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Maritime lawyer joins the IMCA Secretariat The International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) has appointed Margaret Fitzgerald as its Head of Policy & Regulatory Affairs. She will represent the Association on all regulatory matters and lead its involvement with the International Maritime Organization (IMO), where IMCA holds non-governmental observer status. Margaret has over 20 years’ experience in shipping. She previously worked for the IMO Secretariat, leading on the development of the International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code and related regulations on the carriage of hazardous chemicals and noxious and polluting substances, including the HNS Convention. She subsequently worked for a member of
Maritime lawyer joins the IMCA Secretariat The International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) has appointed Margaret Fitzgerald as its Head of Policy & Regulatory Affairs. She will represent the Association on all regulatory matters and lead its involvement with the International Maritime Organization (IMO), where IMCA holds non-governmental observer status. Margaret has over 20 years’ experience in shipping. She previously worked for the IMO Secretariat, leading on the development of the International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code and related regulations on the carriage of hazardous chemicals and noxious and polluting substances, including the HNS Convention. She subsequently worked for a member of
The International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) welcomes the extension by the Home Office until 21 October 2018 of the concession to UK immigration rules concerning workers joining vessels engaged in the construction and maintenance of offshore wind projects. As noted by IMCA in June, IMCA welcomes and applauds the Home Office’s pragmatic response to the voice and needs of industry in addressing this issue. This decision has provided clarity and certainty in planning and executing existing projects, which are critical to delivering renewable energy capacity in the UK, and allows time for industry to adjust to the new regime.
It was in March 2015 that the International Maritime Organization (IMO) agreed to use the International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) proposals as the basis for the review of the IMO Guidelines for vessels with dynamic positioning (DP) systems (MSC/Circ.645). Now that IMO has published the update (MSC/Circ.1580), IMCA has consolidated the guidance into document 245 IMO which is quickly and easily accessible on the IMCA website at https://legacy.imca-int.com/publications/425/guidelines-vessels-units-dynamic-positioning-dp-systems-msc-1circ-1580/, together with the original guidance contained in 113 IMO which is at https://legacy.imca-int.com/publications/76/guidelines-for-vessels-with-dynamic-positioning-systems-msc-circular-645/. The Guidelines for vessels with dynamic positioning systems (MSC/Circ.645) were approved by MSC 63 in May 1994 to provide the
The International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) welcomes the short term concession by the Home Office to immigration rules concerning seafarers joining vessels engaged in the construction and maintenance of offshore wind projects. However, IMCA notes that the recent change by the Home Office of immigration control over such seafarers (to resume after 21 October 2017) is a deviation from decades of common practice and is causing real operational difficulties. Consequently, IMCA would encourage the Home Office to reach out to industry in order that its new application of the legal framework relating to seafarers can be introduced in a way
The International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) actively participated, on behalf of the Maritime Employers’ Group, in the International Labour Organization (ILO) Working Group of the Special Tripartite Committee (STC), established under the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) – the international treaty covering minimum working and living standards for seafarers. The Working Group’s meeting took place in Geneva, Switzerland, from 3 to 5 April 2017. It brought together over 150 representatives from Governments, employers’ organisations and seafarers’ associations, officials from ILO, IMO and civil society organisations to examine issues related to the protection of seafarers’ wages when the seafarer is held captive on
Following the bulletin published by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on 17 January proposing to revoke or modify a series of rulings relating to offshore activities and the Jones Act, IMCA has completed an analysis of fleet capacity in the US Gulf of Mexico (GoM) should the revocations go ahead. The report, Marine Construction Vessel Impacts of Proposed Modifications and Revocations of Jones Act Letters Related to Offshore Oil and Natural Gas Activities, is now available to read. The full report and its executive summary are available to read below:
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has agreed to continue using the International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) document covering The training and experience of key DP personnel as the basis of the IMO Guidelines for Dynamic Positioning System (DP) Operator Training (MSC/Circ.738). The IMCA guidance (IMCA M 117) has recently been revised and earlier this week IMO Sub-Committee on Human Element, Training and Watchkeeping (HTW 4) agreed to revise MSC/Circ. 738 to reflect the revision. In addition, the Sub-Committee decided to make a reference of IMCA Guidance in the Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW) Code. “IMO’s circular
