August 2017, Vol. 244, No. 8
Features
IPLOCA Reinforces its Engagement with Key Stakeholders
Since its inception over 50 years ago, IPLOCA (The International Pipe Line and Offshore Contractors Association) has been a recognized voice of the pipeline industry and its mission remains providing value to members through a forum for sharing ideas, engaging the industry and its stakeholders, facilitating business opportunities and promoting the highest standards in the pipeline industry.
2017 Annual Convention in Mexico City
This year, IPLOCA’s annual convention will be held in Mexico City from Sept. 25-29. Owners of and suppliers to pipeline construction companies, and their clients – the Regular, Associate and Corresponding Members of the association – will gather with invited special guests for five days of technical presentations, business meetings and a social and cultural program.
Senior executives from PEMEX, DuPont de Nemours, TransCanada Pipelines, Allseas Group, PetroBal, Bonmont Energy, the Norwegian Ministry of Petroleum & Energy and Pipelife Norge are confirmed to present at the Open General Meetings (OGMs) Thursday and Friday of convention week.
In addition to updates on IPLOCA initiatives, speakers will cover a variety of topics including safety culture and risk management; building and operating offshore infrastructure in Mexico; the benefits of using PE pipe; the scenario for a strategic partnership between the gas industry and the United Nations; the removal of large offshore platforms in a single lift; an overview of TransCanada’s projects; global upstream trends and the impact of sustainable energy. The opening speaker will give an historical perspective on how Mexico City is reshaping its future skyline.
During the OGMs, the IPLOCA awards for Health & Safety (sponsored by Chevron), Corporate Social Responsibility (sponsored by Total) and New Technologies (sponsored by BP) will be presented. These awards are a source for sharing new ideas while recognizing those leading companies constantly in search of excellence. The recipients of the 2017 IPLOCA Scholarships will also be announced.
The association’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) occurs Friday morning and the agenda includes the President’s Year in Review, the Treasurer’s report and the incoming President’s objectives. The results of the 2017-18 Board of Directors elections will also have to be ratified and approval will be sought for the amendments to the bylaws by the Regular Members.
Throughout the year with the appointment of committees, IPLOCA’s Board and the 250-strong membership are involved in many other activities which are reported at or culminate at the convention.
Health, Safety & the Environment (HSE) a Priority
Improving safety in the pipeline industry and above all, eliminating fatalities, is a priority. IPLOCA publishes an annual report in September with aggregate statistics for the industry concerning health, safety and the environment, the submission of which is a requirement of membership for Regular Members. Based on these statistics, the HSE Committee has set ambitious long-term Key Performance Indicator objectives for 2020, made up of leading and lagging indicators, including zero fatalities and a minimum of 15,000 training hours per million hours worked.
IPLOCA also hosts Health & Safety (H&S) workshops to raise awareness and to develop and encourage best practices. These workshops are a regular feature on IPLOCA’s calendar. The next one takes place in Geneva on Oct. 24 and will focus on ‘Humans and Machines: The Hidden Hazards.’ It will include presentations from members, consultants and clients and is open to all pipeline managers.
The IPLOCA H&S Shared Experiences platform, launched recently, contains about 150 documents on lessons learned, safety alerts and best practices, allowing experiences to be shared to benefit others.
New Technologies Add Value
Valuable opportunities to participate in the shaping of best practices are offered via the work of the New Technologies Committee. The Novel Construction Initiative (NCI) Fall Plenary Session will be held immediately after the H&S Workshop in Geneva from Oct. 25-26. These sessions offer a platform to stimulate innovation in the technology and processes required for the execution of pipeline projects by engaging all contributors to the pipeline construction supply chain.
“The Road to Success” is the collaborative result of multiple working groups who meet during the NCI sessions and describes state-of-the-art project development and execution practices for pipeline projects. The 4th edition has been issued as a mobile app available as a benefit of membership. This is a live document that continues to be expanded by multicultural work groups comprised of specialists from all of IPLOCA’s members.
IPLOCA strives to work collaboratively and to perpetuate the development of relationships across the industry, exploring ways to further engage with stakeholders not already members. Participation in these events is a benefit of membership and potential members are also always welcome.
Engaging Pipeline Owners and Operators as Corresponding Members
Following the work of the Client Engagement Committee, IPLOCA members agreed to open membership as of January 2016 to those owners and operators of pipeline systems who have an interest in the work of the association and a willingness to benefit from a range of technical guidance and briefings produced by IPLOCA. There are now 14 Corresponding Members spanning the globe, including BP from the UK, Chevron and ExxonMobil from the U.S., Gasunie and Shell from The Netherlands, Petronas from Malaysia, Origin Energy in Australia and Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) based in Italy.
Several of these players have closely collaborating with IPLOCA for many years, making presentations at annual convention and regional meetings or attending workshops and sponsoring IPLOCA awards.
Corresponding Members have access to a palette of benefits, namely networking opportunities with contractors and suppliers, promotional possibilities and sources of information, participation in and sharing of publications and initiatives to increase pipeline industry’s standards.
Visit www.iploca.com for further information.
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