With its overall aim of improving the status of both pipeline engineers within their profession, and of the discipline of pipeline engineering in society generally, the PIPE has already received over 160 applications for ‘founder membership’ in the first month since the website (www.pipeinst.org) was inaugurated.

The new institute is the brainchild of UK-based John Tiratsoo, Editor of the Journal of Pipeline Engineering (JPE), and his partner and JPE Associate Publisher, Houston-based BJ Lowe of Clarion Technical Conferences. Between them they have set up an international group of founding board members whose ultimate responsibility will be to direct the PIPE, to ensure that membership criteria are set and met, and to oversee the management of its affairs in general. In this current inauguration phase, the institute’s secretariat is being run by Scientific Surveys (co-publisher of the JPE), however, ultimately it is intended that the PIPE will become a not-for-profit organisation.

Aims of the PIPE

The aims of the PIPE are ambitious and wide-ranging, and focussed on the needs of pipeline engineers. In summary they are:

Article continues below…

* To promote the importance of maintaining and improving the standards of pipeline engineering for all types of pipeline for transportation of hydrocarbons and associated materials, both on- and offshore, and to acknowledge and promote the status of those involved with their design, construction, operation, and maintenance. * To promote the importance of operating these pipelines with the highest possible standards of integrity and safety. * To be proactive in the promotion and establishment of best practice in the minimisation of environmental impact from pipelines of all types. * To provide an opportunity for identifying research opportunities in this field, and eventually to be a source of funding for collaborative R&D projects. * To provide a forum for discussion of all the issues concerned with pipeline engineering and integrity. * To provide a network so that those involved in maintaining pipeline integrity and safety are able to exchange ideas and experiences among their peer group. * To create, and maintain the standard of, a professional qualification for those involved in this industry which reflects their personal experience and status.

The scope of the PIPE will encompass planning, design, construction, operation, and continuing maintenance of hydrocarbon and associated pipelines of all types, and it will provide a forum for engineering issues to be discussed, as well as providing an opportunity for engineers to receive a recognised qualification to establish their credibility in this field of engineering.

Membership criteria

To be accepted as a member of the PIPE, prospective members will need either two or more years work as an engineering postgraduate in some aspect of pipeline engineering, or five or more years working in pipeline engineering for those without an engineering degree or similar qualification.

For further information, see www.pipeinst.org