Abbreviation IFSMA | Formation 1974 | |
Motto Unity for Safety at Sea Type International Professional Organisation Purpose To be the Serving Shipmasters' International Voice Headquarters 202 Lambeth Road, London SE1 7JY, United Kingdom | ||
The International Federation of Shipmasters' Associations (IFSMA), is the international professional organisation that unites and represents the world's serving Shipmasters.
Contents
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.
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:
MasterMarinerProtect
MasterMarinerProtect forms part of the recently introduced IFSMA MasterMarinerBenefitProgram™ and is a special defence and legal cost program tailor-made for masters of ocean-going vessels. Initiated by IFSMA and Zeller Associates Management Services (ZAM) MasterMarinerProtect is only available for members of one of the IFSMA National Member Associations or for IFSMA Individual Members.
Operated by experienced captains and lawyers understanding the Shipmasters language as well as the business Shipmasters are in, MasterMarinerProtect will protect with its specialized criminal and maritime lawyers the Shipmasters interests right from the first moment.
MasterMarinerProtect is fully backed by the well known and leading international marine insurance market Lloyd‘s of London.
MasterMarinerProtect provides for: