The International Liquid Terminals Association (ILTA) held its 38th Annual International Operating Conference and Trade Show on June 11-14, in Houston, Texas, at the Marriott Marquis Houston hotel and George R. Brown Convention Center. More than 4,000 terminal industry professionals from around the world participated in the event.
On Monday, June 11, Kathryn Clay, ILTA’s new President, provided opening remarks and noted that the liquid terminals industry is pivotal in linking nations and creating connections: “It’s the terminal that makes that possible, it’s the handshake that connects the different various segments of the transportation sector. It is also the vital lane in international commerce. It’s that moment when the terminal has custody of that commodity that that product coming off of the pipeline goes from being a refined product or a crude that is destined to be an export to actually becoming an export. It is the same on the other side, it is that moment that the terminal makes possible when the vessels brings the commodity to our shores and the terminal takes possession and the product is not just one destined for an import but is now part of our economy.”
“Terminals have that vital role in connection that literally links our nation to the world.” She explained that terminals are the essential adapter between different modes of transport and emphasised the importance of driving alliances and building industry engagement in the field.
As part of the ILTA conference, a number of breakout sessions were delivered under the themes: Operating Practices, Industry Developments, and Security & Incident Response.
Gregg Manzione of Nationwide Consulting Company delivered the one of the first presentations of the day, focussing on “Trends in Terminals Sales, Values, Trends and the Trump Administration”. He began by noting that the price of crude does have an influence on the cost of terminals in the U.S. Relying on publicly available information, he examined the cost of terminals based on development / purchase costs and the facility’s EBITDA, resulting in a representative figure of $/bbl. He also noted that since the export ban on crude was lifted in 2015 there was a “big boom” in the storage market.
The first day of the conference also saw presentations on the benefits of blender arm isolation and recommissioning, cybersecurity trends and developments in risk mitigation, U.S. ports modernisation and the impact on marine terminals, finding from the ILTA/API Tank Foundation Study and Development in Storage Tank Emissions Factors, among others.
The afternoon covered presentations on Environmental Compliance. Traci Johnson of IMTT and Rob Ferry of Trinity Consultants spoke to delegates about how EPA is considering changes to Chapter 7.1 of the AP-42 document for estimating storage tank emissions. The purpose for these changes is to add a method for estimating emissions from tank cleaning events, but numerous other changes that could impact estimated emissions from storage tanks can be expected. The speakers discussed the changes being considered and highlighted the revisions the agency is considering for the default vapour pressure for No. 6 Oil.
On Tuesday, June 12, ILTA held its 12th Annual ILTA Safety Awards Presentation and Breakfast and honoured 16 terminal member companies that achieved outstanding safety performance in 2016. All award recipients were identified from among the 53 companies that participated in ILTA’s 2018 Survey of Terminal Member Safety Data for 2017. This year also saw the the first 10-Year
Safety Milestone Award presented to Petro-Diamond Terminal Company.
The 2018 trade show opened on Tuesday afternoon and featured over 330 exhibiting companies. During the trade show on Wednesday, ILTA hosted its Second Annual Trade Show Symposium. Sessions examined developments in robotic technologies for confined space entry, next generation magnetic eddy current technique for inspecting tanks, robotic in-line inspections, improving efficiency in managing storage tank inspection programmes, and alternative approaches to gas detection.
The 39th Annual International Operating Conference and Trade Show is scheduled for June 3-5, 2018, in Houston. The conference will be held at the Marriott Marquis Houston hotel, and the trade show will take place in Halls A and B of the George R. Brown Convention Center.
For more information, visit: www.ilta.org
19th June 2018
