Chamber News

Ship Shape IMO is part of Ship Shape World LTD based in Wroxham, Norfolk. We are Off-Shore Cabin Equipment Suppliers, specialising in IMO/SOLAS and MED WheelMarked Compliant products for Offshore and High Risk Applications. With our production facilities, we produce a comprehensive range of products including Beds, Mattresses, Bedding, DRY-Mat® (Anti-Condensation Mattress Ventilation Underlay), Furniture, Curtains, Flooring and many more products which meet the stringent safety standards required for an Off-Shore Vessel / Rig. What is ideal for life at home isn’t always suitable for life at sea. Here at Ship Shape IMO our aim is to supply our customers with fully compliant products to reduce the potential disruptions and unnecessary expense to corporations.

“Surveyors and port officials have the power to fine or block movements of vessels for failure to comply with the required legislation” Our aim is to make sure this doesn’t happen, we are here to give advice and make sure your heading in the right direction.

We supply products to Commercial Cargo Shipping Vessels, Off Shore Energy Rigs, Ferries, Passenger Vessels and Military Vessels from all corners of the globe. We have decided to join the chamber of commerce to aid us with our Local and International growth objectives, Network and take advantage of the great training courses available. With the Advice and Documentation services we feel that becoming a member will dramatically improve our global operations and services.

Being based in Norfolk with busy Ports such as Lowestoft, Felixstowe and Great Yarmouth the membership will open doors to new networks of communication on a local level. We are here to help assist ship Operators, Owners and Suppliers by supplying good quality compliant products suitable to Marine and Rig usage. The Marine industry can be a tricky one when it comes to legislation and here at Ship Shape IMO we look to make the process simple and easier for our customers.

As Members of the British Association of Ship Suppliers (BASS), International Association of Ship Suppliers (IASS), The Ship Suppliers Association (SSA), ISO 9001 Certified amongst many others you can be guaranteed Great Customer Service, Quality Products and Competitive Prices it would be silly if we were not your go too company when it comes to Marine / Offshore Commercial Cabin Supplies.

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Ship Shape World Ltd

What is happening?

GCSEs in England are changing with the most obvious change being a new grading system. Starting this summer with GCSEs English language, English literature and maths, students will receive numbers instead of letters as grades.

GCSEs will be graded 9 to 1, with 9 being the highest grade.  There are more grades in the new system than the previous one (9 compared to 8) so it will allow employers to better differentiate between student attainment in each subject.

The four highest grades of A* to C are being replaced by six numerical grades from 9 to 4. Grade 9 will be awarded to the very highest achievers: fewer students will get a grade 9 than used to get an A*.  Grades 4 and 5 are the equivalent of a C or low B.

By 2020 all students taking GCSEs in England will receive only numbered grades. But before then, students will receive both letters and numbers in different subjects.  

Why has this been introduced?

The GCSE system was introduced in 1988, and while there have been changes and adaptations, there hasn’t been a major overhaul for a long time. In 2013, the government announced its intention to reform and redevelop GCSEs to match the best systems in the world and keep pace with university and employer demands. It said GCSE content should be more challenging, but still be suitable for all abilities.

When a new qualification is introduced it’s a good idea to differentiate it from the qualification it’s replacing.  The new grading scale will make it easier for employers to see those who have studied new GCSEs.

With more grades at the top end of the scale (6 grades instead of 4), students are better able to demonstrate their achievements and employers should also be able to match candidates’ abilities to available jobs more easily.  As an HR professional or employer, you’ll be better informed how a student has performed in all their subjects, ensuring they have the most appropriate training, support and challenge in their role.

In contrast to GCSEs, the existing AS and A level grading systems will remain as now.

What do you need to know?

From this summer, GCSEs will be graded 9 to 1 in English language, English literature and maths (schools have been teaching these since Sept 2015); all other GCSEs will be graded A* to G. 

Over the next two years, most other subjects will move over to the numerical system and by 2020 everyone taking GCSEs in England will receive only numerical grades. Until then, students will receive a mixture of letters and numbers.

Broadly the same proportions of students will achieve a grade 4 and above as previously achieved grade C and above, other things being equal. This is also the same for grade 1 and above as previously achieved a grade G and above, and for grades 7 and A and above.  

