight into recent news at Acta, his view on the state of the market, and a perspective on discussions at the […]