The Asian Pipeline Conference and Exhibition (APCE) was held at the Sutera Harbour Resort, Sabah, attracting around 150 participants.

The focus of the Conference was ‘Optimising pipeline performance by harnessing our human capital’ and a wide range of case studies was presented, ranging from industry training, optimising asset performance, intelligent pigging, integrity management and flow assurance.

The opening address by Datuk (Dr) Abdul Rahim Hj Hashim – his first regional address as the newly appointed President of the prestigious International Gas Union (IGU) – was a particular highlight of the Conference.

Datuk Rahim expanded on what the IGU presidency means for Malaysia and South East Asia, observing that the gas industry should not take increasing demand for natural gas for granted, and that the long lead times means there is a challenge to develop gas markets. He also commented that commodity prices have fluctuated greatly, causing uncertainty in world economies and energy markets.

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Datuk Rahim concluded that there is every reason to believe that natural gas will be regarded as the preferred fuel on both economic and environmental grounds, and that Malaysia will contribute to the industry’s development through the consultation mechanisms of the IGU.

Professor Andrew Palmer from the Centre for Offshore Research and Engineering, University of Singapore, gave an enlightening presentation on the looming shortage of experienced personnel in the oil and gas industry. Some estimates have indicated that half the people in the industry will retire over the next decade.

Professor Palmer highlighted the importance of recruiting students who want challenging, exciting work, stimulating colleagues, travel, and reasonable monetary compensation. He also emphasised the importance of keeping up with the latest technology and industry developments, as well as suggesting that job exchanges and field experience could further professional development.

Representing the IGU Task Force on Nurturing Future Generations, Soh Mey Lee spoke on the changing nature of the industry, including the challenges of deep water and non-conventional petroleum products, which are expected to dominate the future energy mix of petroleum products.

Ms Lee highlighted the importance of overcoming negative perceptions about the petroleum industry in Generation Y students, and estimates that the number of students obtaining degrees in petroleum engineering and geosciences has decreased by 90 per cent since 1982.

Lead Coordinator of the Trans-Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Gas Pipeline Task Force Himli Bin Ramli noted the immaturity of the ASEAN gas market, with the entire ASEAN consumption of gas equivalent only to that of the United Kingdom. Beyond approximately 2020, new gas discoveries, the development of non-conventional gas – such as coal seam gas– and increased LNG imports, will be needed to bridge the projected supply gap of around 12 Bcf/d of gas.

Mr Bin Ramli also outlined the steps needed for the logical evolution of ASEAN’s pipeline industry from current bilateral pipelines to linked cross-border pipelines, including gas specification, transit principles between multiple countries, and the unbundling of costs.