Press Release

NEW PRESIDENT LOOKS FORWARD TO INCREASED GLOBAL RECOGNITION FOR IMCA

Steve Preston, Director, Sales and Business Development of Heerema Marine Contractors the new President of IMCA - The International Marine Contractors Association - looks forward to increasing global expansion for the trade association that represents the interests of marine contractors around the world. The Association has over 200 members in 30 countries.

"Companies operating in the marine services sector always follow the work. With substantial offshore developments taking place all over the world, it's crucial that IMCA now expands to become an effective global organisation responsible to the widely differing political and environmental climate in every region," he says. "Greater diversity emphasises in particular the value and importance of global guidelines. The marine services sector therefore needs a competent global trade association capable of developing and maintaining such guidelines.

"I see it as my role to help IMCA win global recognition as the trade association of preference among marine contractors, service providers and their clients. This responsibility extends, however, to all members and in my first message to them I am inviting them to help spread the word globally about IMCA and what it exists to do.

"IMCA members already employ a significant proportion of the people who make the difference between success and failure for many offshore projects. Through their Association, IMCA members have an opportunity to use their collective strength to continually improve standards and to direct the development of a consistent global market place within which to conduct safe and profitable business."

The position of IMCA President is honorary and for a fixed period of two years. "IMCA has been particularly lucky in two ways," explains Chief Executive Hugh Williams. "First, it has had a succession of key industry figures in the post with John Smith of Subsea 7 just standing down after a successful term; second, IMCA's Council and Presidents have very actively represented members and guided the Association's developments. We are delighted to welcome Steve Preston as our new President. He has been active in marine contracting and offshore operations in the oil and gas sector since 1974. A structural engineer by background he has been involved in or managed many projects including the Oseberg offshore construction project (when he worked for Norsk Hydro in Oslo in the 1980s). Today he has overall responsibility for sales and business development relating to all Heerema Marine Contractors' commercial activities working with the commercial teams in the Leiden and Houston offices.

"He has been on the IMCA Council for four years as well as being a founder board member of the UK industry body LOGIC. He also continues a tradition of his company's involvement with IMCA, as Hein Mulder is a past IMCA President and the company fills a number of key committee positions. We look forward to his further input in the coming years."

Paying tribute to his predecessor, John Smith of Subsea 7, Steve Preston said: "I want to thank John Smith for his tremendous work as President of IMCA over the past two years. He has worked tirelessly to help modernise the Association's constitution and operating structure. Having been involved with John and other Council members in developing these important changes, I am proud to take over from him. One key development in the globalisation of IMCA has been the recent establishment of an Americas Deepwater section. The formation of a Europea & Africa section will now take considerable energy and attention. When complete, this process will deliver an organisation with full participation and balanced representation from every region and all parts of the offshore marine services sector."