Industry Group Calls for 'Key Worker' Status for Offshore Energy Workers

The International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) has said that it continues its work to have all offshore energy workers recognized as 'key workers', in order to facilitate the efficient movement of personnel during the Covid-19 pandemic.

IMCA is part of the group comprising IADC, IAGC, IMCA, IOGP, and ISOA, which gained support from the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in early May and has now formally written to more than fifty governments and maritime authorities to gain their recognition of offshore energy sector personnel as key workers alongside seafarers and marine personnel.

"The aim is to achieve sufficient support of the IMO Recommendation to facilitate the efficient movement of personnel for regular crew changes and crew movements during mobilization, demobilization activities," IMCA said.

The Industry Group represents international associations whose member companies are engaged in essential elements of the global offshore energy sector; whose personnel perform a wide variety of specialized roles which are all critical to the daily functioning of maintaining global energy supplies.

The United Nations International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Circular Letter No.4204/Add.13 has been distributed to key government and maritime authorities with a request from the Industry Group that governments implement the recommendations attached to the Circular.

These recommendations detail the necessary action required to facilitate the movement of ‘key workers’ to and from their places of work on all vessels and installations engaged in offshore energy sector activities.

Importantly, IMCA said, the Circular Letter addresses the needs of all offshore workers engaged in the broad spectrum of activities that comprise the offshore energy sector and recommends that such personnel be designated as key workers. 

"The imperative for efficient crew changes is vital to ensuring the safety of workers offshore and the security of supply of all forms of hydrocarbon and renewable energy sources. This is both for the immediate societal needs, and to ensure security of supply in the medium to long term as demand increases with the easing of lockdown restrictions," IMCA said.