Becoming a Marine Surveyor - Part II

Posted on 18 December 2017 by Mike Wall

Last week, our guest author, Mike Wall, wrote about the role of a marine surveyor and the opportunities on offer to seafarers who choose it as a career path in this post. This week he tells us about the study pathways on offer for those who wish to go from seafarer to surveyor.

A severe lack of training in developed countries for the 25 or so years from 1975 to 2000 resulted in a shortage of masters and chief engineers coming through to become marine surveyors or superintendents. For this reason, several organisations produced distance learning courses leading to relevant qualifications, ie:

• International Institute of Marine Surveying (IIMS).
• Lloyds Maritime Academy (LMA).
• Maritime Training Academy (MTA).
• The Australasian Institute of Marine Surveyors (AIMS).

Most of the courses involve one year of study, there being 11 modules to learn and an assignment to pass. These have been written by experienced marine surveyors in their particular field of expertise. However, there is no practical training involved.

Whilst many graduates have proved to be worthy of their qualification there is still a need for masters and chief engineers to fill a large gap in Classification and H&M surveying. Many clients are looking for a combination of technical experience and expertise, evidence gathering and report writing skills.

Those serving at sea have a big advantage over those ashore in that they can be gaining practical experience whilst doing a distance learning course to obtain necessary additional qualifications. A suggested career plan is given below.

The reader will notice that academic degrees have been introduced into the plan. For those wishing to progress from marine surveyor to marine consultant, whilst desirable but not necessarily compulsory, having a relevant degree adds more credibility.

Having a Class 1 CoC, a diploma in marine surveying and a degree, you will be a valuable asset to any marine surveying and consultancy firm. Many such qualified ex-seafarers go on to become experts and consultants, running their own company.

Mike Wall - mikewallassociates@gmail.com

If you'd like more information or advice on becoming a marine surveyor or the career options available to seafarers moving ashore get in touch with us. Mike's books are available online in our shop along with a whole range of titles for seafarers at every stage in their development.