Training and collaboration are critical to ensuring uniform high-quality inspection service worldwide. With global travel restrictions largely lifted, International Registries, Inc. and its affiliates (IRI) hosted its second Nautical Inspector (NI) regional training seminar in Piraeus in early November. Ninety percent of the region’s active Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) NIs were able to participate in-person, allowing the seminar to be a platform for widespread information sharing and discussion.
Theo Xenakoudis, IRI’s Chief Commercial Officer and Managing Director of the Piraeus office, opened the seminar with an update on the RMI fleet, discussing growth, the importance of the flag’s inspection program, and offered strategic views of the future.
The seminar continued with an interactive discussion between IRI’s Fleet Operations Manager Captain Theodore Lalas and Captain John K. Sideris on ship inspection procedures, with briefings on port State control (PSC) matters and detentions, incident investigations, human element factor analysis, and the issuance of service extensions. Challenging the NIs, Captain Lalas gave the attendees a difficult quiz on PSC codes around the world under different Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) for deficiencies found on an oil tanker. This created an opportunity for expanding the knowledge of different MoUs, codes, and regulations in other regions.
The second day of the seminar began with a presentation and discussion on the most common issues leading to deficiencies, drawing on the significant experience of the participants and the data collected worldwide by the flag State. Participants discussed trends outlined in the data, and exchanged opinions and views.
The seminar was also an excellent opportunity to honor NI, Captain Enzo Ballalba for his 20 plus years of service to the RMI Maritime Administrator with a special award. Captain Ballalba joined RMI as an NI in June 2002, operating out of Italy. Mentored by Captain Kostas Xenakoudis, Captain Bellalba earned an accreditation as a Special Agent in May 2007. The Administrator commends him for his outstanding years of service and commitment to the RMI Registry.
