SAFETY4SEA Team met Trevor Blakeley, Chief Executive, RINA (The Royal Institute of Naval Architects) at Posidonia 2016, June 6-10, Metropolitan Expo, Athens for an interview regarding Institution’s contribution to the industry. You may view his video interview on YouTube
Q1 What is the role of a modern professional society such as RINA?
In order to describe RINA’s role, I have to give you a history lesson and go back 150 years when the Institution was formed. Its role then and its mission statement were to ‘promote and facilitate the exchange and discussion of information in order to improve ship design’. Today, the principle aim of the Institution is still to provide access to information either through conferences or publications, but it has also a wider one. It provides professional qualification that demonstrates the achievement of high professional standards. Society today requires engineers to be assured that they are qualified just as it does with doctors and accountants. Furthermore, the Institution has also reinforced its role to responsibility and has brought its collective expertise to the benefits of society. It does this through its membership of international organizations. To conclude, the Institute is providing professional qualification, access to information on developments on the maritime industry and it is bringing its collective expertise to the benefits of society.
Q2 How can RINA contribute to the future success of maritime industry?
I believe that the key to success of maritime industry is innovation that will come from people who have knowledge, understanding and skills to provide research and development in all areas. Therefore, the Institution’s role is to help people, engineers and young graduated engineers who do have those skills and knowledge. RINA contributes towards links with universities. We have many members in over 60 universities worldwide. We get many awards to young graduates and of course we help those young graduates to develop professionally in the industry they have chosen to join. So, helping industry to get the right kind of people, I think is how we can contribute to the industry success.
Q3 How can RINA contribute to improving maritime safety and the protection of the maritime environment?
One of the responsibilities of Royal Institution of Naval Architects is to make its collective expertise available to society and it does that, for example in respect to safety and the protection of the environment, through its membership of the IMO. It’s one of the only two professional societies that are non-government organization members of IMO where it can bring its professional expertise to assist in the development of rules and regulations for improving safety and environmental protection. The only responsibility of the Institution is the profession. It is not accountable to a government or industry or focused groups. Its primary focus is on improving the design of ships and structures.
Q4 How can the Institution contribute to attracting young people to the profession globally?
Well, Institution does have links with 64 universities worldwide. RINA’s members involve many young graduates as well as students at high schools as initiatives. It is able to demonstrate to high school leavers, young undergraduates and new graduates how exciting a career in the maritime industry can be. We can provide lots of examples of what engineers and the maritime industry do. We can demonstrate to young graduates, undergraduates and leavers the scope of a career in the maritime industry and just how exciting it can be. Engineering has to be exciting. Maritime engineering is exciting!
Q5 What does the future hold for RINA?
I think the future simply is more of the same. The role of RINA is to identify and respond to the changing needs of the maritime industry; to ensure that universities are aware of what industry’s future needs will be. The maritime industry is very much an evolving industry. Someone said to me once, “There have been ships for thousands of years, surely there is nothing new.”
Of course there is always something new. It is an evolving industry. The catalyst for change may differ as it may be the ship-owners’ desire for less ship costs less or it may be the society’s demand the industry be more sensitive to environment. But, whatever the catalyst for change, it is a changing industry and I think that’s the role of the Institution, to continue to identify those changes and to make sure that people who will provide the innovation are people with the skills and the knowledge that industry needs in the future.
Q6 What is your view of the state and future of the global maritime industry?
It may be an understatement to say that the global maritime industry is facing many challenges. Some of those challenges are from external factors such as the slump in demand for shipping, the oil price and other factors are internal. However, I see that in the future, the maritime industry will continue to provide a very satisfying, worthwhile career for young engineers. They may have to be patient in waiting for the good times to come, but, as I’m in the maritime industry long enough, I have no doubt that the maritime industry will see good times again. Those companies which recognize that and plan in terms of continuing to recruit graduates and of continuing research and development will be the companies that are better able to benefit from the increase in activity and the better times when they’ll come. So, I am optimistic for the future, not pessimistic.
Above text is an edited article of Trevor Blakeley, Chief Executive, RINA (The Royal Institute of Naval Architects) video interview at Posidonia 2016, June 6-10, Metropolitan Expo, Athens
You may view his video interview by clicking here
The views presented hereabove are only those of the author and not necessarily those of SAFETY4SEA and are for information sharing and discussion purposes only.
It’s a nice interview with the President, RINA. We think innovation and technology advancement. We are growing in the Maritime Industry especially in the area of Ship Designs and construction.
Keep innovating!