Promoting collaboration between key international and regional regulators – such as the IMO and the European Commission – to achieve common positions on matters which affect the operations of offshore contractors is a pivotal aspect of the work of the International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA). Last week, on Thursday 19 January 2017, IMCA participated in the 13th session of the EU Offshore Authorities Group (EUOAG) in Brussels, where Eleni Antoniadou, IMCA Policy and Regulatory Affairs Adviser, gave a presentation on IMCA’s reporting tools (eCMID, Safety Flashes and Dynamic Positioning Station Keeping Event Report); the key role marine contractors play in
The International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) believes that the roadmap adopted by the Marine Environment Protection of IMO (MEPC 70) to develop a comprehensive strategy to reduce greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions globally from shipping provides the right framework for moving forward on this vital issue. According to the agreed timeline, IMO will initiate its decision-making on further measures to tackle the challenge of GHG from shipping in 2022. “We welcomed the unanimous international decision at IMO on this important issue; obtaining it took many years of negotiations and intense discussions,” explains John Bradshaw, IMCA’s Policy and Regulatory Affairs Manager. “We
Today’s regulatory agenda is being increasingly driven by environmental issues. Shipping is under increasing pressure to lower greenhouse gas emissions and to contribute to global efforts to counter anthropogenic climate change. The pressure is unlikely to abate; on the contrary shipping should expect these pressures to increase. The International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA), which has Observer status at the International Maritime Organization (IMO), has therefore launched a series of regular ‘Regulatory Update’ bulletins, the first of which is on the IMCA website, to keep members informed about regulatory developments. “Our Regulatory & Policy Affairs Team is committed to keeping the
The International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) welcomes the news that the Ballast Water Management (BWM) Convention enters into force on 8 September 2017, and has produced a 12-point information sheet on the Convention for its members. The BWM Convention aims to stop the spread of potentially invasive aquatic species in ships’ ballast water. It was Finland’s accession on 8 September this year that triggered the entry into force of the Convention in a year’s time. Under the Convention’s terms, ships will be required to manage their ballast water to remove, render harmless, or avoid the uptake or discharge of aquatic
Strengthening its policy and regulatory affairs team, the International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) has appointedJohn Bradshaw as Policy and Regulatory Affairs Manager to lead on worldwide policy and legislative issues, with responsibility for developing and delivering the international trade association’s policy and regulatory strategy, including representing members with regulators and other third parties. John joined the IMCA Secretariat as one of its strong team of Technical Advisers in early Autumn 2015. This followed four years at Lloyd’s Register as Principal Technical Specialist and a career at sea. He has a strong track record as a specialist in the field of
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has agreed to use the International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) proposals as the basis for the review of the IMO Guidelines for vessels with dynamic positioning (DP) systems (MSC/Circ.645). The review will be taken forward by an IMO intersessional correspondence group that will further develop the draft, with a view to finalising it at the next meeting of the IMO Ship Systems and Equipment (SSE) sub-committee, in 2016. “IMO’s circular 645 is the established international standard for DP systems. The guidelines have successfully provided the framework on which national regulations and classification society rules are
The UK government has published the industrial strategy progress report, which highlights the achievements, latest activities and future priorities of the industrial strategy. The progress report provides a timely update on the eleven sectors: Aerospace Agricultural Technologies Automotive Construction Information Economy International Education Life Sciences Nuclear Offshore Wind Oil and Gas Professional and Business Services As well as an update on the five cross cutting themes: Sector Partnerships: Providing support for all sectors to help increase global competitiveness, support innovation and maximise export potential. Technologies: Supporting the development and commercialisation of technologies where theUKhas the research expertise and business capability
There are many recent changes in regulation and others on the horizon that will impact on dynamic positioning (DP). For this reason, Ian Giddings, Technical Adviser (Marine) at the International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) will deliver a presentation ‘Guidance on the changes in regulation and legislation impacting on DP’ at the fifth European Dynamic Positioning Conference being held in London on 20-21 June 2013. “I will look at some of these changes and their impact on the sector, in particular on people and equipment,” he explains.”Firstly there are the changes to the dynamic positing operator (DPO) training, experience and certification
Keeping offshore regulators around the globe in the picture about the activity of offshore contractors is an ever-increasing aspect of the work of the International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA). Last week, on Tuesday 9 April, IMCA attended a meeting of the EU Offshore Authorities Group (EUOAG) in Brussels, where Emily Comyn, IMCA Technical Adviser for Regulatory Affairs, gave a presentation on IMCA’s aims and objectives, the key role marine contractors play in supporting offshore drilling, and how IMCA’s work fits in with the EUOAG’s objectives of safety promotion and identification of best practices. The EUOAG provides a forum for the
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