With this newsletter we would like to inform you about the latest developments in the field of the International Standard for Pilot Organizations. Looking back on the past twelve months, we can speak of a very successful year.
ISPO accredited organizations
In 2023, three pilot organizations were ISPO accredited, P&O Maputo Mozambique, P&O Maritime Cyprus and Tasmanian Ports Corporation Pty. Ltd. We welcome them to the ISPO family and it is great to see that more and more pilot organizations see the benefits of ISPO certification.
More pilot organizations like Dublin Port Company, Plymouth Pilotage Service, Casablanca Pilots, Polish Maritime Pilots Association, Slovenian Maritime Pilots Association, Malta Maritime Pilots, Tanger Med Pilot Association, Dan Pilot Greenland, Epinal Luanda Pilots and Lisbon Port are interested in ISPO accreditation. Some of these organizations together with Papuan Sea Pilots are almost ready for their initial audit.
The IUG is pleased that so many pilot organizations are interested in implementing the preferred quality and safety management system ISPO.
If more and more pilot organizations join ISPO, the value of the standard will continue to increase. With the three new organizations included, the total number of pilot organizations that comply with the ISPO code has risen to 35, representing approximately 1380 pilots worldwide.
ISPO Conference
The ISPO conference took place at the beautiful Jakarta Hotel in Amsterdam. This year’s theme was ‘Emergency Preparedness’ and more than 100 participants attended. The focus was on the consequences of a serious incident for pilot organizations. Interesting speakers gave their views on the different perspectives of such an incident in relation to ISPO. The presentations, networking, learning from the experience of others makes one realize the values of being part of the ISPO community.
We thank our host, Nederlands Loodswezen, region Amsterdam-IJmond for their hospitality and organizing this wonderful event.
The Auriga Group has kindly agreed to organize the 2024 conference in Melbourne, Australia. The conference will be held on 9 and 10 October. More information regarding the conference will be released soon.
The ISPO conference is not only for the ISPO certified pilot organizations, we warmly welcome any interested organizations. We hope that those attending in Amsterdam will continue the journey to become accredited.
International Users Group (IUG)
In Amsterdam, we said goodbye to two board members during the Associates meeting. Capt. Tjitte de Groot and Capt. Lafi. Tjitte was the IUG treasurer and Lafi was the driving force behind the ISPO Code & Control Manual being translated into Arabic. The IUG is indebted to them for their efforts in recent years to further develop ISPO.
Capt. Hans van Driel, Rotterdam Pilots, has taken over as treasurer and Capt. Ahmed Sati, P&O Maritime FZE, has joined as a new board member. In the coming years, both gentlemen will continue to further develop the IUG into a professional organization and to further develop ISPO.
To make it clear that the IUG is responsible for ISPO, the IUG board has decided to use its own logo that will be used in all documents and correspondence.
The IUG thanks all, board members, associates, working group members and financial auditors, who voluntarily contributed to the continuation of ISPO and IUG. These volunteers ensure the constant development of ISPO and IUG, so that it remains relevant for pilot organizations worldwide.
ISPO Code and ISPO Control Manual
This year the ISPO Code and ISPO Control have been amended. For example, the foreword to the ISPO Code makes it clear that ISPO is a framework that can be easily combined with other standards.
Multi-site certification has become possible under certain conditions for pilot organizations that serve multiple sites under the same management and one head office (see ISPO Control Manual).
ISPO website
In the past year the website was further developed. Board members and associates have access to the minutes of meetings from the past eight years. An account must be created and access will be granted by the IUG administrator.
In conclusion
The International User Group is pleased that more and more pilot organizations around the world are seeing the benefits of becoming ISPO certified.
We hope to welcome you all to the ISPO Conference in Melbourne in October 2024 to exchange experiences and inform you about the developments of ISPO, not only for those who are ISPO certified, but for interested organizations as well. See you there.
If you have any questions about the ISPO in general, do not hesitate to contact the administrator, iug@ispo-standard.com
