The International Federation of Shipmasters' Associations (IFSMA), is the international professional organisation that unites and represents the world's serving Shipmasters.
The IFSMA is primarily concerned with representing the interests of the serving Shipmasters in bodies such as the International Maritime Organization, the International Labour Organization and other relevant, international and national organisations.
The purpose of IFSMA is to bring the Shipmasters' views on matters of marine safety, maritime security and protection of the marine environment to recognition at the required level and, at the same time, to forge a more exclusive and professional status for Shipmasters, one based upon their professional responsibility toward both shipowners and society.
The IFSMA is concerned about both international standards of professional competence for seafarers and international standards on conditions of work for seafarers.
The IFSMA is a federation with a policy to ensure safe operational practices, to prevent human injury, to protect the marine environment and to ensure the safety of life and property at sea.
The IFSMA headquarters are located in London, United Kingdom.
About
History IFSMA was formed by eight National Shipmasters' Associations and formally constituted on 1 January 1974, in Rotterdam with the aim to unite the world's serving Shipmasters into a single non-profit making international professional organisation.
The IFSMA office was moved to London in 1983 for close proximity to the London headquarters of the United Nations (UN) International Maritime Organization (IMO) at which IFSMA had been granted consultative status in 1975, only one year after IFSMAs inauguration. This consultative status as a Non-Government Organisation (NGO) enables IFSMA to represent the views and protect the interests of the serving Shipmasters unfettered and unfiltered either by national governments or by shipping companies.
In February 1993, IFSMA was placed on the International Labour Organization's (ILO) Special List of Non-Governmental International Organisations.
In the beginning of 2011, IFSMA started the MasterMarinerBenefitProgram™ a specialized benefit program for all serving Shipmasters, who are either a member of one of the IFSMA Member Associations or an IFSMA Individual Member.
In 2014, over 16,000 Shipmasters from almost 60 different countries are affiliated to IFSMA, either through their National Associations or as Individual Members.
IFSMA Founding Associations IFSMA, the International Federation of Shipmasters' Associations was founded in 1974 by the following eight National Shipmasters' Associations: Association Nationale des Officiers et Marine du Commerce, Le Maillon, Paris, France Collegio Nazionale Patentati Capitani L.C. e D.M., Genova, Italy The Irish Institute of Master Mariners, Dublin, Ireland Koninklijk Belgisch Zeemannscollege, Antwerp, Belgium Nederlandse Vereniging van Kapiteins ter Koopvaardij, Rotterdam, Netherlands Norges Skibsforerforbund, Oslo, Norway The Society of Master Mariners South Africa, Cape Town, South Africa Verband Deutscher Kapitäne und Schiffsoffiziere, Hamburg, Germany
Presidents President Period Country of origin Captain Ragnar Grønsand 1974 - 1986 Captain Gerhard Goldberg 1986 - 1994 Captain Hiroshi Kawashima 1994 - 1998 Captain Christer Lindvall 1998 - 2014 Captain Hans Sande 2014 - today
Secretaries General Secretary General Period Country of origin Captain F. P. A. Jamin 01/1974 - 04/1974 Captain Walter B. Vickers, CBE 04/1974 - 11/1974 Commodore William E. Warwick, CBE 11/1974 - 11/1975 Commander Basil D. H. Thomson 11/1975 - 07/1976 Captain Nic W. C. Rutherford 1981 - 1991 Captain David S. P. Moore 1991 - 1993 Captain Roger Clipsham 1993 - 2001 Captain Rodger M. MacDonald 2001 - 2012 Captain John W. Dickie 2012 - 2015 Captain Paul R. Owen (acting) 2015 - 2016 Commodore Jim Scorer 2016 - 2025
Senior Officer Legal Insurance
The policy of insurance shall be for the benefit of the nominated Ship Master and Chief Engineer and deemed thereafter to be the assured and shall remain in force throughout the currency of the policy whilst the assured is performing his or her duties as a Ship Master/Chief Engineer whilst officially assigned to a vessel.
The Senior Officer's Legal Insurance is backed by Lloyd's of London.
Senior Officer Legal Insurance provides for: Full coverage for defence and legal costs in criminal and civil proceedings up to EUR 1,000,000 or its equivalent Loss of Income Civil Liability and Defence The above list is not exhaustive and the full policy conditions should be consulted before taking advantage of the IFSMA Senior Officer Legal Insurance Cover.
