Competence Assurance and Assessment in the Marine Sector

The IMCA guidance on competence assurance and assessment assists contractors in ensuring and demonstrating the competence of personnel working offshore in safety critical positions.

In the marine sector, guidance currently extends to the following positions:

with the guidance covering the following types of operation:

For each job, entry level qualifications and acceptance criteria are listed. For example, the entry level qualifications for a project engineer/field engineer are an offshore medical and an offshore survival course (both suitable for the geographic area of work), a current and valid medical certificate and appropriate entries in their competence record as a shift foreman.

Various subjects are then given for competence assessment. Accompanying each of these is a summary of the knowledge required, a way to demonstrate competence, and acceptance criteria. For example, 'emergency response', competence can be assessed. For this, a welding supervisor requires a knowledge of responding to and handling emergency situations. Competence can be demonstrated by approved training, on-the-job assessment and through practical drills. A company supervisor should carry out the approved assessment and valid certificates, such as fire team leader, should be seen, as per company standards.

For full details on IMCA's work and guidance on competence assurance assessment, please visit our Competence & Training pages.