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Year: 2021

The North American Maritime Ministry Association (NAMMA) has compiled information on COVID-19 vaccine availability for foreign seafarers in United States ports

The North American Maritime Ministry Association (NAMMA) has compiled information on COVID-19 vaccine availability for foreign seafarers in United States ports. The list is available on the NAMMA website here: https://namma.org/vaccines/.The list is shared to assist all the ongoing efforts of local seafarers’ welfare agencies, government bodies, health care providers, industry and labour partners who are working together to provide seafarers with vaccines.In past weeks, pharmacies and health authorities in many US states and cities have made COVID-19 vaccines available to foreigners. Requirements for receiving vaccines differ from port to port, however. In certain areas no i.d. is required, in

Podcast – Safety Corner May 2021

Technical Adviser, Nick Hough brings us the second Safety Corner in a short podcast. IMCA’s Safety Corner is issued in Making Waves and provides an update on all things safety-related that are applicable to IMCA members and their operations. My focus will remain on Safety Flashes for the moment as several recent Safety Flashes have captured people’s attention. Take a few minutes to listen to this podcast to find out more. Stay safe and I’ll speak with you next time! Nick Hough IMCA Contact Nicholas Hough Consultant – Safety and Security Contact Error: Contact form not found.

IMCA webinar: North America and the global energy outlook

Webinar scheduled for 12 May 2021 (0830hrs CST/1430hrs BST)The next webinar in the International Marine Contractors Association’s (IMCA’s) ongoing regional webinar series is on ‘North America and the Global Energy Outlook’. Hosted by IMCA’s North America Committee, it will provide insight into the global energy market looking at both the traditional oil and gas market and at the global offshore wind market, highlighting where North America sits. The webinar is being held on 12 May at 0830hrs CST (1430hrs BST in the UK).As Bruce Gresham, IMCA’s North America Engagement Director explained:“Bright spots and trends, we’ll be hearing all about those,

IMCA supports eCMID AVI Festival of knowledge on 18 May

Following the opening introduction by Mike Schwarz, CEO of The International Institute of Marine Survey and the Marine Surveying Academy the IMCA session, starting at 1045hrs will feature:Graeme Reid AFNI, Technical Adviser – MarineAdam Hugo, IT Services & Solutions SpecialistAde Adebanjo, IT Services TechnicianSubjects to be covered include:April 2021 inspection templates, new supplements, findings analysis and report auditingSystem developments – eCMID Inspection App, database site improvements and roadmapQ&A All AVI events and programme are run by IIMS so to book your place, please contact Sharon Holland at courses@marinesurveyingacademy.com Read the event flyer Visit Marine Surveying website To Register eCMID Committee

IMCA publishes Guidance for Surface Swimmers

The International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) has published a new guidance document ‘Surface Swimmers’ (IMCA D 066). Historically surface swimmers have been used to complete a variety of offshore work tasks in the field and this new guidance provides firm recommendations for matters to be considered when planning surface swimming operations; PPE for the surface swimmer and the standby swimmer; limitations on surface swimming; operational planning; operational support; and, very importantly, information on when and where surface swimmers should not be used. As Phil Towers, IMCA’s Technical Adviser – Diving and Lifting, explained: IMCA Contact Phil Towers Technical Adviser –

IMCA South America webinar to focus on Environmental Sustainability

Environmental sustainability lies at the heart of the forthcoming webinar (Wednesday 28 April from 13:30 BST) organised by the International Marine Contractors Association’s (IMCA) South America Regional Committee.As regional lead, IMCA’s Technical Adviser – Marine, Andy Goldsmith, who will host the webinar with John Chatten, Chair and Daniel Marins, Vice Chair of the Committee, explained:“John, Daniel and other members of the committee have put together a great programme reflecting IMCA’s commitment to advancing environmental sustainability in the offshore marine contracting industry. We support our member companies in improving their environmental performance and in the transition to a low carbon and

Podcast on diving gas supply incident reporting

Technical Adviser, Ali Macleod explains the rationale and practicalities covered in IMCA Information Note 1559 on Diving Gas Supply Incident Reporting. The diving industry is in a highly vulnerable position should mix-ups or other errors in the provision of diving gases occur. Divers breathe life-supporting gases at high pressures. If the wrong gases are delivered to diving contractors by diving gas supply companies, and incorrect gas mixtures are then provided to divers in chambers or in the water, the consequences may quickly be very serious. IMCA Contact Ali Macleod Technical Adviser – Diving Contact Error: Contact form not found. In

IMCA to focus on uncrewed surface vessels and Environmental Sustainability at MCEDD 2021

The International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA), a long-term supporter and sponsor of MCE Deepwater Development (MCEDD) which this year ‘goes virtual’ on 21 and 22nd April, brings two highly topical presentations to an audience of deep and ultra-deepwater specialists from around the world. The first looks at ‘Tackling Environmental Sustainability and the Energy Transition: From Words to Action’; and the second, combining a bp speaker and an IMCA specialist puts ‘Uncrewed Surface Vessels: What Next?’ in the conference spotlight.Nadine Robinson, IMCA’s Technical Adviser – Environmental Sustainability will be presenting in Session 6 of the Macro, Scene Setting; Energy Transition stream

