After an insightful and successful first day at IMCA’s Global Summit on Tuesday 3 December, the event was concluded with the long awaited IMCA Awards 2024 ceremony.
The awards recognised and rewarded innovative and impactful projects in three categories: Safety, Sustainability, and ProjectGHG.
The Safety Award was presented to DeepOcean for their digital self-verification app and bespoke checklist of nine Life-Saving rules which significantly helped reduce safety incidents since its implementation. The judges were impressed by the app’s was use of statistical data that showed the process had made a significant contribution to reducing the incident rates across all LSR categories by at least 50% in 2024, when measured across the same period for the previous year.
Adrian White, Health, Safety & Security Manager, further commented: “Implementation of the digital app has gone a long way in enforcing employee accountability and validation of a process which has a ‘if you can measure it, you can improve it’ philosophy.”
The Environmental Sustainability Award was presented to Subsea7, for their BORA Blue Ocean Research Alliance®. The collaboration between the National Oceanography Centre (NOC) and Subsea7, was designed to build knowledge and understanding of the world’s oceans as well as deliver new marine research and accelerate technology developments on a global scale from shallow to deep water.
The judges found that the project aligns with the SDG and demonstrates a powerful innovative approach to addressing the nature crisis we face.
The standard of entries in this year’s IMCA Awards were very strong and the judges felt that the shortlists showed remarkable initiative, dedication and a passion for our industry.
Mary Ntamark, Technical Adviser – Environmental Sustainability commented: “This Alliance is a highly motivating initiative, in the efforts to heal our planet and secure a sustainable future. The outstanding collaboration between academia, scientific expertise, and industry capabilities is inspiring and we’re excited to see where it leads in the future.”
Finally, staying on the theme of sustainability and conservation the ProjectGHG award was presented to Solstad Offshore for their Green Operations® (SGO) initiative, which enhances fuel efficiency and reduces emissions fleet-wide through operational adjustments and a shift in onboard energy consumption behaviour. Since its origin in 2009, the SGO campaign has achieved a remarkable 20% reduction in fuel usage through extensive crew commitment and training.
The judges thought the initiative showcased exemplary efforts in reducing greenhouse gas emissions through its pioneering campaign and were impressed by fuel savings equivalent to a 19,000-ton CO2 reduction this year alone.
Lee Billigham, Director of Strategy & Energy Transition, said: “By fostering a culture of energy efficiency, embracing advanced fuel monitoring technology, and celebrating proactive crew efforts, Solstad Offshore exemplifies leadership in sustainability and decarbonisation. Their technological advancements have incorporated continuous fuel monitoring via supervisory software, streamlining and refining SGO reporting. Their commitment to daily reporting in recent years demonstrate the campaign's continuous evolution and dedication to sustainability, and we felt they were the winners in their category.
The standard of entries in this year’s IMCA Awards were very strong and the judges felt that the shortlists showed remarkable initiative, dedication and a passion for our industry. The IMCA Awards serve as a platform to acknowledge and honour the dedication and hard work our Members show for their work and their staff and highlight areas of positive change in the marine industry. By recognising and celebrating these achievements, IMCA hopes to inspire and motivate the industry to continue striving for excellence.
Iain Grainger, CEO said: “I would like to thank all our Members who took the time to submit their projects for consideration and congratulate the shortlistees, and of course the winners. I was particularly impressed by the quality of the entries and excellent work that is being done in the industry in these three categories that are so crucial to IMCA’s work and ethos and of course to our Members. I can’t wait to see the level of entries we receive in next year’s round of calls.”
Liz James accepts Environmental Sustainability Award on behalf of Subsea7
