The International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) has published a revised version of ‘Guidance on wire rope integrity management for vessels in the offshore industry’ (IMCA SEL 022 Rev. 2/IMCA M 194 Rev. 2). This is now available for downloading free of charge from the IMCA website, www.imca-int.com.
This document provides guidance on the necessary elements of an integrity management system required to achieve an acceptable level of ongoing safety for the use of wire ropes in a marine environment. The guidance takes account of the range of environments, including the sometimes harsh conditions experienced in the global marine environment and, for this reason, provides guidance which represents universal good practice.
When the decision was made to revise the document, a Wire Rope Integrity Management Workgroup was formed from IMCA’s Crane & Winch Operations Workgroup and other interests from the industry, including the European Federation of Steel Wire Rope Industries and the UK Health & Safety Executive. The work was overseen by the IMCA Technical Committees.
IMCA’s Technical Director, Richard Benzie explains: “This guidance has now been revised to reflect current state of the art wire ropes, and to include updated regulation references. The inclusion of flow diagrams should assist with the wire rope integrity management process.
In addition to useful definitions, scope and wire rope integrity management and associated documentation, the Guidance has sections on the selection of wire rope; storage and preservation; handling and installation; maintenance; thorough examination, inspection and testing; causes of wire rope deterioration and guidance on discard; post-retirement examination of wire rope sections; wire rope records; and diving bell hoist wire ropes. Examples of both ‘Certification of Compliance: End Termination of Wire Ropes’ and ‘Wire Rope Purchase Specification’ are in the appendix to the document.
IMCA is an international association with over a thousand members in more than 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.
