Underwater Contractor International - January / February 2007
The marine construction and offshore engineering sector is facing a serious skills shortage at a time when more than 5000 jobs are expected to be created in the next three years, according to the International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA).
“The industry is extremely busy and expected to remain so for a number of years,” explains Hugh Williams, chief executive of IMCA. “Many companies are experiencing significant challenges in recruiting sufficient trained and skilled personnel for their projects all over the world. This is placing significant pressure on their desired growth and ability to deliver services.”
IMCA, as the international trade association representing over 350 offshore, marine and underwater engineering companies, in well over 40 countries, is eager to help its members address this skills shortage.
“One route is to draw wider attention to the projected numbers of trained personnel required by the expanding marine contracting industry over the next two to three years,” said Williams.
“IMCA members have provided some practical estimates of the possible growth of their businesses. For example, orders for newbuild construction vessels, drilling rigs, saturation diving spreads and remotely operated vehicles. From these estimates we can extrapolate some of the marine contracting industry’s recruitment needs over the next two to three years.
“The industry will commission at least 50 new offshore construction vessels in the next two to three years covering IMCA members’ activities including lifting, pipelay, diving, survey and ROV operations. About 10 of these will be dive support vessels.
“The drilling industry will commission about 40 more floating drilling rigs and around 100 new ROVs will be built, most of them work-class.
“The new vessels and drill rigs will require some 2000 additional watch-keepers across the bridge, deck and engine room. The increases in saturation diving will require some 800 additional personnel.
“They will require around 1000 additional survey and inspection discipline personnel and the ROV spreads will require some 1200 additional personnel.”
Williams added that these numbers do not include the large numbers of additional air diving personnel and the many other deck, catering and ancillary crew, or onshore and engineering support personnel required to operate the vessels.
The figures pose a serious challenge to an industry already finding it difficult to recruit, train and retain skilled personnel, he said.