The subject content of new GCSEs is more challenging than before and assessed mainly by exams at the end of the course.  The amount of coursework has diminished and reflects the balance and nature of the new subject content: in most subjects it has gone down, but in some it has stayed the same.

Note, however, that this is just in England.  Wales and Northern Ireland are not introducing the new 9 to 1 grading scale as part of the changes to GCSEs in their jurisdictions. And Scotland will retain its existing systems.

What do you need to do? 

Soon you’ll be receiving CVs with the new numbers and it’s important to understand how these correspond to the old system and how they differ.

All businesses need to be familiar with the new system regardless of whether yours is a small family firm or a multinational with access to HR professional expertise, and regardless of sector.  If you take on students doing work experience, apprentices or those wanting summer jobs this year, you’ll need to know they will have new grades. 

You may need to update your IT systems so that your recruitment forms can accept numbers as well as letters. 

You need to know that any candidate who gets a grade 4 or above has the equivalent of a current grade C or above.  Candidates with 7s, 8s or 9s are the highest achievers.

Of course, there are many other factors to take into consideration when selecting candidates for employment, but the broader range of GCSE grades will help guide you to the best candidates for your roles.  

An updated Great Yarmouth Third River Crossing prospectus has been created to support the bid for financial backing from central government. 

A new third river crossing will provide much needed connections between the strategic road network and the fast growing energy related Enterprise Zone and is crucial in providing linkages across the River Yare to the economic growth hub in the South Denes peninsula.

The river crossing would join Harfreys Roundabout in Great Yarmouth and over the river to South Denes Road. There has been extensive technical work carried out, including a best route alignment and cost benefit analysis. This route was adopted by Norfolk County Council’s Cabinet in 2010.

If our region is successful in securing funding, construction could start as early as 2021 and be completed by 2023.

A third river crossing would deliver numerous benefits to the area and solve a number of existing problems, including the current lack of connectivity, which severely restricts movement in Great Yarmouth. This results in congestion and ultimately limits the economic potential of the Enterprise Zone, Energy Park, South Denes Business Park and the deep water outer harbour.

Commenting on the release of the new prospectus, Neil Orford, President of Great Yarmouth Chamber Council said:

“The prospectus is another step forward in realising the potential of Great Yarmouth.  A new crossing would not only reduce congestion and provide connections between the strategic road network and the fast growing energy related Enterprise Zone.  It will also support regeneration in the town and help the visitor and retail economy by making shopping and tourism much more accessible.  

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) wants to hear the views of traders and other interested parties on its plans to provide more detailed estimates of UK trade data, particularly for sub-national breakdowns with regard to the export of services.

As part of the UK trade development plan, and the Supporting Devolution programme, the ONS has carried out experimental analysis analysing sub-national trade.

In July 2016, it published the first estimated values of service exports from each region and country of the UK covering the period 2011-2014. Then, in May 2017, it followed this with figures for 2015 and finally, in July, it published additional analysis breaking down by country of destination of exports.

“This new set of statistical outputs is designed to support local-level decision and policy-making,” the ONS explains, “particularly in light of recent events including the UK’s declaration to leave the EU, the publication of the consultation on the Industrial Strategy, and continued devolution negotiations.”

This is the first time estimates of service exports at sub-national level have been created and feedback is wanted to determine whether the outputs are meeting users’ requirements, whether the methodology is appropriate and to consider the future development of the estimates.

Details of the consultation, including access to supporting documents can be found at consultations.ons.gov.uk; the deadline for submitting comments is 8 September 2017.

DP World London Gateway, which has been described as the UK’s most integrated logistics facility, has now added Mediterranean Shipping Company’s (MSC) West Africa Service to its list of weekly services.

This provides a fast link for shippers between the UK and Northern Europe and Senegal, Ivory Coast and Nigeria, with transit times of under 22 days to ports of call in those countries, including Dakar, Abidjan, Lagos and Tema.

James Leeson, the DP World London Gateway’s Head of Port Commercial, said: “Shippers using this MSC service to export to West Africa can be assured of the very best in port service, with access to our Where’s My Container application, class-leading resilience and reliability and use of the very best port technology, all of which ensure we’re well placed to offer greater speed, visibility and improved supply chain certainty.”

