Dawn of a new era for IMCA

Published on 15 December 2014

To better represent its members, the International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) is launching a new membership structure from 1 January 2015.

A new IMCA membership category entitled International Contractor (ICo) will come into play in the new year. The existing contractor member category – previously named ICO – will be renamed Global Contractor (GCo). The new ICo category is aimed at contractors working in several of the IMCA geographical regions and with a range of operational capabilities.

“The size and demographic of our membership has evolved enormously over the years and now, after months of planning, we are launching our new structure in order to better represent our members,” explains IMCA’s Chief Executive, Chris Charman.

“As can be imagined, a significant amount of work has gone into creating this category, primarily to ensure a fair and equitable selection process, but also to make certain that what we do is not in breach of competition law in any way. Additionally, the IMCA constitution has been amended to encompass the change, which is designed to make us more inclusive and more relevant.”

All contractor members of IMCA have received an electronic brochure outlining the changes, and aimed at answering some of the questions companies may have about the new structure, copies are available from info@legacy.imca-int.com. Another important step in reshaping the organisation is the project to create the Supplier Workgroup, an effective and inclusive forum to capture and utilise the contributions those members make to the work of IMCA in its technical documents, and global safety debates. Its structure is currently being developed and formalised with further information coming in 2015.

“Both of the changes to the structure of our global association are a result of the implementation of the IMCA Vision & Strategy,” explains Chris Charman.

“The marine contracting industry plays a vital global role. Its vessels account for 4% of the world’s maritime fleet,” he adds.”Collectively our members employ some 350,000 people and have an annual turnover of around $150bn. They work in all the world’s major offshore areas, delivering large offshore oil and gas and marine renewables projects around the globe that quite literally fuel the global economy. IMCA’s role is to collect, collate and distil members’ knowledge into universally applicable technical guidelines.”