Nautical Institute President Dr Philip Anderson visits Hong Kong

On 21 October, Institute President Dr Philip Anderson and Commodore David Squire spent a busy day in Hong Kong while en route to the “LSM Manning & Training in China” Conference being held in Shanghai. Arriving late the previous evening, they had appointments that morning with two of the larger ship management companies, and these were followed by lunch with the executive committee of the Hong Kong Shipowners Association.

The HKSOA had assisted us by organising a joint presentation meeting for that afternoon, immediately prior to which Dr Anderson would award Director of Marine Tsui Shung-yiu with his certificate of Honorary Fellowship. At the well attended meeting, Commodore David Squire gave an illustrated talk on “The Importance of the Human Element in Shipping”. Questions from the floor confirmed that several Hong Kong companies had already re-employed former chief stewards and radio officers to assist their shipmasters in coping with the ever increasing frequency of on-board inspections and surveys, and growing paperwork.

In the evening, accompanied by some members of the local N.I. branch committee and invited guests, managers of various local shipowners/operators and members of the Pilots Association, they were taken by launch from Aberdeen harbour to Lamma Island, where a seafood dinner had been arranged. In this informal setting, the opportunity was taken to exchange views and to brief the President on Chinese maritime professional bodies and possible ways of forging closer links with them. It was also a very pleasant evening and a chance for branch members to meet the new President at an early stage of his tenure.

Rhod McNeill

Branch Secretary