IMCA Set to Provide Assurance for DP Operations at 9th DP Asia Conference
Published on 25 June 2019
Providing assurance for DP operations lies at the heart of the presentation being given by Captain Andy Goldsmith, Technical Adviser – Marine, the International Marine Contractors Association’s (IMCA) at the 9th Dynamic Positioning Asia 2019 conference and exhibition in Singapore 2-4 July.
Speaking in a session devoted to ‘Competency of DP Personnel and Practitioners’ on 3 July he will talk about three key IMCA initiatives – the recently launched DP Practitioner Accreditation Scheme; assurance of process by means of IMCA’s ‘Guidance for Developing and Conducting DP Annual Trials Programmes‘ (IMCA M 190), looking particularly at revisions relevant to remote and incremental trials; and the all-important IMCA DP station keeping event reporting scheme.
Setting the scene Andy Goldsmith explains:
“Each of the three topics I will cover on 3 July relate to assurance and are all important steps to ensure greater levels of efficiency and safety in DP operations.
“The IMCA DP Practitioner Accreditation Scheme opened for applications on 1 May and has already attracted more than 400 downloads of application packs with a 60:40 split favouring the Far East. By the time of the conference, examinations for the two categories of practitioner will have taken place in three locations, one of which will be Singapore. I will present details of the scheme, give a progress report on participation and look towards the future.
“IMCA challenged the concept of remote DP trials head-on during a debate at its Marine Technical Seminar in The Hague last November. The outcome of that debate, along with the introduction of the DP Practitioner Accreditation Scheme, has been used to shape a revision of IMCA M 190.
“Thanks to contributions from IMCA’s DP Committee, and attendees of the workshop in The Hague, the revised M 190 ensures that guidance meets IMO MSC.1/Circ. 1580; provides clear definitions of key terms; introduces and recommends the DP Practitioner Accreditation scheme; and will improve the process of producing and witnessing DP annual trials to further enhance credibility across the industry.
“IMCA’s DP reporting scheme plays an important role in sharing ‘lessons learned’. Last year 147 reports were received – a 50% increase on previous years and I will be sharing details during my presentation. We are eager to encourage greater participation from the Asia-Pacific region. I will be urging companies to participate in the scheme so their experiences can be shared through updated guidance, quarterly DP station keeping event bulletins, case studies and an annual station keeping event review.”
Further information on the work of IMCA’s DP Committee is at https://legacy.imca-int.com/divisions/marine/committee/dp/ and on the 9th Dynamic Positioning Asia 2019 conference and exhibition is at https://imcaweb.blob.core.windows.net/wp-uploads/2019/05/9th-DP-Asia-Program.pdf
ENDS
Caption: Captain Andy Goldsmith, Technical Adviser – Marine, IMCA
Notes to Editors:
About IMCA
IMCA represents the vast majority of offshore marine contractors and the associated supply chain in the world, with members from over 60 countries. It publishes an extensive technical library of guidance documents on operational good practice, safety promotional materials, timely information notes and safety flashes. Its members benefit from a technical structure comprising four main divisions covering Offshore Diving, Marine, Remote Systems & ROVs, and Offshore Surveying.
These are supported by a committee structure focused on: health, safety, security and the environment; competence and training; lifting and rigging; marine policy and regulatory affairs; and contracts and insurance. The association’s global coverage is organised into five geographic regions: Asia-Pacific, Europe & Africa, Middle East & India, North America, and South America.
Further information on IMCA and its work on behalf of the global offshore marine construction industry is available from legacy.imca-int.com and imca@legacy.imca-int.com. Marine Division information is at legacy.imca-int.com/divisions/marine/ and specific DP information is at legacy.imca-int.com/divisions/marine/committee/dp/ and legacy.imca-int.com/divisions/marine/dynamic-positioning/
The association has LinkedIn and Facebook groups and its Twitter handle is @IMCAint