International Marine Contractors Association

Last updated
International Marine Contractors Association
Formation1972/1995
TypeTrade Association
Headquarters66 Buckingham Gate
London SW1E 6AU
United Kingdom
Region
Worldwide
Membership
700+
Key people
Iain Grainger (CEO)
Jim Cullen (Technical Director)
Website www.imca-int.com

International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) is a leading international trade association for the marine contracting industry. It is a not for profit organisation with members representing the majority of worldwide marine contractors in the oil and gas and renewable energy industries.

Contents

IMCA was formed following the merger of the Association of Offshore Diving Contractors (AODC) with the Dynamically Positioned Vessel Owners Association (DPVOA) in 1995.

Overview

IMCA's mission is to improve performance in the marine contracting industry.

IMCA represents over 700 member organisations in over 60 countries. [1] It operates in five geographic regions of the globe (in Asia-Pacific, North America, Europe & Africa, Middle East & India and South America). [2] IMCA has a full-time secretariat in London that organises and manages the regional and technical committees. The extensive committee structure consists of elected member representatives who are experts in their field of operation.

As a trade association, IMCA is required to comply with international competition law and represents the industry on national and international forums, such as the International Maritime Organizaton. [3]

Publications and documents

IMCA has developed a comprehensive body of knowledge in the form of a suite of over 250 published guidance documents, technical information notes, DVDs and safety promotional materials which are internationally recognised as authoritative and establish standards of good practice in the marine contracting industry. [4]

IMCA has published guidance documents in the following fields:

Diving Certification

IMCA provides an internationally recognised certification scheme for three specialist diving disciplines: [7]

Events

IMCA organises an annual programme of meetings and events all over the world, including regional meetings, briefing sessions, technical seminars and workshops on specific industry related issues. The Association's flagship event takes place every two years with an agenda combining business and strategic issues featuring senior executives and technical sessions. IMCA also supports a number of conferences and exhibitions hosted by other organisations which share a common interest of its members.

History

Past IMCA Presidents

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Professional diving</span> Underwater diving where divers are paid for their work

Professional diving is underwater diving where the divers are paid for their work. Occupational diving has a similar meaning and applications. The procedures are often regulated by legislation and codes of practice as it is an inherently hazardous occupation and the diver works as a member of a team. Due to the dangerous nature of some professional diving operations, specialized equipment such as an on-site hyperbaric chamber and diver-to-surface communication system is often required by law, and the mode of diving for some applications may be regulated.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Commercial diving</span> Professional diving on industrial projects

Commercial diving may be considered an application of professional diving where the diver engages in underwater work for industrial, construction, engineering, maintenance or other commercial purposes which are similar to work done out of the water, and where the diving is usually secondary to the work.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diving medicine</span> Diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disorders caused by underwater diving

Diving medicine, also called undersea and hyperbaric medicine (UHB), is the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of conditions caused by humans entering the undersea environment. It includes the effects on the body of pressure on gases, the diagnosis and treatment of conditions caused by marine hazards and how relationships of a diver's fitness to dive affect a diver's safety. Diving medical practitioners are also expected to be competent in the examination of divers and potential divers to determine fitness to dive.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dive log</span> Record of diving history of an underwater diver

A dive log is a record of the diving history of an underwater diver. The log may either be in a book, locally hosted software, or web based. The log serves purposes both related to safety and personal records. Information in a log may contain the date, time and location, the profile of the dive, equipment used, air usage, above and below water conditions, including temperature, current, wind and waves, general comments, and verification by the buddy, instructor or supervisor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Technip</span> Company in project management, engineering, and construction for the energy industry

Technip S.A. was a company that carried out project management, engineering and construction for the energy industry; in 2017 it completed a merger with FMC Technologies to form TechnipFMC. Its headquarters were in the 16th arrondissement of Paris. It has about 38,000 employees and operates in 48 countries.

<i>Pioneering Spirit</i> Very large platform installation/decommissioning and pipelay vessel

Pioneering Spirit is a catamaran crane vessel owned by the Switzerland-based Allseas Group designed for the single-lift installation and removal of large oil and gas platforms and the installation of record-weight pipelines. The 382-metre-long (1,253 ft), 124-metre-wide (407 ft) vessel is the world's largest vessel by gross tonnage, the heaviest vehicle ever made and since September 2021 also the largest floating sheerleg in the world. It was built in South Korea by Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering in 2013 at a cost of €2.6 billion. It commenced offshore operations in August 2016.

Allseas Group S.A. is a Dutch offshore contractor specialising in pipelay, heavy lift and subsea construction. It was founded in 1985 by owner and president Edward Heerema, employs 4,000 people and operates worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bailout bottle</span> Emergency gas supply cylinder carried by a diver

A bailout bottle (BoB) or, more formally, bailout cylinder is a scuba cylinder carried by an underwater diver for use as an emergency supply of breathing gas in the event of a primary gas supply failure. A bailout cylinder may be carried by a scuba diver in addition to the primary scuba set, or by a surface supplied diver using either free-flow or demand systems. The bailout gas is not intended for use during the dive except in an emergency, and would be considered a fully redundant breathing gas supply if used correctly. The term may refer to just the cylinder, or the bailout set or emergency gas supply (EGS), which is the cylinder with the gas delivery system attached. The bailout set or bailout system is the combination of the emergency gas cylinder with the gas delivery system to the diver, which includes a diving regulator with either a demand valve, a bailout block, or a bailout valve (BOV).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Commercial offshore diving</span> Professional diving in support of the oil and gas industry

