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 Project of the Year Award was presented to DeepOcean for its digital self-verification app and checklist of nine 'life-saving rules' - DeepOcean's bespoke suite of guiding statements, actions, and case studies designed to engage its workforce in safe working practices. The judges were impressed by the app’s ability to produce 'live' outputs for ongoing learning and action tracking in the workplace. Data shows the platform made a significant contribution to reducing 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, and Security Manager at IMCA, commented: “Implementation of the digital app has gone a long way in enforcing employee accountability and validation, making good use of the ‘if you can measure it, you can improve it’ philosophy.”
The Sustainability Project of the Year Award was presented to Subsea7, for the BORA Blue Ocean Research Alliance®, in collaboration with the UK's National Oceanography Centre. The Alliance 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 praised the project's alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, and said it demonstrated a powerful and innovative approach to addressing the nature crisis.
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 Project of the Year award was presented to Solstad Offshore for its Green Operations® (SGO) initiative, which enhances fuel efficiency and reduces fleet-wide emissions through operational and behavioural adjustments. 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 and were impressed by fuel savings equivalent to a 19,000-ton CO2 reduction this year alone.
Lee Billigham, Director of Strategy and 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. Its technological advancements have incorporated continuous fuel monitoring via supervisory software, streamlining and refining reporting. Its 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 reiterated that being shortlisted for the awards was in itself an honour. The IMCA Awards serve as a platform to acknowledge and celebrate the dedication and innovation demonstrated by IMCA Members in addressing key challenges in the marine industry. By recognising these achievements, IMCA hopes to inspire and motivate the industry to continue striving for excellence.
Iain Grainger, IMCA CEO, said: “I would like to thank all our Members who took the time to submit their projects for consideration and congratulate our shortlistees, and of course our winners. I was particularly impressed by the quality of the entries and excellent work that is being done in the industry in three areas that are so crucial to IMCA’s work and ethos. I can’t wait to see the quality of entries we receive in next year’s round of calls.”
The Environmental Sustainability Award was presented to Subsea7
The ProjectGHG award was presented to Solstad Offshore
The Safety Award was presented to DeepOcean
