Page 5 - The Flag March 2018

INDUSTRY VIEWSt
INTERNATIONAL MARINE CONTRACTORS ASSOCIATION (IMCA)
With over 1500 ships registered in The Bahamas, the Bahamas Maritime Authority (BMA) is one of the foremost flag states in shipping worldwide. As such, potential changes to IMO codes will be of particular interest to the BMA.
One such proposal concerns a review of the IMO Code of Safety for Diving Systems (resolution A.831(19) November 1995) and the Guidelines and speci cations for hyperbaric evacuation systems (resolution A.692(17) November 1991). The International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) recently expressed its view that there is a compelling need to review the Code and the associated Guidelines by submitting an information paper, which was co-sponsored by IMCA and International Association of Oil and Gas Producers, to the next IMO
Sub-Committee on Ship Systems and Equipment (SSE 5).
A substantial proportion of the world’s Diving Support Vessel (DSV) eet is operated by IMCA members and registered in The Bahamas. Therefore, any review of the IMO diving instruments will be of signi cant interest to DSV owners and the BMA.
The main aim of the proposal is to enhance offshore commercial diving safety by amending the IMO Diving Instruments to re ect the experience and knowledge gained by industry since their last review conducted over 25 years
ago. There is broad agreement within the diving industry that re-alignment of the IMO Diving Instruments with current industry guidelines is overdue.
It is anticipated that the proposed revisions will focus most closely upon the application of the IMO Diving instruments and on the suitability of evacuation systems provided for saturation divers.
The proposed revisions should have minimal nancial implications for the shipping industry generally, but they are expected to bring the IMO publications into harmony with current industry best practice
and so achieve reinstatement of the Code as the minimum standard for diving and hyperbaric evacuation system safety.
If the proposal to revise the IMO Diving Instruments is accepted by the IMO at its next Maritime Safety Committee session in May 2018, the earliest date for completion of the project would be May 2020.
IMCA looks forward to continuing discussions in an effective and cooperative manner at the next SSE 5 meeting in March 2018.
Further information on IMCA is available from www.imca-int.com and [email protected].
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