Membership
Member Associations
Country Association Acronym Joint Centro de Capitanes de Ultramar y Oficiales de la Marina Mercante CCUMM 1980 Company of Master Mariners of Australia CMMA 2009 Koninklijk Belgisch Zeemanscollege KBZ 1974 Company of Master Mariners of Canada CMMC 2007 Capitanes de Alta Mar de la Marina Mercante Nacional NAUTILUS 2006 Danish Maritime Officers DMO 1984 Føroya Skipara- og Navigatørfelag FSN 2008 Finish Ships Officers Union FSOU 1996 Association des Capitaines et Officiers de la Marine Marchande ACOMM 1975 Association Francaise des Capitaines de Navires AFCAN 1979 Verband Deutscher Kapitäne und Schiffsoffiziere VDKS 1974 Anglo Eastern Ship Management AESM 1999 Indonesian Merchant Marine Officers' Association IMMOA 2016 Irish Institute of Master Mariners IIMM 1974 Japan Captains Association JCA 2008 Latvian Shipmasters' Association LSMA 2004 Nautilus International NAUTILUS NL 2006 Nederlandse Vereniging van Kapiteins ter Koopvaardij NVKK 1974 Norwegian Maritime Officers Association NMOA 1974 Master Mariners Society of Pakistan MMSP 2010 Associated Marine Officers' and Seamen's Union of the Philippines AMOSUP 2006 Society of Filipino Ship Captains FILSCAPTS 2010 Far Eastern Seamasters' Association FESMA 1990 Singapore Maritime Officers' Union SMOU 2012 Asociacion Vizcaina de Capitanes de la Marina Mercante AVCMM 1976 Maritime Officers`Association MOA 1985 Turkish Overseas Captains' Association TOCA 2013 Odessa Shipmasters' Association OSMA 1989 Nautilus International NAUTILUS UK 2006 Council of American Master Mariners CAMM 1992International Organisation of Masters Mates and PilotsIOMMP2020
Honorary Members Name Country of origin Position Elected † Captain Willem F. J. Mörzer Bruyns Sr. First Vice President, IFSMA 1982 1996 H.E. Dr. Chandrika Prasad Srivastava, Secretary-General Emeritus, The International Maritime Organization 1985 2013 Commodore William E. Warwick, CBE Secretary General (retired), IFSMA 1992 1999 Captain Nic W. C. Rutherford Secretary General (retired), IFSMA 1992 2012 H.E. Mr. William A. O'Neil, CMG, CM Secretary-General Emeritus, The International Maritime Organization 1993 2022 Captain Henrik Sem IFSMA Representative to IMO 1993 2008 Captain Gerhard Goldberg President Emeritus, IFSMA 1995 2007 Captain Genji Yoshinaga Former Liaison Officer of JCA to IFSMA 1997 2014 Captain Anna I. Schetinina World's first Female Shipmaster in the Merchant Navy 1998 1999 Captain Hiroshi Kawashima President Emeritus, IFSMA 1998 2012 Captain Roger Clipsham Secretary General (retired), IFSMA 2002 2014 H.E. Admiral Efthimios E. Mitropoulos Secretary-General Emeritus, The International Maritime Organization 2004 Mr. C. Julian Parker, OBE Inaugural Secretary (retired), The Nautical Institute 2009 Mr. Michael Grey, MBE Editor (retired), Lloyd's List 2009 H.E. Mr. Koji Sekimizu Secretary-General Emeritus, The International Maritime Organization 2012 Captain Rodger M. MacDonald Secretary General (retired), IFSMA 2012 Captain Christer Lindvall President Emeritus, IFSMA 2014 Captain Bjorn Haave IFSMA Representative to IMO 2014 H.E. Mr. Kitack Lim Secretary-General, The International Maritime Organization 2018 Captain Koichi Akatsuka Vice President, IFSMA 2019 H.E. Mr. Arsenio Dominguez Secretary-General, The International Maritime Organization 2024
See also
Seafarer's Professions and Ranks Shipmaster Master Mariner
International Maritime Organization International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution From Ships (MARPOL, 1973/1978) International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS, 1974) International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW, 1978/1995/2010)
International Labour Organization Maritime Labour Convention (MLC, 2006)
References
External links IFSMA's Website IFSMA's SeaMansWeb.net