History 1966-2022

an ongoing history of achievement

In 1966 companies active in the international pipeline construction industry recognised that they had many common interests and problems which could most effectively be addressed through the establishment of an industry association. That same year the then leaders of the international pipeline construction industry met in Paris and established the International Pipe Line Contractors Association.

Originally established as a division of the U.S. Pipe Line Contractors Association, IPLCA became fully independent in 1976 after a significant increase in membership.

In 1988 the Membership decided that with the growth of the offshore oil and gas industry the Association should become broader based and include those companies working offshore in the oil & gas industry who were not necessarily pipeliners. On May 5th, 1989 the International Pipe Line & Offshore Contractors Association came into being.

The Association’s headquarters were later moved to Brussels, and then in 1992 to Ghent, in Belgium. The Ghent office was closed in June 2005, and the office was re-established in Geneva Switzerland, where it remains today. The aims of the Association today remain the same as they were when laid down in Paris in 1966:

- To make membership of the Association a reasonable assurance to the public of the skill, integrity and responsibility of its members. - To maintain the standards of the pipeline and offshore contracting business at the level necessitated by its professional character and to establish members of the Association in the public mind as contractors who fulfil their obligations in all good faith. - To promote more cordial and co-operative relations among pipeline and offshore contractors and between contractors and those with whom they have to deal or with whom they have contact. - To encourage efficiency among contractors and their employees. - To seek correction of injurious, discriminatory or unfair business practice by or against pipeline and offshore contractors. - To eliminate as far as is humanly possible the occurrence of injury and death to contractor’s employees and others by following sound safety practices and by promoting the continued research and development into new, better and safer construction techniques. - To follow the established Codes of Conduct set out by the industry and others with respect to working within a free and competitive market.

IPLOCA maintains a close relationship with its sister associations, PLCA, PLCAC, DCA, APGA, PIG, ROGCU and various other allied associations. IPLOCA is also a member of the World Federation of Pipe Line Industry Associations. IPLOCA spans the world and its special and unique universe embraces every discipline associated with the construction of on and offshore pipelines and their associated facilities and installations. Its members include the major international players in the industry both on and offshore.

IPLOCA Regular Members: Major contractors involved in large and medium diameter international cross-country onshore pipeline construction and gathering, flowline and small diameter pipelines together with the construction of pumping and compressor stations, ancillary oil and gas field construction, mechanical installations, roads,

housing, communications, electrical, telemetry and instrumentation.

Major subcontractors onshore cover such specialised expertise as horizontal drilling, welding, double-jointing, coating, pipe-joint installation, pre-fabrication, concrete coating, testing, etc.

Major contractors offshore are involved in laybarge pipeline installation, pulled crossings, dredging, jacket installation, fabrication, heavy lifts, hook-up, ancillary offshore platform construction, sub-sea installations etc.

Major subcontractors offshore cover a variety of specialised services including but not limited to welding, coating, pipe joint installation, fabrication, diving services, tugs and support vessels.

IPLOCA Associate Members: Those many major international companies providing equipment, tools, supplies and services to the industry both on and offshore. In recent years with seats on the Board Associate Members have been playing a greater role within the Association especially with regard to R&D.

IPLOCA Academic Members: Those Universities and Research Institutes undertaking research or other work associated with our industry.

IPLOCA pursues a very active role within the industry and is the one association representing the major international players constructing oil and gas facilities onshore and offshore throughout the world in addition to those providing equipment, materials, tools, supplies and services. IPLOCA continues to maintain relationships with clients, governmental agencies and regulatory bodies associated with the oil, gas and water industry world-wide in order to promote better relations within the industry.

IPLOCA collects safety statistics from its members, and publishes these in aggregate form annually. It has produced Safety and Environmental Guidelines and has set out basic safety and environmental policies to which members are committed to adhere. It regularly holds workshops on specific safety topics and has made available a safety DVD, the Safety Training Instructors Tool, in collaboration with the Canadian Construction Sector Council and PLCAC.

The Association participates in ongoing research for the benefit of the industry at large and in 2009 published the first edition of Onshore Pipelines: The Road to Success.

This substantial document resulted from the collaborative work of many individuals and companies among the IPLOCA membership. It serves as a reference tool covering a pipeline project from development to commissioning and is of particular relevance to senior management, project managers and engineers, environmentalists involved in pipeline projects, and of interest to the key personnel of contractors and subcontractors. It may also be used as a teaching tool for the pipeline industry. Subsequent editions were published in 2010 and 2013. A fourth edition was produced in the form of a mobile application in 2016.

IPLOCA maintains an ongoing dialogue with owners and operators including BP, Chevron, Eni, Petrobras, Shell, Total, TransCanada and others in promoting a more constructive relationship between client and contractor.

Effective from January 2016, a new category of membership, Corresponding Members, was introduced for those oil and gas owners and/or operators who have an interest in the work of the Association.