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IMCA puts DP in the spotlight

Published on 15 November 2011

As befits the 50th anniversary of the advent of dynamic positioning (DP), the International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) has turned the spotlight on this invaluable technology. Earlier this year ‘Guidance for developing and conducting annual DP trials programmes for DP vessels’ (IMCA M 190) was published. Now a complementary publication ‘Example of an Annual DP Trials Report’ (IMCA M 212) is available for free download from the IMCA website.

IMCA’s new DP publications
IMCA M 190 describes the development, conduct and management of annual DP trials programmes for all types of vessels equipped with DP systems meeting the requirements of International Maritime Organization (IMO) equipment classes 1, 2 or 3. The new slim volume, IMCA M 212, assists in the completion of these reports with worked examples, reflecting the guidance in IMCA M 190. Printed copies are available at £2.50 for members and £5.00 for non-members (plus 20% for delivery outside Europe).

Annual Seminar
DP is firmly on the conference agenda at next week’s IMCA Annual Seminar (New Orleans, USA, 9-10 November) which over 330 delegates from 140 companies and 26 countries will attend, with presentations by Ian Giddings of IMCA on ‘DP Assurance through annual trials’; Steven Cargill of GL Noble Denton looking at ‘A new standard for DP failure modes and effects analysis’; and Ole Orpen, Fugro Seastar considering ‘Solar activity and the effects on positioning systems’. Workshops on ‘Blackout recovery for DP vessels’, and ‘Pitfalls of position references’ are also scheduled.

The highly topical conference programme features keynote addresses by IMCA President Andy Woolgar of Subsea 7, Mike Casey of Chevron E&P; Randall Luthi of National Oceans Industries Association; Erik Milito of the American Petroleum Institute and Secretary Scott Angelle of the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) all addressing ‘The Future of Marine & Subsea Operations’; and an additional keynote address by Lars Herbst of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation & Enforcement (BOEMRE).

Further information on both publications and the IMCA Annual Seminar is available from legacy.imca-int.com and from the association at 52 Grosvenor Gardens, London SW1W 0AU, UK. Tel: +44 (0)20 7824 5520; Fax: +44 (0)20 7824 5521; imca@legacy.imca-int.com.