Tag: Diving

Proposals published by the International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) in ‘Hyperbaric Evacuation Systems (HES) Interface Recommendations’ (IMCA D 051) seek to address the interface issues encountered when a diving contractor needs to remove its divers from a stricken facility by use of a hyperbaric rescue unit (HRU). “This document is a ‘recommendation’ only,” explains Jane Bugler, IMCA’s Technical Director. “We would like to emphasise too that the proposed interface recommendation put forward in our new publication is for future builds, it is not written with the view to retrofit existing systems. What we have published has four objectives: To plan

The International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) is consulting widely, and globally, on new guidance on hyperbaric evacuation systems aimed at improving the safety of saturation divers throughout the world. “In 2011 we set up an industry-wide workgroup to develop the hyperbaric evacuation guidance,” explains IMCA’s Technical Director, Jane Bugler.”The work was split into five main topic areas – risk assessment, technical, operations, medical and standards. The document, which runs to over 70 pages, is a substantial piece of work, and should make a significant contribution in helping to improve the evacuation arrangements available to saturation divers world-wide. “We are distributing

The International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) has published ‘Minimum quantities of gas required offshore’ (IMCA D 050) to address the minimum amount of emergency breathing medium (air or mixed gas) required to be kept at an offshore dive site before the dive commences, and during it. Helpfully , the new publication includes a useful equation for determining the minimum quantity of oxygen required to maintain the desired oxygen partial pressure levels in a system during decompression. “In preparing this document, which supersedes AODC 014 which has been in existence since July 1983 we had four objectives in mind,” explains IMCA’s

One of the most recent publications from the International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) is ‘Surface Supplied Diving Operations Using Nitrox’ (IMCA D 048). Surface supplied diving is sometimes carried out using a breathing gas mix of nitrogen and oxygen, with a higher percentage of oxygen in the mix than in natural compressed air. The common industry terminology for such a gas mix is nitrox. “Diving while breathing nitrox reduces the required decompression time for any particular dive in comparison to the same dive using natural compressed air,” explains IMCA’s Technical Director, Jane Bugler. “The technique is normally used to ensure

The International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) set up an industry-wide workgroup during 2011 to develop guidance on hyperbaric evacuation. The work was split into five main topic areas: risk assessment, technical, operations, medical and standards. Hugh Williams, IMCA’s Chief Executive explains: “The standards subgroup has focused its attention on the development of establishing common technical interfaces for hyperbaric lifeboats and reception facilities. The work, which has involved informal discussion with contractors and equipment manufacturers, has led to the development of a technical proposal that covers the ten main interface areas, including lifting strops, falls, support position, locating pins, the hyperbaric

Acrylic plastic viewports in diving systems have been in satisfactory use for a number of years. However, the development of testing them by polarised light showed that there are various misconceptions about them. The International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) has just released updated guidance on the topic. An initial guidance note which sought to correct these misconceptions was initially prepared as AODC 030 in 1986 following advice from Det Norske Veritas (DNV). Now a revised document has been produced by IMCA through the Safety, Medical, Technical & Training Committee of its Diving Division Management Committee as part of its planned

The International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) has published an information note on non-destructive evaluation (NDE) testing of gas cylinders. Advancements in NDE testing techniques for gas cylinders have been the subject of extensive discussion by members of the IMCA Diving Division Safety, Medical, Technical & Training Committee (SMTT). A dedicated workgroup of industry experts was established to take the issue forward and to develop an update of detail sheet 9.1 of IMCA D 018 – Code of practice on the initial and periodic examination, testing and certification of diving plant and equipment. The updated detail sheet 9.1 of IMCA D

The International Marine Contractors Association’s (IMCA) newly published ‘Guidelines for Oxy-Arc Cutting’ (IMCA D 003 Rev 1) has five main aims – to improve safety and efficiency; to consider the selection of subsea cutting methods; to place more emphasis on risk assessment prior to commencing a job; to provide operational considerations; and to provide preventative maintenance guidance for equipment. Like many of IMCA’s guidance documents it is available for free downloading from the IMCA website at www.imca-int.com with printed copies also available. “Oxygen-arc cutting is an oxygen cutting process in which metal is severed by means of the chemical reaction

Figures published by the International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) reveal that globally there was a reduction in offshore diving work in 2010, compared with 2009, possibly due to the economic environment. A peak of close to 3,500 diving personnel was employed offshore world-wide by 43 IMCA members (i.e. those who responded to the call for data). This compares with a peak of 4000 from 35 reporting companies last year so the reduction does not stem from fewer reports received. They also show that air diving operations exceeded saturation diving by approximately 50%, with a trend reversal in IMCA’s Europe &