The port now has 15 weekly services calling into the terminal, with direct, deep-sea access available to and from more of the world’s locations than any other UK container port.

Michael Collins, UK Commercial Director at MSC, explained that, following the reconfiguration of its West African services it has decided that its UK link to West Africa should DP World London Gateway.

“This will enable us to offer market-leading, direct transits and enhance our nationwide coverage while improving our London and South-East services,” he went on.

Located just 10 miles from the M25 and with a rail terminal providing direct services daily to all of the UK’s major rail freight hubs, the terminal, which opened in November 2013, is already handling cargo from across the globe.

Since the financial crisis, exports have grown at a disappointingly slow rate, with trade volumes globally running at over 20% below their pre-crisis trend.

That represents a much weaker recovery than in the wake of previous economic downturns according to a new report from the EEF, the manufacturers’ organisation: Global Trade – Run Aground or Structurally Sound? (available via www.eef.org.uk).

This reveals that export volumes have grown at an annual average rate of 1.3% per year, compared with growth of 5.1% in the decade leading up to the financial crash.

Sluggish demand is only partly responsible for the low growth rate, the EEF suggests, citing international bodies such as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for evidence supporting that view.

These organisations have highlighted protectionism, lack of trade finance, and interventions by national governments in support of local businesses as factors which are holding back the recovery of world trade flows.

This perspective is at odds with many short-term business surveys hailing the benefits of a recovering global economy, the EEF points out.

In reality, it claims, many export destinations are not as open to trade as they were before the financial crisis.

Examples cited include: some 17% of exporters to China have seen their trade affected by moves to support local businesses while 10% of companies selling to the USA have experienced an increase in tariffs.

Such protectionist policies may have been justified in the wake of the crisis, the EEF accepts, but their ongoing impact – and the potential for them to be further ramped up – raises questions about trade growth potential in the UK.

A new initiative, the EuroMed Trade Helpdesk, has been launched by the European Commission and the International Trade Centre (ITC) aiming to provide businesses with essential information about markets, tariffs and import requirements.

The intention is to strengthen economic ties between the Union and its nine Mediterranean partners, as well as between Mediterranean countries themselves.

The online portal will provide exporters with information about potential markets, such as customs duties and product requirements. As well as covering the EU, its searchable database includes Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, Tunisia and Turkey.

Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström explained that the portal will provide an online one-stop-shop for country and product-specific information on tariffs and duties, import and export procedures, and market requirements.

In addition, a network of national focal points in each participating Mediterranean country will respond to enquiries on intra-regional trade issues and ensure information is kept up to date.

“The EuroMed Helpdesk is good news for businesses and consumers around the Mediterranean,” the Commissioner said. “And by making it easier to trade it’ll help the region’s economy and integration.”

The new online tool is modelled on the EU Export Helpdesk and provides information in English, French, Arabic and Turkish. It differs from the main Helpdesk by also giving company-specific information.

See euromed.macmap.org for access to the Helpdesk and for full details.

Russian import duties on paper, refrigerators and palm oil exceeded those agreed when Russia joined the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2012, the world trade body agreed last year in a case brought by the EU.

It argued that the illegal measures were severely hampering trade in important sectors. EU exports of the products concerned to Russia were worth some €600 million a year before the dispute was launched.

This week, Russia announced that it had lowered its import tariffs on the products concerned in a move described by the European Commission as a victory for multilateral trade rules.

Details of the Russian statement can be found at www.wto.org.

In response, the European Commission said: “This is only one of many successful cases brought by the EU to the WTO dispute settlement in the last years. EU legal action in the WTO also allowed it to improve the access of EU firms to raw materials sources in China and to remove Chinese extra duties on European steel tubes and X-ray scanners.”

Noting that effective enforcement of existing trade rules is one of the key points of the EU’s 2015 trade policy strategy Trade for All, the Commission said that it will continue to closely monitor the situation to ensure that WTO commitments are fully respected.

Norwich Airport is looking for the local business community to help them secure new air services and further develop existing services from Norwich to key city destinations.

