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IMCA consulting on forthcoming updates to the eCMID and eMISW templates

IMCA has circulated draft revised versions of the eCMID (IMCA M 149 Issue 11) and eMISW (IMCA M 189 Issue 4) inspection templates.  These provide advance notice of changes, as well as providing an opportunity for users to comment on the question sets prior to publication, planned for early September. The eCMID update includes: new questions on cybersecurity new questions on the Maritime Labour Convention 2006 a new supplement on reactivation, reflecting the recent IMCA information note, which will be made available to eCMID users shortly additional guidance on the existing questions and references that identify the basis for requirements

IMCA Annual Seminar – ‘Working Together’ – with technical sessions on marine and diving

IMCA lines up Senior Executives from Shell, BP, Equinor, and Neptune Energy for its Annual Seminar Bain & Co Head of the global oilfield practice to speak on changes moving the industry Technical sessions on Marine and Diving addressing industry challenges The International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) will hold its Annual Seminar with the theme ‘Working Together: getting back to business – oil companies and contractors finding new ways of working’, on 28 and 29 November 2018 at the World Forum in The Hague, The Netherlands. IMCA’s CEO Allen Leatt said: “Our Annual Seminar will bring together contractors, suppliers, and

IMCA to provide insight into important aspects of DP

IMCA’s Technical Adviser and Workgroup Chairman to speak at 8th DP Asia Conference & Exhibition The International Marine Contractors Association’s (IMCA) Captain Andy Goldsmith, Technical Adviser – Marine, and Captain Mike Meade of M3 Marine and Chairman of the IMCA Reactivation of DP Vessels Workgroup, will be speaking on important aspects of dynamic positioning (DP) at the 8th DP Asia Conference & Exhibition being held in Singapore 27-29 June 2018. At the conference on 27 June 2018, Andy Goldsmith and Mike Meade will talk about the work of IMCA members in the Marine Division, with emphasis on current and future

IMCA updates 'Guidance on Safety in Shipyards'

Updated to include information on traffic management in shipyards Revised document addresses occupational health and worker fitness/health in shipyards The International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) has updated its ‘Guidance on Safety in Shipyards’ IMCA HSSE 032, IMCA M 221. The document provides guidance to vessel owners and operators when preparing contracts and procedures for vessel dry docking or extended maintenance periods alongside in a shipyard. Originally published in 2013, the revised document addresses traffic management in shipyards. Nick Hough, IMCA Technical Adviser – HSSE, Offshore Survey and ROV, said: “It is important to establish a safe working environment for all

IMCA issues revised Lifting Operations Guidance

Extensive revision to all Guidance sections and the inclusion of additional key appendices IMCA’s Technical Manager to speak on the revised Guidance at International Offshore Crane and Lifting Conference The International Marine Contractors Association’s (IMCA) has issued revised ‘Guidelines for lifting operations‘ (IMCA LR006, SEL019, D060, and M187) after an extensive review of all sections of the document, and added appendices on subsea lifts, diving operations, lifting personnel, lifting at extreme heights and dismantlement of offshore structures. The additions to the main body of the Guidance document are designed to ensure greater levels of safety. These include: a new lift

New funding arrangements for IMCA eCMID system

Dear colleagues, We are making improvements to the eCMID vessel inspection database in response to the marked increase in use of the offshore vessels’ inspection scheme. Over 2,300 vessels from more than 1,000 owners and operators are now listed on the eCMID database, and this is consulted by more than 3,800 users each year. The number of Accredited Vessel Inspectors (AVIs) using the scheme is growing and should expand further under the AVI eCMID scheme run by the International Institute of Marine Surveying (IIMS). Although the service has to date been provided completely free to the industry by IMCA, the

