UKHO receives IIMS Crystal Award

Mike Penning MP, the minister responsible for Marine Transport at the Department of Transport was also present at the ceremony. The IIMS is an independent, non-political organisation with the objective to raise worldwide standards of marine surveying (seagoing standards, regulation and inspections) and to fulfil the need for marine surveyors to have a professional body to represent them.

The Crystal Award was created three years ago to acknowledge organisations that demonstrate technological advances and make significant strides within the maritime industry. The UKHO was nominated not only for its Admiralty Paper publications and Charts but specifically for its work on and in support of ENCs, in particular the Admiralty Vector Charts Service (AVCS) and the progress being made in official digital navigation services. The President and President Elect of the IIMS spoke warmly of the valued work of the UKHO.

Previous winners of the award have been the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), an independent charity which provides 24-hour lifeboats and seasonal lifeguards dedicated to saving lives at sea, for their lifeboat design and construction, and Intertanko, the International Association of Independent Tanker Owners, for its work on engine emissions and pollution control.

Rear Admiral Moncrieff on receiving the Crystal Bowl said: "Coming from this distinguished institute, this award means a lot to all of us at the UKHO. We aim to continue to serve your needs and deliver the world class safety services that the maritime community deserves in the digital era, as our forebears have done for the past 215 years since the UKHO was first established under Alexander Dalrymple in 1795.

While charts may be changing in media format over the next few years, we are clear that the principles of navigation are constant and that the safety of the seagoer is our enduring aim."