As part of the discussion process with potential air carriers, it is invaluable for the airport’s Aviation Development Team to be able to present ‘real world’ data in terms of the travel demand of businesses in our region.

What are your domestic and international travel requirements?  Have your say now

Commenting on the Home Secretary’s decision to ask the independent Migration Advisory Committee to evaluate the present and future impacts of migration on the UK economy, Nova Fairbank, Public Affairs Manager for Norfolk Chamber said: “We welcome the Home Secretary’s decision to commission rigorous and independent analysis to inform the shape of our future immigration system. The Norfolk business community tell us that immigration rules need to be based on an objective look at economic trends and needs, which are better evaluated by the experts on the Migration Advisory Committee than by politicians or commentators.   “Over the coming years, changes to the UK immigration system should be based on firm evidence, input from employers, and a clear understanding of the different requirements facing each region and nation. While businesses are committed to filling vacancies locally wherever they can, they will still need access to both EU and global candidates with a range of skills in the future. We will work with the British Chambers of Commerce to ensure that the views of Norfolk businesses are heard loud and clear by the Migration Advisory Committee over the coming year.” On EU nationals, she added: “Amber Rudd has given EU nationals and their employers some much-needed reassurance, by signalling that any significant changes to the immigration rules for EU citizens will take place in an orderly fashion over time. Businesses need clear information to support their existing employees – and to know, right now, who they can hire with confidence over the coming years. “The Home Secretary has given some important reassurances for EU nationals working in UK businesses, and for those businesses considering hiring EU nationals in the immediate future. Her department now needs to work with employers to get the detail right, and ensure that EU nationals do not face complex administrative processes to confirm their status here in the UK.”

Commenting on the first estimate of GDP for Q2 2017, published yesterday by the ONS, Nova Fairbank, Public Affairs Manager for Norfolk Chamber, said:

“The first estimate of economic activity for Q2 2017 of 0.3% on the previous quarter is broadly in line with our expectations, though slightly lower than our current forecasts

“UK economic growth remains unbalanced, with the service sector accounting for all of the growth recorded in Q2, while the industrial production and construction sectors were a drag on growth in the quarter.

“Inflation is likely to continue to rise in the coming months and this could trigger a marked economic slowdown by increasing the squeeze on consumer spending. Rising inflation together with continued uncertainty over the longer-term impacts of Brexit is also likely to stifle Norfolk business investment intentions.

“The recent Chamber Quarterly Economic Survey confirmed that Norfolk’s service sector, was the key driver of economic growth.  But consumer-facing industries such as retail outlets and hotels reported weaker growth rates.  Many Norfolk firms reported rising concern over raw material costs and pay settlements.

“Our view for the future growth of the UK economy remains slightly muted by historic comparison, with a combination of the uncertainty over Brexit negotiations, increased inflation caused by the depreciation of Sterling and an expected softening of both consumer spending and business investment over the coming year.  Government can support confidence in the near term by being clearer over its desired outcome of the Brexit negotiations (and we applaud the softening of its stance over the past week) and by greater commitments to investment, particularly in infrastructure, as well as accelerating its plans for its new industrial strategy.”

The permanent closure of the B1149 Holt Road south of Horsford has been brought forward to Wednesday 9 August after BT Openreach announced earlier dates for moving their fibre optic cables. The closure had been put back until late August after BT said diversion of the cables would not begin until after the World Athletics Championships (4-13 August). However, that work has now been rescheduled by BT to start on 31 July. This will allow more of the complex final phase in constructing the major A140 Cromer Road/A1270 NDR junction to be carried out in the school summer holidays. Altogether, it is expected to take around three months to complete the junction. B1149 Holt Road diversion

After the closure of Holt Road on 9 August, all B1149 traffic will be diverted via New Drayton Lane – opened last week – on to Reepham Road. This diversion will remain in place until traffic can use the NDR dual carriageway and A140 junction, or part of it, to restore access to the A140*. The diversion will put pressure on roads through Hellesdon, Drayton and on Church Street, Horsford, for an extended period. Norfolk County Council and Balfour Beatty apologise for the unavoidable disruption to normal travel.