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 UCI Editor John Bevan recently called in at the headquarters of IMCA to see for himself how this well-known organisation works. This is his report Most people in the subsea business will have heard of IMCA (the International Marine Contractors Association). They will undoubtedly already be aware of its well-founded reputation as a highly respected, authoritative, international trade association representing marine construction, offshore diving and ROV operations. But there is much, much more to IMCA! And what is a "trade association"? How does it work? What sort of an organisation can produce The International Code of Practice for Offshore Diving, or the Mixed Gas Diving Supervisor training and qualification scheme, not to mention more than 60 guidance documents on the whole spectrum of diving and ROV operations? Does it operate out of a megalithic tower in the centre of the city, with hundreds of staff beavering away at open-plan, over-burdened desks? I decided to test my myths of what IMCA was. I made an appointment to meet the Chief Executive and bravely set out for the global headquarters. I discovered IMCA in an elegant, four-storey Georgian house, just around the corner from Victoria Station in the west end of London. It was quite handy for a cluster of government departments, and the Houses of Parliament were a pleasant stroll away, at the other end of Victoria Street. Squeezed Once past an impersonal door intercom system, I was directed to the lift by a helpful lady receptionist. The lift was interesting because, unlike Dr Who's Tardis, while it looked quite small from the outside, once you got inside it was even smaller. By the time I eventually squeezed out of the lift at the third floor, my vision of a megalithic, open-plan office had long evaporated. With an erring sense of direction I eventually stumbled into an office where I found a kindly, white-haired gentleman who was tidying things up. "Hello, I"m Hugh Williams," he said. I"d found the Chief Executive! Charles Dickens would feel very much at home here, I thought. IMCA was born in 1995 following the marriage of two very active parental bodies, the AODC (Association of Offshore Diving Contractors, founded in 1972) and the DPVOA (Dynamic Positioning Vessel Owners Association, founded in 1990). The marriage was made in heaven and the progeny, IMCA, has flourished ever since. The rate of growth has been stunning to say the least. In 1996, membership of IMCA stood at somewhere in the region of 100. In 2000 it was about 150, and by 2002 it had risen to around 200. With members now operating in more than 30 countries, IMCA is clearly the most important and influential trade association in the world underwater industry. Surprise It was therefore a most pleasant surprise for me to find that its Chief Executive was such an affable and modest person, who maintained a comfortably informal atmosphere in his head office. I discovered later that his style was quite deliberately intended to make himself and his staff accessible, assisted by effective communications arrangements. Hugh Williams joined IMCA in April 2002, taking over the reins from retiring Tony Read. A considerable benefit for Hugh was the continued presence of Jane Bugler, IMCA"s hard-working Technical Director. The first thing I asked Hugh (we were quickly on first name terms) was, what is IMCA? "Briefly, IMCA is the international trade association representing offshore, marine and underwater engineering companies. Its aims are to promote its members' common interests, to resolve industry-wide issues and to provide a single authoritative voice for its members," he explained. "In pursuing these goals, IMCA is active on several important fronts. It clearly has a particular interest in operational safety. Other areas of operation include lobbying on behalf of industry and encouraging equitable contracting principles. "For example, IMCA is involved in LOGIC which has a standard contracts committee. Other representatives include UKOOA and oil companies and contractors. LOGIC has taken over the old CRINE contracts such as the Marine Construction Contract which is being revised this year." On the business-as-usual front, IMCA has just published the ROV Mobilisation Guidelines and a Diver Experience Survey. Following very quickly will be The Mixed Gas Surface Supplied Diving Guidelines, Cross-hauling of Bells Guidelines and a revision of the Operation of Lift Bags Guidelines. Work is progressing on the Guidelines for ROV Testing and a revision of Oxygen Cleaning Guidelines. A full list of IMCA"s publications is available from its offices or website. Secret The staff at IMCA has grown slowly but steadily, and currently numbers five. I was amazed that, with such a relatively small staff, IMCA manages to generate such a large quantity of useful publications. "The secret of course lies in the membership," explained Hugh. The impressive IMCA membership provides the technical know-how. This invaluable commodity is harnessed through two core committees, the Safety, Environment and Legislation Committee, and the Training, Certification and Personnel Competence Committee. Depending on the nature of the member's business, each member joins one or more of four technical divisions: Marine/Specialist Vessels; Diving; Remote Systems and Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs); and Offshore Survey. IMCA also organises global regional meetings in four areas - the Americas, Asia-Pacific, Europe and Africa and the Middle East and India - which members are invited to attend depending on their geographical location. I then asked Hugh if he had introduced any significant changes in the direction or style of IMCA since taking over from Tony Read. Magnanimously, he conceded that he had mainly continued with the good work that Tony had begun. "However," he added, "since September 2002, IMCA has started a promising new section in the USA. "I see the growing internationalisation of IMCA as the next major aim. An important building block for that has been an up-grading of the communications arrangements with IMCA members around the world. The recent installation of our conference telephone system, mainly for international conference calls, and the members-only website are examples of that policy. "Cosmetically, IMCA now has a new logo too. The message is that IMCA is a technical trade association which represents marine construction generally and it is not confined to the offshore oil and gas industry." Lively One of the ways IMCA maintains good communications with its members is through a lively, quarterly, newsletter with the descriptive title IMCA News. Details of the seemingly inexhaustible activities of the two core committees, the four technical divisions and four global regions are described therein. Hugh also said that IMCA"s dynamic website was another important point of contact. "We have to thank Adam Hugo, IMCA"s IT Co-ordinator and Support Services Manager, for this excellent facility," he said. By the time I had done the circuit of the IMCA offices, met the enthusiastic staff and been briefed on all their activities, I was exhausted. The huge number of projects being co-ordinated through the office was mind-boggling. Hugh Williams has no small task in keeping control of such a very lively organisation. However, I felt completely assured that IMCA was in the safe and steady hands of a true professional. IMCA has some exciting years ahead, safe in the knowledge that it has developed a truly successful formula that gives its members what they want and with good value for their money. |
© 2003 Underwater World Publications Ltd.