Maritime Professional Council launches on Merchant Navy Day, 3rd September
Maritime Professional Council sets course to influence lawmakers
Shipping is going through huge technological changes and the industry’s professional bodies say their expertise needs to be utilised more fully when policy decisions are made in this vital sector.
For generations, Professional organisations have provided a key source of expertise helping to maintain the right standards across industrial sectors. In the maritime sector this is often not the case meaning regulators and employers are missing out on years of experience leading professionals can bring to the table.
To make this easier a number of national and global professional associations based in the UK have formed the Maritime Professional Council (MPC) of the UK to make sure policy makers are aware of the considered professional opinions of those with the qualifications, expertise and experience to provide informed advice on the many policy decisions that need to be made.
The MPC will bring together the collective voices of the United Kingdom-based professional organisations for the British Merchant Navy and associated Maritime Industry. It will promote professionalism within the industry and offer expert opinion on maritime matters to the maritime community, industry, government and the media.
The founding organisations of the MPC are the Honourable Company of Master Mariners, The Nautical Institute, International Institute of Marine Surveying, Institute of Seamanship, and United Kingdom Marine Pilots Association. They say they realise that the government- and government-aligned bodies charged with policy and direction of the Merchant Navy and associated sectors of the shipping industry need the best practical pool of experience to draw upon. The MPC’s experts will be able to contribute to policy discussions from an international perspective as well as sharing their in-depth understanding of the UK’s maritime industries.
While the individual maritime professional bodies are respected within the shipping industry, their knowledge and experience are rarely sought when decisions are made on key policy and legislative changes. The MPC believes that having a strong collective voice will be a game changer.
One area of great concern to the professional bodies is maintaining the quality of seafarer training and the MPC will provide guidance to regulators and employers on the professional training standards for our maritime professionals
More generally the MPC will be able to provide independent expert advice and guidance based on its combined professional knowledge and experience unhindered by any financial or commercial interests.
The MPC is intended to provide a common space for collaboration, and exchange of ideas between the major technical organisations closely allied with the Merchant Navy and associated sectors of the shipping industry. It is intended that the MPC will become a key source of knowledge and opinion reflective of the skills, experience, and professional status of the membership of the individual member organisations.
The formal launch of the MPC takes place on HQS Wellington at 1230 hours on Merchant Navy Day, 3rd September 2021. For more information and a press pass for the launch please contact David Hughes (tel. 07481 909310, email anderimar.news@googlemail.com).
