IMCA announces membership of Europe and Africa Committee following elections

IMCA has welcomed six new industry experts to its Europe and Africa Committee following elections among IMCA Members.

The successful candidates, who were all nominated and voted for by IMCA Members from across the region, are:

• Giampaolo Bonalumi – Head of the Assets Dept in E&C Offshore Division at Saipem,
• Lindi Brogneri – Chief Operating Officer at LOGiit,
• Rolf de Vries – Managing Director at Bluestream Offshore,
• Luke Dicks – Investigation Manager at Boskalis Offshore Energy,
• Darren Shannon – Senior Manager at Oceaneering International, and
• Erik Bergh – Group HSEQS and Sustainability Director at DeepOcean.

Cinthya Lopes of Simwave and Rolf Røssland of NUI were both re-elected to the 12-person committee as Chair and Vice-Chair, respectively, alongside Ekkehard Stade from Global Maritime, Norman Skillen from Jan De Nul, Jan Michiel Scholtz from Mackay Marine, and Andrew Laing from Unique Group.

Cinthya Lopes praised the wide variety of expertise in the committee, which now includes vessels operators, competency providers, compliance assurers and mission specific professionals. She also welcomed the increasing participation of Africa-based Members, and said that increasing engagement from Members in Africa still further would be a key objective for the committee over the coming year.

She said: “For many years, the committee was fully represented by European members but since 2023, we achieved an important goal welcoming two members from Africa and this year we received a third member from that region. Their participation in the committee is crucial. For the committee team, it is a great opportunity to be able to combine the expertise from both regions.”

The Europe and Africa Committee is one of five regional committees supported by IMCA, alongside those covering North America, South America, the Middle East and India, and Asia Pacific. Its headline objectives are to:

• Foster the development of offshore activities within Europe and Africa by supporting the local industry,
• Encourage research and development, innovation, and the adoption of new technology within the region, and
• Facilitate collaboration among regional members by means of information sharing and networking.

This year, the committee will continue its successful series of regional seminars, bringing together Members from across the two continents at events in June, to be held in London, and in the autumn, at a venue in Africa.

“We see these as opportunities to hear the voices of IMCA Members, and to try to align support through IMCA, as well as create a great networking space for IMCA members where the exchange of experiences between participants can bring also new cooperations,” said Cinthya Lopes.

Decarbonisation is likely to be one of the topics discussed at these meetings, she added, with both regions actively pursuing environmental agendas.

“Both Europe and Africa are focusing on decarbonization within the offshore industry, having specific regional challenges and goals. The European Union has implemented the FuelEU Maritime Regulation, effective from January 1, 2025, aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in maritime transport. 

“Both regions are actively pursuing decarbonization, with Europe implementing stringent regulations and ambitious renewable energy targets, while African nations are exploring strategies to balance economic growth with environmental sustainability.” 

For further information on the work of the Europe and Africa Committee contact mary.ntamark@imca-int.com.