The Australian Pipeliner

IPLOCA 2007

President’s Message

As President of the Australian Pipeline Industry Association and on behalf of APIA’s Board and membership, I would like to welcome all IPLOCA members who have travelled such long distances to come to Sydney and accept some Australian hospitality. I am sure the IPLOCA members will be warmly welcomed and enjoy learning a little about Australian history and culture. I would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate Andy Lukas on his presidency of IPLOCA.

Chief Executive’s Report

In this special edition of The Australian Pipeliner magazine, and on behalf of all at the APIA secretariat, I would like to welcome delegates and guests to the IPLOCA Annual Convention being held in Sydney for the very first time.

Australian pipeline industry looks to youth

Peter Barnett

APIA has taken a proactive stance to assist the pipeline industry with the development of its younger members, in order to ensure the industry continues to prosper in the future.

IPLOCA Convention Welcome

Andrew Lukas - IPLOCA President

The IPLOCA Convention coming to Australia for the first time is an impressive landmark for the Australian Pipeline industry – so it is timely to note the strong links between the international and Australian pipeline communities.

New President of IPLOCA takes the reins in Sydney

During the IPLOCA Sydney Convention, John Reed, Chief Executive Officer of Heerema Marine Contractors Nederland B.V. will assume leadership of the association.

IPLOCA marks its 40th Anniversary, moves into a new era

Andrew Lukas, IPLOCA President

The International Pipeline and Offshore Contractors Association (IPLOCA) recently celebrated its 40th anniversary at a time when the pipeline construction industry is facing some of the most significant challenges we have ever seen. Never has the need for pipeline engineers, construction workers and specialised equipment been greater. The price of oil is high and the consumption of oil and gas continues to climb, with third world development and increased demand in China, India and Russia, resulting in some huge pipeline contracts.

International Professional Institute of Pipeline Engineers launched

Following a considerable period of planning and discussions, the Professional Institute of Pipeline Engineers (PIPE) – a new international body – has been now launched and is receiving an enthusiastic welcome from the pipeline industry.

Growth continues for Australia’s largest pipeline owner

For this special IPLOCA edition of The Australian Pipeliner, we caught up with the man behind the company that owns the largest share of Australia’s transmission pipelines – APA Group’s Managing Director Mick McCormack.

1991-1992: Building the Kutubu OIl Pipeline in PNG

Barry Wood

Construction of the Kutubu Petroleum Development Project Export System, in Papua New Guinea (PNG), was truly an international project, with work carried in many parts of the world.

John Lott

Barry Wood

John Lott has been involved in the pipeline industry for over thirty years and is one of the most colourful legends of the pipeline industry.

Still time to register for the APIA National Convention & Exhitibtion!

Although the golf competition has been in hot demand and now has a waiting list, there is still time to register for the APIA Convention and Exhibition, so you can take part in all the other exciting events and be part of the forum that brings the pipeline industry together to discuss the important issues.

Boddingtons - a world leader in pipeline protection products

Established in 1975, Boddingtons is a privately-owned manufacturer and converter of specialised thermoplastic films, meshes and nets. The company is based in the UK with a manufacturing operation in Australia and a representative office in China. Boddingtons sells its products to over 60 countries worldwide.

UT Quality expands operations into Australia, Asia and INdia

After successfully completing AUT Inspection of the Dampier Bunbury Natural Gas Pipeline (DBNGP) Stage 4, constructed by the NACAP KT JV, UT Quality is expanding international operations into Australia, Asia and India on a full-time basis. The Canadian-based company has recently recruited Neile Findlay who will join the team to expand business operations in the Australasian regions, introducing new technology not seen in the regions.

Maats Pipeline Equipment provides safety and security

Maats Pipeline Equipment, as the worldwide exclusive distributor of the Liebherr pipe layers and welding tractors, is a world leader in supplying equipment that provides safety and security in the field.

Proline Pipe Equipment - setting standards for forty years

Proline Pipe Equipment is a Canada-based manufacturer of pipeline equipment. From the company’s humble beginnings in 1967 to its current 2,320 square metre office and manufacturing facility on five acres of land, Proline supplies Canadian pipeline contractors, international contractors and owner companies in forty-seven countries on six continents with state-of-the-art equipment at competitive prices.

