14.3 IMCA M103/M117 Guidance Context

Who writes guidance, who certifies people?

Two names appear constantly in DP training: IMCA and The Nautical Institute (NI). Mixing them up is one of the most common scheme-level exam errors. This section fixes the institutional map so you can answer “who does what” cleanly and understand how industry guidance reaches the bridge as SMS and ASOG — without inventing document clause numbers you were never asked to memorise.

IMCA — industry association and guidance publisher

IMCA (International Marine Contractors Association) is an industry association for offshore marine contractors and related members. Among many topics, IMCA publishes recommended practices and guidance that the DP community uses when building company procedures, client expectations, and audit frameworks.

For DPO exam context, two guidance families are repeatedly mentioned in teaching materials:

Exact document titles and revision letters change over time. The exam-stable points are:

1. IMCA publishes guidance for industry.
2. That guidance is influential, often referenced by clients and companies.
3. IMCA guidance is not a personal DPO wallet certificate.
4. You should not invent clause numbers (for example fake “M103 §4.2.7.1”) in answers — institutional role and practical meaning matter more than fabricated citations.

[!IMPORTANT] IMCA does not certify individual DPOs. Reading M103 cover-to-cover does not make you a certified DPO. Passing an IMCA member company’s internal course is not the same as holding an NI DPO certificate (unless that course is separately recognised inside an accredited pathway — the certificate issuer for the mainstream offshore scheme remains NI).

NI — the certifying body for the mainstream offshore DPO scheme

The Nautical Institute runs the widely recognised offshore DP Operator certification scheme (logbook, accredited training centres, Induction and Simulator assessments, sea-time rules, Limited/Unlimited certificates via the NI Alexis Platform ecosystem). When an exam or employer asks “are you a certified DPO?” in the global offshore sense, they usually mean NI scheme certification, not “IMCA approved person.”

How IMCA guidance supports SMS and ASOG

Guidance does not sit on the bridge as a second captain. It is absorbed into company systems:

IMCA guidance (e.g. operations / training themes)
        │
        ▼
Company SMS & DP operations manual
        │
        ├── Manning and competence matrices
        ├── CAM/TAM configuration standards
        ├── Checklist and trial requirements
        └── ASOG templates and approval process
                │
                ▼
Bridge practice: watchkeeping, limits, abort decisions

When an examiner asks how M103-type guidance “helps” a DPO, the good answer is: it shapes the procedures and ASOG the company requires you to follow — it is not a live traffic-light matrix that replaces your vessel’s ASOG.

Relationship NI ↔ IMCA (complementary, not interchangeable)

Think of it as:

• NI answers: “Is this person certificated under the scheme?”
• IMCA answers: “What does industry good practice recommend for how DP work is organised?”
• Company SMS answers: “What must this vessel do today?”
• ASOG answers: “What are this activity’s live limits and actions?”

What you should not do with IMCA documents on the exam

Worked institutional scenarios

Scenario A — Certificate check. A client asks for proof the DPOs are certified. The vessel produces NI DPO certificates (and company familiarisation records). An IMCA membership logo on the company website is not a personal certificate.

Scenario B — Procedure audit. An auditor asks how the vessel sets activity limits. The company shows SMS sections and ASOGs that implement industry operational themes (often aligned with IMCA-type guidance). The DPO demonstrates using the ASOG on watch — not reciting a PDF paragraph number.

Scenario C — Trainee confusion. A candidate says “I am IMCA certified because I read M117.” Correct teaching: M117-class documents address training/experience industry themes; personal certification for the mainstream offshore pathway is through NI scheme completion.

Scenario D — Conflict myth. A stem claims NI and IMCA are enemies and only one can be followed. In reality they are complementary: certification scheme versus industry guidance. Companies routinely require both NI-qualified people and IMCA-informed operations.

Scenario E — Bridge decision. Weather rises during diving. The DPO follows the vessel ASOG and Master/worksite protocol. That ASOG may have been written using industry guidance, but the live authority is company procedure and bridge command, not a phone call to an association helpdesk.

Linking this section to the rest of the guide

• Introduction / scheme chapters — NI phases A–E, Limited/Unlimited, revalidation.
• ASOG / CAM / TAM — operational tools that implement guidance-informed SMS on the bridge.
• Watchkeeping & TTT — human execution of those procedures under live risk.
• FMEA / class / IMO circulars — design and equipment framework distinct from personal certification.

Exam traps for IMCA / NI roles

Practical takeaway for the DPO candidate

1. Memorise the split: NI certifies people; IMCA guides industry practice.
2. When asked about M103, think DP operations guidance → company procedures/ASOG.
3. When asked about M117, think training/experience industry themes, not a substitute certificate.
4. On the bridge, obey the active SMS/ASOG, which should be consistent with good industry practice.
5. Never invent clause pins; explain function and ownership instead.

Bottom line: IMCA M103/M117-class documents are influential industry guidance on DP operations and training/experience themes. They support company SMS and ASOG design but do not certify individual DPOs — the Nautical Institute does. Learn the complementary NI–IMCA relationship and how guidance becomes bridge procedure, without fabricating clause numbers.