Survey and Inspection keeping you safe on the water
From small fishing boats to cruise ships carrying thousands of passengers, the Survey and Inspection branch of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency is essential in ensuring the safety of those working and travelling at sea.
With Maritime
Safety Week well underway, Survey and Inspection (S&I) Technical Manager
Chris D’Alcorn, pictured above, says the role of S&I is “extremely important in ensuring the
health, safety and welfare of everyone at sea”.
It is up to the
S&I team to check that the safety and working conditions of vessels in the
UK are to the required standard. Their work covers all commercially operating
vessels including UK vessels operating worldwide and foreign vessels in UK
waters.
With nine
Marine Offices across the UK, all types of commercial vessels are inspected by the
MCA. In the South this even includes the Jungle Cruise at Longleat and HoverTravel,
the high-speed passenger hovercraft operating in the Solent.
Chris has
worked in S&I for more than thirteen years and currently manages a team of 15
surveyors. Based in the Southampton Marine Office, Chris says that every year
this office alone deals with more than 150 port state control inspections, 350 surveys and completes
around 600 seafarer exams.
He said: “Surveyors ensure that vessels
are complying with the minimum safety standards, which applies to all persons onboard
including crew and passengers.
“Working within Survey and Inspection is
very interesting, every day is different and we deal with a large variety of
vessels and seafarers.
“What’s great is we believe in a level
playing field - everyone is treated the same. We meet people from all walks of
life but being regulators it’s up to us to ensure all vessels, whether at a national
or international level, are maintained to the minimum standard. There is no
favourable treatment.”
As well as inspecting
the vessels surveyors ensure satisfactory crew conditions are met, including
quality of water, food, and rights to annual leave and pay.
“It’s all about
promoting safe working practices and taking action when that isn’t the case,”
Chris added.
“As surveyors
we do our best to make sure every vessel is operating to the same standard,
whether that be high speed craft, hovercraft, fishing boats, cruise vessels, or
cargo ships. It’s a complex but rewarding job and we know we’re helping.”
Southampton
Marine Office currently has vacancies for marine surveyors, if you are interested
please visit the Maritime and Coastguard Agency website.
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