For any vessel operator, employing competent crew is a priority. The Club recently highlighted, in the bulletin Developing competent crew on board a competence assurance scheme that has been developed by IMCA for offshore vessels.
In line with this standard, we would also like to highlight a competence assurance scheme that has been developed by the same association for small workboats. For the purpose of this new guidance IMCA defines a small workboat as any vessel less than 200 gross tonnes.
The Club has seen steady growth in the number of entered workboats, a reflection perhaps of the perceived enhanced liabilities associated with the operation of such vessels, with in excess of 6,000 such vessels currently entered. Operating these vessels comes with the associated risk of navigating within confined waters and/or in near vicinity of expensive offshore infrastructures such as wind farms. It is therefore crucial to ensure that crews operating these vessels are not just qualified but are also competent to navigate them in challenging environments.
To assist with assessment of crew, the guidance document, Competent Assurance and Competence Assessment includes sections on:
- ‘core’ or ‘common’ competences
- ‘key’ competences
- logbooks and competence records (a workboat crew logbook has also been published)
- assessment and review
These four sections enable Members and their crews to not only develop and assess core competencies that are needed in individual roles, but to also help develop a positive career progression plan. This initiative positively assists with increased crew retention.
If Members would like further details on this type of scheme please contact the Club or alternatively additional information can be found at www.imca-int.com.