IMCA Marine Division

Publication Details - Seminar Proceedings

IMCA Annual Seminar 2005

Over 250 delegates attended the IMCA Annual Seminar held in Abu Dhabi on 22-23 November 2005. This was the thirteenth annual seminar and was a joint Marine and Diving event with input from the other two IMCA technical divisions - Offshore Survey and Remote Systems & ROV - with the theme "Expanding Marine Contracting - Shaping the Future of Diving, DP and Marine Construction Practices". 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 marine contracting in the Middle East region through discussion of operational practices such as the use of tugs with DSVs and the latest technological developments to lessons learned from operational experience. The seminar also included a number of workshops and a well supported exhibition where relevant equipment and services were on display. A wide range of topics was covered and the high level of contribution to discussions both in the plenary and at 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 Steve MacMillan, the IMCA Middle East & India Section Chairman, Frits Janmaat, IMCA President, opened the seminar describing IMCA’s current work programme as well as discussing the issues facing the marine contracting sector and IMCA's response to them - for example improving the relationship between contractors and clients. This was followed by Captain Ron McGuire of ADMA-OPCO who described the contractor's role in work with ADMA-OPCO, his company’s operating philosophy and the role IMCA had to play in marine operations in the region. Chris Rodricks of SEAMEC then went on to discuss some of the challenges facing DP operations offshore India, describing the monsoon season and its implications, the cyclone season and tidal flows.

Day two's plenary session included Lachlan McKelvie of Seabulk, who provided a thought-provoking presentation on communicating lessons learned from incidents, while Robin Phillips spoke on a flag state's approach to offshore regulation on behalf of the Bahamas Maritime Authority.

• Introduction and welcoming address - Steve MacMillan, J Ray McDermott - Chairman, IMCA Middle East & India Section
• IMCA - Taking forward marine contracting - Frits Janmaat, Allseas - IMCA President
• Marine contracting in the Middle East region - A client's perspective - Ron McGuire, ADMA-OPCO
• DP operations offshore India - Chris Rodricks, SEAMEC
• Communicating lessons learned from incidents - A contractor's approach - Lachlan McKelvie, Seabulk Offshore
• A flag state approach to offshore regulation - Robin Phillips, Bahamas Maritime Authority
• Use of tugs and anchor handlers with DSVs - Andy Rodden, Technip
• Working offshore Iran - Yngve B Bergflødt, Statoil
• Digital video - A review of current and future technology - Will Primavesi, Saipem/Sonsub

Marine sessions

From mid-morning on each day, delegates split into two parallel sessions - those on Marine topics covered issues including lessons learned from ten years of DP incidents, common mode failures in class 2 equipment, doppler logs as an alternative position reference for DP, other DP issues and how IMCA's Marine Division was trying to take industry issues forward.

• IMCA Marine Division - Taking industry issues forward - Pete Somner, Subsea 7
• Lessons from ten years of DP incidents - Nick Cranch, Global Maritime
• The implementation of reliability-centred maintenance in the marine environment - Clive Adshead, Prosafe
• Common mode failures in DP class 2 power plant - Peter Napier, Poseidon Maritime (UK) Ltd
• Doppler logs as an alternative position reference system for DP - Allan Meahan, Alstom Power Conversion
• The evolving role of the Nautical Institute in the Middle East and how it can work better with IMCA - Capt. Duncan McKelvie - Chairman, Nautical Institute UAE Branch
• DP requirements for OSVs - The application of industry guidelines - Joe Hughes, Cross-industry OSV workgroup
• DGPS for DP and survey purposes - Tony Leary, IMCA Offshore Survey Division
• Marine auditing in the Middle East - Ian Bacon, Noble Denton
• Dual acoustic DP sensors - Are they truly dual? - Donald Thomson, Nautronix

Diving sessions

Meanwhile, the diving sessions covered long-term health issues for divers, diving in Azerbaijan, considerations when diving in contaminated waters, underwater cutting and hyperbaric evacuation and its post-launch support. This final topic was built on in the later workshop, where Dr Ajit Kulkarni described his experience with assisting divers in a hyperbaric evacuation and then drawing on his extensive experience as a hyperbaric doctor to set out some of the issues he felt were important in considering hyperbaric evacuation.

• Diving in Azerbaijan - John Denham, Stolt Offshore
• Surface supplied mixed gas diving - Charlie Rogerson, CCC (Underwater Engineering)
• Long-term health issues - Stephen Watt, Aberdeen University
• The life cycle of a concrete mattress - Derek Beddows, Technip
• Contaminated water diving - Scott Jamieson, Divex
• All about helium - Bert Smith, Air Products
• Underwater cutting - Andrew Pettit, Consultant
• Hyperbaric evacuation and its post-launch support - Gerry Desborough, Subsea 7 and Dr Ajit Kulkarni
• SCUBA-replacement operations in the Middle East - Mohamed Osman, Maridive/Mustafa Al-Behieri, Mutawa
• Use of rigid inflatable boats in harsh environments - Peter Dickson, Technip

Workshops

Ten workshops were held, building on and extending the discussion on topics presented during the event:

Joint workshops:

• Communications
• Use of tugs and anchor handlers with DSVs

Marine workshops:

• DP incidents
• FMEAs
• Online diagnostics - How are they being used?
• Shared use of sensors between DP and survey

Diving workshops:

• Surface supplied mixed gas diving
• Contaminated water diving
• Isolations and barriers - One year on
• SCUBA-replacement operations - Regional requirements

The whole seminar was well received, combining interesting presentations, constructive debate and wide-ranging discussions with social events where delegates and speakers could network and discuss issues further in relaxed surroundings.

Proceedings

The full proceedings, including the presentations listed above together with reports on the discussions, have been produced on CD and issued to delegates and other IMCA members. Additional copies are available for purchase.