Over 170 delegates attended the 2004 IMCA Annual Seminar, held on 2-3 December at the Regent Hotel in Singapore. This was the twelfth annual seminar and, for the first item, featured a programme developed by all four of IMCA's technical divisions.

Participants included offshore and onshore management and operational staff, together with a range of specialist consultants, equipment manufacturers and client and regulatory representatives.

The subjects covered in the presentations ranged from topical issues, such as the ISPS Code, through to practical experiecne, the latest technological developments and operational practices. The seminar also incldued a number of workshops and a well supported exhibition where relevant equipment and services were displayed.

A wide range of topics was covered and the high level of contribution to discussions both in the plenary and workshop sessions was pleasing.

Joint plenary sessions

All delegates assembled for the plenary session at the start of the seminar, where after being welcomed by Andy Bolton, the Asia-Pacific Section Chairman, Steve Preston, IMCA President, opened the seminar by describing what IMCA is, what it stands for, the current issues facing the marine contracting sector and IMCA’s response to these challenges. This was followed by Captain Abdul Halim Said of Shell, who outlined the emerging marine scenarios and key issues around oil and gas activities in the South China Sea. Chris Austen of MUSC posed the question of whether the ISPS Code had enhanced the security of the maritime industry and provided some useful feedback on the current status of implementation of the Code around the world’s ports. On day two, Donaldson of Sonsub provided a fascinating account of the Prestige project, which was followed by a mix of presentations on technological developments, recent initiatives and new IMCA guidance on FMEAs and operational practices.

• Introduction to IMCA, Welcoming address - Andy Bolton, Technip Oceania - Chairman, IMCA Asia-Pacific Section
• IMCA in 2004 and beyond - Steve Preston, Heerema Marine Contractors - IMCA President
• The changing marine business environment - Capt. Abdul Halim Said, Shell EP Asia Pacific
• Has the ISPS Code enhanced the security of the maritime industry? - Chris Austen, MUSC
• The Prestige project - Bill Donaldson, Sonsub
• The role of the supervisor in leading safety offshore - Mark Lowman, Technip
• Safe management of marine operations - Ian Wilson, Woodside Energy
• Safety and operational standards: An oil company perspective - Tim Chesshire, Total
• DP in a hurry: Mobilising a vessel of opportunity for DP operations in the subsea sector - Mike Meade, Seacor Marine International

Marine sessions

From mid-morning on each day, delegates split into two parallel sessions - that on Marine topics covered issues including operational challenges for large deepwater construction vessels on DP, navigation and positioning advances, DP incidents and wire ropes - their use and abuse

• Challenges of operating large deepwater construction vessels on dynamic positioning - Rene Wouts, Heerema
• Improving acoustic positioning for DP by the use of inertial sensors - Petter Jacobsen/Jan Erik Faugstadmo, Kongsberg Maritime
• Navigation and positioning in the deep waters of tomorrow - Donald Thomson, Nautronix
• Integrated solution for optical fibre cable burial verification surveys - John Davies/Steve Searle, Global Marine Systems
• DP incidents - Kees van Beveren, Global Maritime
• Wire ropes: Their use and abuse - Pete Somner, Subsea 7
• DGPS: Where are we today? Where are we going? - John Roscoe-Hudson, C&C Technologies
• Impact of GPS modernisation and Galileo on the DGNSS service provider and user - David Russell, Veripos
• FMEA management guide - Ian Harper, Wavespec
• Competence assurance practice: DP CAP™ - A tool to maintain DP operational skill onboard vessels with confined DP operating time - Kjell Helgøy, Teekay

Diving sessions

Meanwhile, the diving sessions covered a thought-provoking presentation on diving safety - where we are and where we’re going, diver training, subsea isolations for diver interventions and hazardous marine life in the Asia-Pacific region.

• Diving safety: Where we were and where we're going - Pete Somner, Subsea 7
• Diver training: The Australian and Canadian approach - Paul Butler, ADAS
• IDSA/IMCA diver training initiative - John Greensmyth, Technip
• Deep saturation infection in 200msw - Steve MacMillan, J Ray McDermott
• Subsea isolations for divers' intrusive work - Derek Beddows, Technip
• Hazardous marine life in the Asia-Pacific region - Des Power, Subsea 7
• Joint subsea initiative in Indonesia - Mike Spencer, Star Energy
• Subsea solutions from a vessel operator's view - John Awater, Bluewater
• Diving system FMEAs: Why and how? - Paul Shotton, Subsea 7
• Hyperbaric welding - Andy Bolton, Technip

Workshops

A total of nine workshops was held, which built on and extended the discussion on topics presented during the event:

Marine workshops:

• ISPS issues
• DP incidents
• Delegates' choice: Training and competency of auditors for the CMID and annual DP trials
• Contractors and clients working together for safe offshore operations
• Training and competence of key marine personnel
• FMEA issues

Diving workshops:

• Diver training
• Isolation and barriers
• Diving FMEAs and the Diving Equipment Systems Inspection Guidance Notes (DESIGN)