IMCA Newsroom

Press Release 03/04

IMCA ADDRESSES VITAL SECURITY ISSUES

Key operational and managerial personnel from across the oil and gas industry and from around the world were bought together by IMCA - The International Marine Contractors Association - in Paris to address vital security issues. As a result of the seminar IMCA is working on a number of actions to highlight and improve the situation.

Concerns had been voiced by IMCA members about vessel security, particularly offshore West Africa, but also in other areas of the world. The first seminar to be sponsored by the newly formed IMCA Europe & Africa Section provided the ideal forum at which to air these vessel security issues and those surrounding personnel security and health. A CD of the event including presentations and reports on discussions is now available from IMCA.

"Organised by our Safety, Environment & Legislation (SEL) Committee with Marine Division input, the seminar got off to a flying start thanks in no small part to the keynote address given by Dennis Amachree of Halliburton Nigeria" explains IMCA Chief Executive Hugh Williams. "His experience and openness set the tone for the day. He described the root causes of difficulties, gave examples of problems and his company's approach to avoiding them, as well as recommendations about understanding and managing the risks."

Other speakers at the Paris security seminar focused on individual issues - Martin Fraser (Oceaneering) described concerns about risks to personnel in transit; and Bertrand Huet (Stolt Offshore) looked at risks to personnel from piracy and kidnapping after arriving at the worksite. Bill Egerton (Olive Security) recommended ways of developing security programmes to counter these risks, while Dave Jenkins (Technip) continued the theme of recommended practices, targeting health management, particularly the ever-present and underestimated risks of malaria.

During the discussion period a number of common themes emerged:

• There are serious risks and proper management and planning can help
• Personnel are fearful of the unknown in some locations, but ignorance is counter-productive
• A variety of systems are in place, some extremely good, but there is a lack of consistent practice in this area

"The seminar has led directly to the identification of a number of action items on which we will be working on behalf of members," says Hugh Williams.

• Development of a familiarisation programme/ best practice document
• Liaison with lobbying of government bodies and operator groups (such as the Angolan Petroleum Industry Operations Environment)
• Issuing of security alerts by IMCA (currently done as part of the safety flash system)
• Support for local communities through health care, education, etc for us?
• Engagement with operators to move forward the issue of consistency on how clients work with contractors on security and health management issues

"These will be progressed by the worldwide IMCA SEL Core Committee with assistance of workgroups under the Europe & Africa Section."

The full proceedings, including the presentations and reports on the discussions, have been produced on CD and issued to delegates and other IMCA members. Additional copies are available to members on request from IMCA. Further information on the seminar can be found at http://www.imca-int.com/events/, with copies of the seminar CD also available for press review on request.

IMCA is the international trade association representing offshore, marine and underwater engineering companies. It has over 240 members in more than 35 countries. The Association promotes improvements in quality, health, safety, environmental and technical standards through the publication of information notes, codes of practice and by other means. Members are self-regulating through the adoption of IMCA guidelines. They commit to act as responsible members by following relevant guidelines and being willing to be audited against compliance with them by their clients. Full information on IMCA, advantages of membership and the list of members is available on the Association's website.

Notes to Editors (common)

• IMCA is an international association with over 450 members in more than 50 countries, representing offshore, marine and underwater engineering companies. IMCA has four technical divisions, covering marine/specialist vessel operations, offshore diving, hydrographic survey and remote systems and ROVs, plus geographic sections for the Americas Deepwater, Asia-Pacific, Europe & Africa and Middle East & India regions, as well as a core focus on safety, the environment, competence and training. IMCA seeks to promote its members' common interests, to resolve industry-wide issues and to provide an authoritative voice for its members.
• IMCA publishes some 200 guidance notes and technical reports. These have been developed over the years and are widely distributed. They are a definition of what IMCA stands for, including widely recognised diving and ROV codes of practice, DP documentation, marine good practice guidance, the Common Marine Inspection Document, safety recommendation, outline training syllabi and the IMCA competence scheme guidance. In addition to the range of printed guidance documents, IMCA also produces safety promotional materials, circulates information notes and safety flashes.
• Judith Patten is here to help you if you want any additional information on IMCA; would like to discuss a feature article; want to organise interviews with key members of the IMCA team, etc.