From the President - November 2007
The buoyant market we are experiencing in our industry is translating into a continuous increase in the number of IMCA members. This increase leads to further demand for existing publications and new guidelines.
We are also seeing an increasing need for qualified diving personnel and note members' emphasis on addressing the shortage of skilled personnel in this area. The Diving Division Management Committee is looking at qualifying new personnel to meet the industry's demand and is considering issues such as initial diver training, how to encourage a more structured approach to the training of diving supervisors and whether additional guidance is needed on dive technicians. We are also very pleased to see that our members are taking seriously the responsibility of attracting new people by significantly increasing the numbers certified.
This is good news but covers only one discipline - there are many other positions in the industry where we will need to do likewise.
IMCA's annual safety statistics show a positive trend. One challenge which is probably not covered by our safety statistics but which is a significant problem is shipyard safety. We have had reports of several worrying situations and tragic accidents from vessels under construction or undergoing work in dry-docks. We don't want to enter into discussion here about who is at fault and who is responsible, but we need to remember that it is our vessels and, from time to time, our people that we send to the yards and hence we need to ensure a minimum level of safety in order to protect them.
The IMCA annual seminar attracted the largest audience ever and I was delighted to welcome the high-level speakers from the operators to kick off the event with their keynote addresses. The topic of New frontiers in marine contracting truly covered the huge range of new challenges and made it a great event for all the participants.
Knut Boe, Technip
IMCA President 2007
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