The meeting was held in Milan, Italy, and saw the Australian Pipeline Industry Association Research and Standards Committee (APIA RSC) and the Pipeline Research Council International (PRCI) sign a reciprocal membership agreement, whereby each organisation will become a member of the other.
The agreement will grant PRCI and APIA RSC access to research results and the provision of opportunities for the collaboration of pipeline research projects that are of mutual interest to both parties.
Over 150 researchers and engineers attended the four-day conference to participate in discussions and presentations relevant to the high-pressure transmission pipelines industry.
APIA RSC Chairman Leigh Fletcher said “The signing of this agreement will not only allow the APIA RSC access to PRCI research for the purposes of making our own research stronger, it will also allow the members of the APIA RSC access to PRCI research past, present and future, for use in their own commercial endeavours.
“This delivers great value to our members and is a tribute to the value that PRCI places upon the work that the APIA RSC does,” he said.
The PRCI is a not-for-profit corporation comprising 37 energy pipeline companies from around the world. The participating companies include 25 US and 12 non-US, including companies from Brazil, Canada, Europe and Saudi Arabia. There are 15 associate members from the US, Canada, Mexico, Japan and Australia.
The organisation focuses on near-term integrity and reliability solutions to design and operating problems, and realising the opportunities that an industry-managed program generates.
Project teams comprise representatives of the companies that fund the project The teams manage the technology programs and the individual projects on which they are assigned. The project teams work directly with technology and research firms, service providers and key industry suppliers.