Working Together: Speakers announced for Diving Technical day at IMCA's Annual Seminar in The Hague
Published on 9 October 2018
- Revision of the IMO Diving Instruments covered from concept to delivery
- Oxygen uptake and medical fitness to dive explored
- New CPD scheme for Diving Supervisors and Competence Assessment e-Portfolios for diving roles in the spotlight
The International Marine Contractors Association’s (IMCA) Annual Seminar with its theme ‘Working Together: Getting back to business – oil companies and contractors finding new ways of working’, on the 28 and 29 November, will feature a day-long Diving Technical Session. The IMCA Annual Seminar will be held at the World Forum in The Hague, The Netherlands.
The Diving Session, on 29 November, will cover topics on ‘Revision of the IMO Diving Instruments‘, ‘Health, Fitness and Medical Issues in Diving Operations‘, and ‘Competence for Dive Team Members‘, including descriptions of IMCA’s plans for Diving Supervisor Continuing Professional Development (CPD) and the proposed development of ‘Competence Assessment e-Portfolios for Diving Roles‘.
Revision of the IMO Diving Instruments
The revision of the IMO diving resolutions – the ‘Code of Safety for Diving Systems’ and ‘Guidelines and Specifications for hyperbaric evacuation systems’ will be the first topic for the Diving session.
Peter Sieniewicz, IMCA Technical Adviser – Diving, said: “IMCA and the International Association of Oil & Gas Producers (IOGP) jointly put forward a proposal for the revision of the IMO diving resolutions to IMO’s Maritime Safety Committee in May this year. The overwhelming support it received proves that commercial diving safety is an important issue for global shipping. On 29 November we will cover the topic from concept to delivery. Bryan McGlinchy, IMCA’s Diving Manager will provide an overview and explore the implications of the review for industry.”
Revision of the IMO Diving Instruments will be also addressed by Paul Drummond and Robert Rostron of DNV GL. They will focus on ‘Achieving an international baseline’ and ‘What we want/need, and what the IMO can deliver’.
Mike Jessop of TAG Diving Services will consider the changes that should be made to modernise and improve the requirements for Hyperbaric Evacuation Systems (HES), particularly from the design, build and operational standpoint for current and future systems. Great industry strides in the provision and use of HES have been made since the IMO Diving Instruments were written. In particular, new and detailed industry guidelines on HES systems have been prepared by IMCA and IOGP, such as IMCA D 051 – Hyperbaric evacuation systems (HES) interface recommendations and IMCA D 052 Guidance on Hyperbaric Evacuation Systems.
Fitness to Dive v Fit to Dive
Dr Phil Bryson of Iqarus will introduce the second topic of the day, ‘Health, Fitness and Medical Issues in Diving Operations’, in which maximal oxygen uptake as a measure of aerobic capacity and cardiorespiratory fitness will figure prominently. TechnipFMC’s Andy Butler will look at ‘Differentiating medical fitness to dive versus physical fitness to dive – a contractor’s experience’; while Øyvind Loennechen, also from TechnipFMC, and Dr Bryson will focus on ‘Direct and indirect measurement of VO2 max in divers for physical fitness assessment‘.
CPD and Competence Assessment
The proposal to launch a new Continuing Professional Development (CPD) scheme for Diving Supervisors is next on the agenda for the Diving Session.
Bryan McGlinchy said: “Diving Supervisors operate in a safety critical position.IMCA launched a scheme to qualify these key diving personnel in 1988. However, once qualified, there has been little interaction to ensure that Supervisors keep up to date with changes in IMCA’s guidance and to maintain their theoretical knowledge.This will change with the launch of IMCA’s CPD scheme, which will ensure that Diving Supervisors are kept up to date with the latest changes to IMCA guidance and industry practices.”
The final session of the day is devoted to looking at Competence Assessment e-Portfolios for diving roles, which will be of relevance and benefit to freelance personnel.
Further information
Registration is now open via the IMCA website at legacy.imca-int.com/events/imca-annual-seminar-2018-the-hague/ Information on all aspects of the Annual Seminar including exhibiting and sponsorship is available online and from events@legacy.imca-int.com