Vaccinating Seafarers

The shipping industry[1] is once again collaborating to ensure that seafarers are protected against the COVID-19 disease. A Vaccinations Task Force is developing best practice guidance in order to: Ensure a pragmatic approach is taken by Governments to seafarer inoculations;Develop guidelines setting out all the steps necessary to implement a vaccination programme for seafarers; andAddress the legal liabilities for shipowners arising from vaccinations. IMCA Contact Margaret Fitzgerald Head of Legal & Regulatory Affairs Contact Error: Contact form not found. The principles adopted recognise that:Seafarers have been recognised by UN bodies as ‘key workers’ and, as such, countries should vaccinate seafarers

DPO CPD APP Launched by Nautical Institute and IMCA

The Nautical Institute (NI) and the International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) have worked together to develop a Dynamic Positioning Operators (“DPO”) continuing professional development (“CPD”) app which is launched today (24 March 2021). Feedback from industry is that CPD is an effective means to combat knowledge and skill fade, and this scheme will be a welcome addition to the market and the DPO community alike.The scheme is designed to help DPOs maintain their technical knowledge of the latest industry practices. The app will expand professional awareness of the latest IMCA/industry guidance; DP safety bulletins; DP exercises and training drills; and

Consultation on IMCA’s Code of Practice on Environmental Sustainability

Please note that this consultation period is now closed – thank you for your support. Environmental sustainability and the energy transition are fundamental to long-term value creation for the offshore marine contracting industry. In recognition of this, and to help improve environmental performance, a dedicated workgroup was formed under the auspices of the Environmental Sustainability Committee, with oversight of the IMCA Board, to develop a Code of Practice on Environmental Sustainability. For the past four months, the workgroup consisting of international contractors, global contractors and contractors have held 6 workgroup, 20 subgroup meetings and multiple bilateral meetings and worked together

Publications is the new home for Information Notes and Bulletins

Visit our Publications Section to view our catalogue of Guidance documents (listed as Digital Publications), Information Notes, Bulletins, logbooks, Safety Promotional materials and Competence e-portfolios. This website contains the current revisions of all published IMCA documents. Users should ensure that they always use the current version, as our documents undergo a regular cycle of review and revision.Information on how to order including shipping, taxes and customs is available on our Publications page.Member and non member pricing available. Publications

Making Waves – March 2021

CEO Update – March 2021 Welcome to the March edition of Making Waves, and for the first time since IMCA’s remote working started on 16 March 2020, we have a much more optimistic perspective of the prospect of returning to work in our London offices in the coming months. But irrespective of our locations, our work has continued unabated, and we have a busy programme ahead of us. Our committees have seen several changes over that past year, and we have now started the election cycle for the Offshore Survey Committee and others will follow during the year. I would

Industry backs United Nations $5 Billion “Moon-Shot” Programme to Decarbonise Shipping

A Joint Release issued by BIMCO, CLIA, IMCA, INTERCARGO, INTERFERRY, International Chamber of Shipping, INTERTANKO, IPTA and World Shipping CouncilIndustry partners welcome “moon-shot” proposal from governments to set up a $5 billion USD fund to catalyse the vital research and development needed to help shipping meet UN decarbonisation goals.Governments controlling a major share of world shipping to submit detailed proposals to the United Nations International Maritime Organization.Shipping leaders are calling on governments to ‘be on the right side of history’ and take forward the proposal at a critical meeting in June with a view to approval in November.Zero-emission ocean going

A chance to recognise engineering excellence?

IMCA would like to draw Members’ attention to a competition for the award of the 250th anniversary medal for engineering excellence by the Smeatonian Society.Formed in 1771, the society is the oldest engineering society in the world and to mark its 250th anniversary a special medal has been struck to recognise an outstanding early or mid-career engineer working in extreme environments. Candidates should be based at a UK organisation or potentially a UK national working abroad.Given the hostile and extreme nature of our offshore industry, a number of our member organisations will have candidates who have demonstrated outstanding engineering achievements in demanding environments.A flyer with

Bypassing Safety Controls remains a top reason for safety incidents or events reported to IMCA

2020 saw the International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) publish 34 Safety Flashes featuring 148 incidents or events, selected to ensure that ‘lessons learned’ are clear to all. During the year under review IMCA, made an important change to the template for submission of safety flashes, having aligned safety reporting to IOGP’s Life-Saving Rules. This change enabled those reporting incidents to indicate into which of the nine IOGP Life-Saving Rules (or category) the given incident or event might fall. This led IMCA to be able to report that ‘Bypassing Safety Controls’ was the most often broken rule accounting for 48% of

Webinar: market, technical and regional updates

Registration is open for the International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) joint Asia-Pacific and Middle East & India Webinar taking place on 17 March (start time 08:00 GMT). The event, hosted by both IMCA’s Asia-Pacific and IMCA’s Middle East & India Regional Committees, focuses on current and topical issues and provides an opportunity for IMCA members to hear the latest on the work of IMCA alongside guest speakers. IMCA Contact Nicholas Hough Consultant – Safety and Security Contact Error: Contact form not found. As Nick Hough, Technical Adviser explained:“Our first webinar of the year will lead with a brief update from

Revision of the Guidelines for GNSS Positioning in the Oil & Gas Industry published by IOGP and IMCA

The updated ‘Guidelines for GNSS Positioning in the Oil and Gas Industry’ has been released by the International Association of Oil & Gas Producers (IOGP) as IOGP Report 373-19 and the International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) as IMCA S 015. The report is a joint publication of the IOGP Geomatics Committee and IMCA’s Offshore Survey Division Management Committee and has wider use than purely by the oil and gas industry. The document provides guidelines for the use of global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) to position vessels, vehicles, and other fixed and mobile installations. Although primarily aimed at oil exploration and

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