IMCA introduces changes to its eCMID vessel inspection database

Over 2,300 vessels listed on the eCMID database The International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) has seen a marked increase in the use of its eCMID inspection scheme for offshore vessels that benefit from an independent International Safety Management health check. Over 2,300 vessels from more than 1,000 owners and operators are now listed on the eCMID database, which is consulted by more than 3,800 users each year. Inspections are undertaken by almost 400 Accredited Vessel Inspectors (AVIs) – and this number is rapidly expanding. To manage the increase in use and enable enhancements to the eCMID website and software, IMCA

IMCA puts dynamic positioning developments in the spotlight

IMCA’s Andy Goldsmith to speak at European DP conference IMCA provides DP event reporting across marine construction industry The International Marine Contractors Association’s (IMCA) Capt Andy Goldsmith, Technical Adviser – Marine, will be speaking on crucial aspects of Dynamic Positioning (DP) at the European DP Conference in London on 6 February. IMCA has been at the forefront of DP since it was first introduced to the offshore industry. Guidance and station keeping event reports provided by IMCA Members are used throughout the industry. Capt Goldsmith explains: “Working with IMCA members on the preparation of vital guidance aimed at increasing safety

Reminder of changes to the eCMID system from 1 January 2018

Report format From 1 January 2018, IMCA will only recognise formal inspection reports conducted using its eCMID database, meaning that reports not uploaded into the database will no longer be considered by IMCA to be authorised vessel inspection reports. The whole eCMID system is now based on the principles described in the ISO 19011 – Guidance for auditing management systems – standard and is aligned with other comparable industry guidance on safety management system assurance. Accredited Vessel Inspector requirement From the same date, only Accredited Vessel Inspectors (AVIs) will be able to use the inspector functionality in the IMCA eCMID

Instant access to IMO dynamic positioning guidelines from the IMCA website

It was in March 2015 that the International Maritime Organization (IMO) agreed to use the International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) proposals as the basis for the review of the IMO Guidelines for vessels with dynamic positioning (DP) systems (MSC/Circ.645). Now that IMO has published the update (MSC/Circ.1580), IMCA has consolidated the guidance into document 245 IMO which is quickly and easily accessible on the IMCA website at https://www.imca-int.com/publications/425/guidelines-vessels-units-dynamic-positioning-dp-systems-msc-1circ-1580/, together with the original guidance contained in 113 IMO which is at https://www.imca-int.com/publications/76/guidelines-for-vessels-with-dynamic-positioning-systems-msc-circular-645/. The Guidelines for vessels with dynamic positioning systems (MSC/Circ.645) were approved by MSC 63 in May 1994 to provide the

Duo of Amsterdam-based IMCA seminars

Close on 200 delegates are expected at two seminars being held next week in Amsterdam by the International Marine Contractors (IMCA). The 2017 IMCA Lifting and Rigging Seminar with its theme ‘Slings and rigging: ‘The soft revolution” will be held on 14 June at the Novotel Amsterdam Schiphol as will the the two-day IMCA Marine Seminar (14 and 15 June) with its theme ‘Practical vessel assurance for safe & efficient operations’. The annual Lifting & Rigging seminars (formerly the Rope Forum seminars), chaired by David Cannell of TechnipFMC, have long proved a good way of encouraging discussion on issues affecting the industry;

IMCA to hold marine seminar in the Netherlands

‘Practical Vessel Assurance for Safe & Efficient Operations’ is the theme of a two-day marine seminar to be held by the International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) on Wednesday 14 and Thursday 15 June, at the Novotel Amsterdam Schiphol. The seminar will bring together IMCA members and guests eager to listen to presentations on four key topics – ‘Reactivation of DP vessels after a period of layup’; ‘Investigation and analysis of DP station keeping events’; ‘The role maritime bodies play in vessel assurance’; and ‘How IMCA’s Common Marine Inspection Document (eCMID) assists in the vessel assurance process’.  Two of the presentations