Diversified speeds up poly welding

Brisbane-based pipeline company Diversified Construction Corporation has just landed another first in Australia, bringing in an Automated Poly Fusion Machine from ISCO Industries in America.

New Midwestern sideboom attachment

A long-time leader in design and manufacture of high quality hydraulic sideboom attachments, Midwestern Manufacturing of Tulsa, Oklahoma, has announced the completion of field testing of its newly-engineered 200,000 lbs sideboom attachment for a Caterpillar D9H tractor body.

Spain hosts Pipeline Industry Day

On Monday, 23 April, Caterpillar® Global Pipeline (CGP) and PipeLine Machinery International (PLM) hosted the first ever Pipeline Industry Day at the Caterpillar Demonstration and Learning Center in Malaga, Spain.

PipeLine Machinery and Caterpillar team up on sale into China

PipeLine Machinery International (PLM) has delivered twenty Caterpillar 320D excavators and four D7G tractors to Langfang, China, for China Petroleum Pipeline Bureau (CPPB) projects.

Developments in steel pipeline coating systems

Chanchal Dasgupta, Application Marketing Manager, Borouge (India) Pvt Ltd

Steel pipelines are used all over the world for cross country transport of natural gas, crude oil, water, petrochemical and petroleum products at high pressures over long distances. These pipelines are protected against corrosion by external coating systems and cathodic protection.

Lower energy consumption fusion bond epoxy

Denis Grimshaw and Ged Twidale (Jotun Powder Coatings)

Fusion bond epoxy (FBE) coating products have long been in use on pipelines. They have been used for stand-alone protection against corrosion as well as the first layer in three-layer polyolefin systems.

Australia’s largest water recycling project takes shape

Water has been front page news in Australia over the last few years as it has become obvious that drought, climate change, population and consumption growth have combined to make the country’s future water security a major social, environmental and political issue.

Lucas HDD sets new world record

AJ Lucas and Sydney Water have consistently pushed the limits of HDD technology, and their 1,810 m installation for Chatswood and 1,920 m city and harbour crossing at Wollongong set records for HDD sewer installations.

West African Gas Pipeline

The West African Gas Pipeline (WAGP) is an international gas transmission system that will transport natural gas from Nigeria to customers in Ghana, Togo and Benin.

Gasene Project

The Gasene Project involves the construction of a 1,371 km natural gas pipeline in Brazil that will connect new gas fields of the Campos Basin off the coast of São Paulo with the growing demand in the northeast of the country — fully interconnecting Brazil’s southeastern gas system to its northeastern one.

Diversity of development key to Australasia’s pipeline success

Hannah Cartmel, Associate Editor

Pipeline infrastructure in Australia has been of vital importance in recent times and is continuing to boom across the country, with increased reliance on natural gas as a major energy source in a greenhouse-conscious future, as well as new developments in water and other varieties of pipeline. In New Zealand, oil and gas projects are moving swiftly ahead, with associated pipeline needs looking to follow suit.

Asia’s energy highways continue to develop at rapid rate

Maryam Jahanshahi, Asia Editor

The Asia – Pacific region has been experiencing a major pipeline boom recently, with a number of key international projects having achieved key milestones and domestic projects being developed at lightning pace.

Cross-border pipelines major focus in Europe

John Tiratsoo, Editor-in-Chief, Global Pipeline Monthly

Pipelines bringing energy – primarily gas – into western Europe from Russia and Central Asia have been a major focus for the region in recent times, with several pipelines either planned or under construction. In this context, the Nord Stream and Nabucco projects are two of the foremost, (from Russia to Germany, and from Azerbaijan to Greece, respectively), but there is also the South Stream Russia - Italy gas pipeline planned, as well as various regional lines such as the Pan-European Pipeline from the Black Sea coast of Romania to Italy.

Exciting developments for North American pipelines

Hollywood gave America’s natural gas pipelines a dramatic entrance into the public consciousness recently – with Bruce Willis’ John McClane narrowly escaping a far fetched and unlikely scenario in which there was a massive explosion at a power plant after a terrorist managed to redirect every gas pipeline in America in an attempt to blow the Die Hard 4 hero sky high – but aside from this, there have been some real-life exciting developments in North America in recent times, with a number of large-scale pipeline projects on the development horizon.

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