IMCA’s Chief executive Chris Charman hands a cheque for IMCAre to David Liddle, representing the SUT, at the IMCA Midsummer Ball. The SUT, which already operates an educational charity will be providing administrative and banking support for IMCAre.
Over £50, 000 was raised at the International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) Midsummer Charity Ball held in Aberdeen on Friday 20 June. This, and other resources set aside by the international trade association, forms the launch pad for IMCAre, a new international educational support fund.
“The marine contracting industry constantly strives for ever-greater safety levels. This is, after all, what IMCA guidance, safety flashes and safety promotion material is all about, coupled with the industry’s determination to aim for ‘zero incidents , ” explains IMCA’s Chief Executive, Chris Charman. “Regrettably however incidents do still occur around the world, and we believe the marine contracting sector should provide support and assistance to those affected, particularly for families and communities where accidents to breadwinners can have significant impacts and serious consequences.
“IMCA’s Council and Overall Management Committee decided that rather than simply providing money, it would be much more in keeping with the aims and goals of our association to provide funds to support education – and thus the ability to add longer term value to those families and communities affected by a tragedy.
“IMCAre was born from this idea, ” he says. “We are asking our Sections around the world – Asia-Pacific, Europe & Africa, Central & North America, Middle East & India, and South America – to identify deserving causes in their region and submit proposals to the IMCA Council and Overall Management Committee for an allocation of funds. Monies will then be passed to those Sections for distribution to the families, communities, schools, or training centres – wherever we believe we can provide the most educational impact.
“Naturally we will expect the relevant Section to remain involved with their projects to mentor, monitor and manage them in order to ensure the best outcomes.”
The Society for Underwater Technology, which already operates an educational charity, will be providing administrative and banking support, which means that IMCA does not need to incur the cost and overheads involved in setting up and running another educational charity.
Contributions large and small are welcome, the bank account details are: Barclays Bank, Sort Code: 20-65-82, Account No: 50040657; Account name: Society for Underwater Technology. Cheques made out to Society for Underwater Technology and with ‘IMCAre account’ written on the back, should be sent to IMCA, 52 Grosvenor Gardens, London SW1W 0AU, UK. . The first awards will be made later this year.
Further information on IMCA and its work on behalf of its 970+ member companies in over 60 countries is available from www.imca-int.comand imca@imca-int.com. The association has LinkedIn and Facebook groups and its Twitter handle is @IMCAint
About IMCA
- IMCA is an international association with some 970 members in over 60 countries representing offshore, marine and underwater engineering companies. IMCA has four technical divisions, covering marine/specialist vessel operations, offshore diving, hydrographic survey and remote systems and ROVs, plus geographic sections for the Asia-Pacific, Central & North America, Europe & Africa, Middle East & India and South America regions. As well as a core focus on safety, the environment, competence and training, IMCA seeks to promote its members’ common interests, to resolve industry-wide issues and to provide an authoritative voice for its members.
- IMCA Vision & Strategy. As a result of work and collective input in 2013, IMCA has redefined its stated core purpose to be “Improving performance in the marine contracting industry”. To achieve this goal, IMCA’s Vision & Strategy has been devised with two elements in mind: Core activities and ways of working. Targets and objectives against which the association will measure progress in 2014 have been established. Note to Editors: We are more than happy to expand on this in tailor-made articles – just put us to the test, email judithpatten@jppr.uk.com or phone her on +44(0)20 8241 1912 to explain what you would like covered, length, and deadline.
- IMCA publishes some 200 guidance notes and technical reports – many are available for free downloading by members and non-members alike. These have been developed over the years and are extensively distributed. They are a definition of what IMCA stands for, including widely recognised diving and ROV codes of practice, DP documentation, marine good practice guidance, the Common Marine Inspection Document (CMID) – now available electronically as eCMID, safety recommendations, outline training syllabi and the IMCA competence scheme guidance. In addition to the range of printed guidance documents, IMCA also produces safety promotional materials, circulates information notes and distributes safety flashes.