Commercial offshore diving, sometimes shortened to just offshore diving, generally refers to the branch of commercial diving, with divers working in support of the exploration and production sector of the oil and gas industry in places such as the Gulf of Mexico in the United States, the North Sea in the United Kingdom and Norway, and along the coast of Brazil. The work in this area of the industry includes maintenance of oil platforms and the building of underwater structures. In this context "offshore" implies that the diving work is done outside of national boundaries. Technically it also refers to any diving done in the international offshore waters outside of the territorial waters of a state, where national legislation does not apply. Most commercial offshore diving is in the Exclusive Economic Zone of a state, and much of it is outside the territorial waters. Offshore diving beyond the EEZ does also occur, and is often for scientific purposes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diving supervisor</span> Professional diving team leader responsible for safety

The diving supervisor is the professional diving team member who is directly responsible for the diving operation's safety and the management of any incidents or accidents that may occur during the operation; the supervisor is required to be available at the control point of the diving operation for the diving operation's duration, and to manage the planned dive and any contingencies that may occur. Details of competence, requirements, qualifications, registration and formal appointment differ depending on jurisdiction and relevant codes of practice. Diving supervisors are used in commercial diving, military diving, public safety diving and scientific diving operations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diver training</span> Processes to develop the skills and knowledge to dive safely underwater

Diver training is the set of processes through which a person learns the necessary and desirable skills to safely dive underwater within the scope of the diver training standard relevant to the specific training programme. Most diver training follows procedures and schedules laid down in the associated training standard, in a formal training programme, and includes relevant foundational knowledge of the underlying theory, including some basic physics, physiology and environmental information, practical skills training in the selection and safe use of the associated equipment in the specified underwater environment, and assessment of the required skills and knowledge deemed necessary by the certification agency to allow the newly certified diver to dive within the specified range of conditions at an acceptable level of risk. Recognition of prior learning is allowed in some training standards.

The International Diving Regulators and Certifiers Forum (IDRCF) is an organisation representing a group of national regulatory and certifying bodies for occupational diving, and other interested and affected parties. The IDRCF confirmed its principles and purpose at their meeting in London in September 2009. The statement of principles and purpose states “The forum has agreed to work together towards mutual recognition to identify and implement best practice in diver training and assessment with the objective of harmonising cross-border diver training outside Europe.”

The European Diving Technology Committee eV. (EDTC) is an association registered in Kiel, Federal Republic of Germany for the purpose of making professional diving safer by creating international standards. Membership is open to all countries of the continent of Europe, with each country having one representative from the medical, industrial, government and trade union sectors. Some major diving industry associations are also involved. As of May 2016, 22 nations and 6 international non-governmental organisations were represented in the EDTC.

The Diving Medical Advisory Council (DMAC) is an independent organisation of diving medical specialists, mostly from across Northern Europe which exists to provide expert advice about medical and some safety aspects of commercial diving. The advice is published in the form of guidance documents, which are made available for download.

A code of practice can be a document that complements occupational health and safety laws and regulations to provide detailed practical guidance on how to comply with legal obligations, and should be followed unless another solution with the same or better health and safety standard is in place, or may be a document for the same purpose published by a self-regulating body to be followed by member organisations.

The operations manual is the documentation by which an organisation provides guidance for members and employees to perform their functions correctly and reasonably efficiently. It documents the approved standard procedures for performing operations safely to produce goods and provide services. Compliance with the operations manual will generally be considered as activity approved by the persons legally responsible for the organisation.

Diving regulations are the stipulations of the delegated legislation regarding the practice of underwater diving. They apply within the national territory and territorial waters of a country. In most cases they apply to occupational diving, but in a few cases also to recreational diving. There are exemptions for recreational diving in some cases where it is recognised as a self-regulated industry. Offshore diving is generally outside the scope of diving regulations, and tends to be self-regulated through voluntary membership of industry organisations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diving team</span> Group of people working together to enhance dive safety and achieve a task

A diving team is a group of people who work together to conduct a diving operation. A characteristic of professional diving is the specification for minimum personnel for the diving support team. This typically specifies the minimum number of support team members and their appointed responsibilities in the team based on the circumstances and mode of diving, and the minimum qualifications for specified members of the diving support team. The minimum team requirements may be specified by regulation or code of practice. Some specific appointments within a professional dive team have defined competences and registration may be required.

Edward Heerema is a Dutch engineer, businessman and he was the sole owner of Allseas, a major offshore oil business company. The company is now run by his son Pieter. Through Allseas, he was the owner of the largest ship in the world, the pipe-layer Pioneering Spirit.

References

  1. Staff. "Member Directory". International Marine Contractors Association. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
  2. Staff. "IMCA Regions". About IMCA. International Marine Contractors Association. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
  3. "Non-Governmental international Organizations which have been granted consultative status with IMO" . Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  4. staff (2005). "International Marine Contractors Association publishes 2003 safety statistics". South Pacific Underwater Medicine Society (SPUMS) Journal. 35 (2). Archived from the original on February 11, 2014. Retrieved 2014-02-11.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  5. Staff. "Safety, Environment & Legislation". International Marine Contractors Association. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Staff. "Publications catalogue" (PDF). IMCA. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
  7. Staff. "Training & Certification". Diving. International Marine Contractors Association. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
  8. 1 2 Staff. "IMCA History". International Marine Contractors Association. Retrieved 10 July 2023.