Regional round-up: Bringing our Members together

IMCA held three Regional Meetings in March as part of its IMCA Live programme of global events.

IMCA’s Regional Meetings bring Members together to discuss industry issues, explore the latest in recommended best-practice from IMCA, and hear innovation and insight from external industry speakers.

They also offer a great opportunity for Members to come together, network face-to-face, and meet IMCA’s technical and business development teams in person.

Keep an eye on our regular newsletter Making Waves, on our LinkedIn page, and on the IMCA website to hear when new meetings are announced.

Upcoming meeting dates for your diary! Dubai (15 May) and Singapore (9 October).

Chaired by John Chatten (Fugro & IMCA SA Chair) and supported by Daniel Marins (Subsea 7 & IMCA SA Vice Chair), the IMCA Regional Meeting in Rio de Janeiro welcomed around 80 delegates from across South America.

The bilingual event held in English and Portuguese welcomed a range of industry speakers. With two from Brazilian Petrobras, Dr. Josué E. Maia França who explored Human and Organisational Performance (HOP) and Antonio Savergnini Neto who explored diving safety improvements, the national energy company was well represented.

Attendees also heard from Walter Oliveira de Sousa of the Brazilian Navy on commercial diving regulation and simulator-based training from Capt. Luana Marchiori of Vision Marine Training. The Regional Meeting also covered Pull Back Vessels, with a presentation from Renata Cortes Gomes of Grupo CBO and an engaging and interactive workshop on the topic.

Commenting on the meeting, Richard Purser, Technical Adviser – Marine, IMCA said: “I’d like to thank the speakers and the delegates for another great Regional Meeting in Rio. I’d also like to extend a huge thank you to the regional chair John Chatten for ensuring the smooth running of a busy day.”

“Our audience in Brazil always has energy, enthusiasm, and passion – and this time was no different. I’m looking forward to sharing the discussions with colleagues at IMCA and taking forward the knowledge, ideas, and experiences shared by Members. Thanks to meetings like these we can collaborate to improve the safety, performance, and sustainability of the offshore industry around the world.”

The first IMCA event in South Africa since 2007, the IMCA Africa Regional Meeting was held in collaboration with local stakeholders, the South African Oil & Gas Alliance (SAOGA).

More than 80 attendees heard from a range of IMCA speakers and industry presenters. Together they explored issues including Diving safety and regulation in South Africa with Mike Jessop of OSC Marine Group, Safer DP operations with an ageing fleet with Jannie Scholtz of Mackay Communications, deep sea mining with Egil Tjåland of the Norwegian University of Science, Technology, and Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USVs) with Fugro’s Michael MacHutchon. Human Performance and Fitness for Task was also explored with Bridget Thomson of Commercial Diving and Offshore Consultancy (C-DOC).

From IMCA attendees heard from CEO Iain Grainger, a secretariat update from David Bloom and an introduction from Mary Ntamark. An SAOGA and IMCA interactive panel discussion was also held with Iain Grainger, Zaeem Soofie (Denton), Kgabo Rapelego (PetroSA) and Andrew Laing (Unique Group).

Commenting on the event, Mary Ntamark, Technical Adviser – Environmental Sustainability, IMCA said: “We were delighted to bring a Regional Meeting to our Members in Africa this year. The Continent has huge potential and opportunities abound for our industry.”

“As was reinforced to us at the meeting, our Members are working in often unique and sometimes challenging local circumstances, and IMCA can play an important role in facilitating collaboration and sharing recommended best practice to improve performance, safety, and sustainability.”

“I’d like to thank the South African Oil & Gas Alliance for their support with the event and also Unique Group and Marine Solutions who welcomed a delegation for a tour of their local operations in Cape Town the day after.”

Chaired by North American committee chair Adam Dushinske (TechnipFMC), IMCA held a regional meeting in the North East of the USA, home to an emerging offshore wind industry in Newport, Rhode Island.

More than 75 attended the one-day meeting which featured prominent industry speakers including Kevin Barron of Fugro on how Personal Locator Beacons can prevent loss of life, Sean Houge of Baker Marine Solutions who explored the benefits of eCMID and vessel assurance, and Jared Dent of Boskalis who discussed safe personnel transfer.

From IMCA, attendees heard from Dustin Varnell, Master Mariner, on DP incidents and events and Rhys Jones, Technical Adviser – Marine Renewable Energy, who chaired a workshop on Walk to Work. Richard Purser, Technical Adviser – Marine, was on hand to support the chair in a second workshop session which focused on getting to grips with the major issues facing IMCA Members in North America.

Commenting on the meeting, Rhys Jones, Technical Adviser – Marine Renewable Energy, IMCA said: “I was delighted to be able to discuss Walk to Work with attendees and host an engaging workshop session on the topic. Thanks to the input of our Members in America, we have gathered invaluable insight and experiences on Walk to Work systems, what considerations need to be made when making risk assessments, and what Members should consider when considering training options. The goal was to identify practical actions and I think we achieved that.”

“This is the first of many workshops in this space, and we’re working with a range of stakeholders to gather even more input and shape a cohesive industry effort to improve safety performance in this area. All of this will also feed into upcoming revised Guidance on Walk to Work systems, which will explore system design, integration, procurement, operation and maintenance.”