IMCA eCMID workshop to be held in Stavanger

DIARY DATE Event: eCMID Workshop Theme: ‘eCMID and eMISW contribution to vessel assurance processes’ Dates: Monday 3 April 2017 Venue: Oceaneering International’s facility in Stavanger, Norway Organised by: International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) Registration/information: www.imca-int.com/events and [email][email protected][/email] The International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) holds regular workshops to engage with the eCMID community including vessel operators, inspectors, and clients. The next workshop being held at Oceaneering International’s facility in Stavanger, Norway on the afternoon of Monday 29 May, like all such workshops in 2017, has as its core theme how IMCA vessel inspection tools can assist in vessel assurance efforts for

IMO accepts IMCA paper as basis for updating DP guidelines

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has agreed to continue using the International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) document covering The training and experience of key DP personnel as the basis of the IMO Guidelines for Dynamic Positioning System (DP) Operator Training (MSC/Circ.738). The IMCA guidance (IMCA M 117) has recently been revised and earlier this week IMO Sub-Committee on Human Element, Training and Watchkeeping (HTW 4) agreed to revise MSC/Circ. 738 to reflect the revision. In addition, the Sub-Committee decided to make a reference of IMCA Guidance in the Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW) Code. “IMO’s circular

IMCA comments on potential wide sweeping changes to Jones Act decisions

Members of the International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) with vessels active in US waters, together with their clients, have expressed serious concern over the hasty proposals by the Customs and Border Protection agency to revoke longstanding decisions made over the last 40 years concerning the Jones Act. These proposals, which represent a major change in maritime policy, have been introduced with no prior consultation, in the final two days of the Obama Administration, allowing only 30 days for public comment. The intention is to prevent non-Jones Act qualified vessels transporting merchandise between coastwise points. However, the effect may be to

Busy spring for IMCA with an extensive seminar and workshop programme

During 2016 the International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) announced it had changed its seminar strategy, replacing the traditional large annual event with a series of highly focused technical seminars. These proved very successful, and a commitment was made to build on this strategy in 2017. This has resulted in seven events being scheduled for spring 2017. “Our niche events are tailored to tackle specific topics, bringing together subject matter specialists to discuss solutions to industry issues,” explains Richard Benzie, IMCA’s Technical Director. The Spring 2017 events will be held in London, Stavanger and Amsterdam. Four of the seven events relate

IMCA guidance demonstrates the strength of working together

The International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) has undertaken the ambitious project of reviewing every guidance document in their extensive library, ensuring all are fully up-to-date. Work on the project, which started in January 2016, will be completed in the first quarter of this year. The comprehensive review has seen the Marine Division Management Committee and Offshore Survey Committees working together to revise some of IMCA’s important guidance covering acoustic and satellite-based position reference systems. The result is two new documents providing guidance to both the offshore survey and dynamic positioning community; and two revised documents of equal use to members

Change is in the air for IMCA's eCMID

From January 2018 the International Marine Contractors Association’s (IMCA) will recognise only formal inspection reports conducted using its eCMID database, meaning that paper reports not uploaded into the database will no longer be considered by IMCA to be authorised inspection reports. The whole eCMID system is now based on the principles described in the ISO 19011 Guidance for Auditing Management Systems standard and is aligned with other comparable industry guidance on safety management system assurance. From the same date only validated Accredited Vessel Inspectors (AVIs) will be able to use the ‘inspector role’ in the IMCA eCMID database to conduct

IMCA publishes 2015 DP station keeping events and incidents report

The predominant main cause for dynamic positioning (DP) station keeping events and incidents for 2015 was thruster/propulsion, according to the recently published International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) ‘Dynamic Positioning Station Keeping Review: Incidents and events reported for 2015’ (M 233). This repeats the 2012, 2013 and 2014 findings. The second cause was ‘computer’ with ‘environment’ in third position, and ‘human factor’ and ‘power’ in joint fourth. For 2015 a total of 80 DP station keeping reports from 59 vessels were received from IMCA members, and others, operating DP vessels, giving an average of 1.36 reports per vessel. All have been