The following is the text of a press release issued by InterManager:
(LONDON) — A new international accreditation scheme for maritime pilots has been welcomed by InterManager, the international trade association for third-party and in-house ship managers.
The International Standard for Maritime Pilot Organisations (ISPO) has been developed by Pilot organisations in major ports in conjunction with Lloyd’s Register. Ports throughout the world are working to adopt the ISPO Code, which accredited its first pilotage district (Rotterdam) in 2005. This month sees the accreditation of the first UK pilotage district, The Association of Forth Pilots.
ISPO introduces an internationally-agreed standard which is transparent to all customers – including ship managers, ships’ Masters, ship owners, oil majors and port operators. The scheme is specific and relevant to pilotage.
Captain Kuba Szymanski, Secretary General of InterManager, said: “We welcome this very important initiative by pilots for pilots. We believe it is essential to have international standards to ensure that worldwide excellence is promoted for pilot organisations, in the same way that InterManager promotes excellence among its members. This initiative will be well-received by the industry and especially ships’ Masters and their managers who have long recognised the need for pilotage standards.”
Captain Szymanski spoke at the recent ISPO User Group Conference in Edinburgh, during which Captain Jon Hague, chairman of the Association of Forth Pilots, was officially presented with Lloyd’s Accreditation.
