Dear friends,
As 2022 draws to a close I would like to give you a brief update on the progress of the International Standard for Pilot Organizations (ISPO). During the year we had the pleasure of welcoming the pilots of Midwest Ports Pilots and Corporación de Prácticos del Puerto de Bahia de Algeciras S.L.P. to the ISPO family. This means that there are now 32 pilot organizations ISPO certified, representing over 1300 marine pilots worldwide and we can look forward to much more interest from many pilot organizations, the preferred quality management system specifically for pilot organizations.
In this year our long-awaited conference took place hosted by the City of Cork, the Port of Cork and the Cork Pilots. Meeting face to face after a three-year break, discussing maritime business with over seventy delegates reminded us all just how valuable the face to face meetings are. The presentations, networking, learning from the experience of others makes one realise the values of being part ofthe ISPO community. Whilst in Cork the Dutch Pilot Organisation kindly agreed to host the 2023 conference in Amsterdam. Information will follow soon.
As part of the ISPO’s 5-year strategic plan the website required modernising. We are proud to announce that the new website www.ispo-standard.com has recently gone online where you can find all information about ISPO. Thank you to those who are putting long hours into the development and for everyone’s patience in the meantime.
A thank you as well to all those who volunteered their time to assist in the running of the IUG, board members, members of the working group and financial auditors. These volunteers ensure the constant development of ISPO Code, so it remains relevant to pilot organizations around the world.
Feel free to contact me or any other board member if you have any questions or queries about ISPO then do not hesitate to contact the administrator, iug@ispo-standard.com On behalf of the board of the International Users Group I wish you a happy and prosperous new year!
Best regards Matthew Easton,
Chairman International Users Group of ISPO-certified organizations
