Tue 09 Feb 2016 by Philip Woodcock
Accreditation gives clients confidence that a vessel audit has been completed by a knowledgeable, fully
trained professional
The widely accepted Common Marine Inspection Document (CMID) vessel inspection scheme put forth by the
International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) has recently been reinforced by having the International Institute of
Marine Surveying (IIMS) accredit auditors for the various vessel types covered by the scheme. Accreditation gives clients
the confidence that a contracted audit has been completed by a professional who is knowledgeable in the subject matter,
trained in the use of the audit document and confirmed by a panel of peers to be competent to perform the task at hand.
A shipmanager or contractor commissioning an audit on a vessel by requesting only an accredited auditor has the
confidence that their money is being spent on the highest quality product possible. Furthermore, when a client is looking
to charter a vessel, if the existing CMID is less than 12 months old and performed by an accredited auditor, there is no
reason to undergo the expense and hassle of having the audit renewed for each new project. This should prevent the
redundant audits that are very common in the windfarm industry with IMCA M 189 Marine Inspection for Small
Workboats (MISW).
Following industry pressure for IMCA to improve the professionalism of the CMID audit scheme, it was decided to work
in co-operation with a recognised body with experience in accrediting surveyors, namely the IIMS. The IIMS
accreditation process places a significant barrier to entry for auditors, and this will eventually increase the
professionalism of the auditor pool greatly. The process requires an applicant to complete a long and detailed
questionnaire covering prior work history, academic achievements and auditing credentials. The application form and a
detailed FAQ page can be found at a dedicated website.
It requires the candidate to discuss how they would approach various elements of the audit such as planning, reporting
and discussion of identified deficiencies with the crew and the client. The process places a lot of focus on the
communication skills of the candidate in the preparation, execution and reporting phases, which is very important. Too
often, auditors leave a vessel without discussing findings with the Master with the inherent risk of reporting deficiencies
that are based on incorrect assumptions that should be identified in a closing meeting.
To adequately demonstrate competence, a candidate is requested to submit at least two completed inspection reports (M
149 and/or M 189) for each vessel type that accreditation is requested for. These will be reviewed for quality and
understanding of the subject matter. If an applicant does not have a battery of completed CMID reports to draw on, they
are able to demonstrate competence in the subject areas of general vessels, liquefied natural gas-fuelled vessels, jack-up
vessels, heavy-lift vessels and dynamic positioning vessels, pipelay and cablelay vessels or small workboats through
other documented means.
For example, in my own case, where I review a lot of audits completed on my own managed fleet and perform purchase
inspections on behalf of owners but do not perform CMID audits, I was able to demonstrate suitable knowledge and
training to be accredited for general vessels and small workboats. This allows competent new entries to the CMID sphere
to be accredited and removes any ‘chicken and egg’ conflicts.
To raise both the standard of completed audit reports and acceptance within industry of the CMID audit scheme, IMCA
has joined with IIMS to allow auditors to be accredited. Individuals are still allowed to complete CMID audits without
being accredited, which enables a smooth changeover to the new scheme but does ensure that clients who demand a
higher standard are able to request a report completed by a properly accredited auditor.
* Philip Woodcock, operations director, Workships Contractors, as managers for Acta Marine Wind Services
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