LNG Shipping at 50
LNG Shipping at 50||the safety regime
Everett, a long-time member of GIIGNL and the first US import terminal, opened for business in November 1971, the month before the Group’s first meeting
A SIGTTO/GIIGNL commemorative issue LNG shipping at 50I 61I 61
GIIGNL General Assembly in the Indian port of Kochi in 2010
and commission joint studies on topics of specific interest. These projects were carried out by the members themselves, of which one would act as coordinator.
“I remember one particular groundbreaking study on the certification of LNG carriers. Indeed at the time, the rules governing the design and construction of such vessels were in their infancy and work to establish an appropriate regulatory regime was being coordinated by the International Maritime Organization (IMO). GIIGNL, through the experience and expertise of its members, was able to provide valuable input to the investigations that underpin the regulations which were made mandatory for new ships in 1986.
“The study topics selected covered a very wide range of technical, operational, regulatory and commercial issues. It goes without saying that those sensitive commercial issues which might have impinged on competition law were strictly off-limits.”
Q: How was the association organised Q: How was the association organised and managed?
and managed?
Robert Venet: “GIIGNL worked on the basis of rules which had been laid down by the founding members at the First General Assembly in Paris in 1971 (these rules have since been transformed into statutes, the current version being updated in 2008). Day-to-day functioning of the association was managed by a permanent chief officer or general delegate in consultation with and under the guidance of the Group’s president.
“The statutes require that at least two meetings a year are held. These are a General Assembly of all members, in which all decisions of statutory importance are taken and plenary discussions are held, and an Executive Committee meeting attended by a selection of member companies representing the three regions in which the industry operates, namely Europe, the Americas and Asia. The Executive Committee receives an update on the activities of the association and prepares proposals to be voted on by the AGM.”
Q: Who conducted these meetings? … Q: Who conducted these meetings? … and how did they evolve?
and how did they evolve? Robert Venet: “Many Japanese companies were represented at these meetings. When I joined the association in 1981, there were 13 Japanese companies among our 23 members. There were no other Asian members; the remainder comprised five European and five of the srcinal eight American founding members.
“During the meetings the discussions were simultaneously translated into three languages – English, French and Japanese. Mitsubishi, with its very effective interpretation services, was in charge of the Japanese language translations.
“Gaz de France, British Gas and Tokyo Gas had assumed clear leadership roles in the meetings and the organisation in general. The first non-Japanese Asian members were Korea Gas in 1985 and CPC, headquartered in Taipei, in 1989.” Q: Do you have any particular memories Q: Do you have any particular memories of your time at GIIGNL that stand out? of your time at GIIGNL that stand out? Robert Venet: “Given the level of participants at our meetings, not surprisingly the events did not lack in style. I remember the 1983 Steering Committee at Artigny country house in France. Steeped in history, this is a castle that Renaissance writer Rabelais used to visit. At our meeting Hiroshi Anzai was knighted as a member of the Confrérie des Tastevins, a brotherhood whose purpose is the development of burgundy wines.
“On another occasion, at the 1985 Steering Committee at Woodstock in the UK, Denis Rooke (by then Sir Denis) proposed to the delegates that we attend a parade of the guards at Blenheim Palace …. in the pouring rain. Sir Denis spoke perfect English but with such a pure Oxford accent that our French and Japanese interpreters had difficulty in understanding him. Away from the formal meeting proceedings, however, Sir Denis spoke much more ‘plainly’, with acid comments about, for example, the privatisation plans that UK prime minister Margaret Thatcher had for British Gas.
“While the American delegates
may have been somewhat more ‘conventional’ in their conversation, they were no less noticeable. At the Florence General Assembl y in 1981, for example, several of the wealthier US companies had chartered a private Boeing 727 for their presidents to make the transatlantic flight.
“These same US delegates were somewhat amazed when, at the end of a meeting in Sapporo in 1984, our Japanese hosts proposed a lake excursion in a very American style Mississippi paddle boat steamer.
“These meetings were not always free of mishaps. During our 1989 Montreux Steering Committee in Switzerland the host company representative given responsibility for organising the closing dinner, no doubt in an effort to limit costs and impress his superiors, invited the delegates to an inn whose culinary standard could only be described as “average”. The chosen meal – a greasy raclette, which is melted cheese served with boiled potatoes and cold meats – was particularly average. The raclette did not agree with everyone’s digestive system, and the president of the host company did his best to put on a bright face and salvage the evening. All the while he was gritting his teeth and casting his eyes out over the congregation, looking for his minion who had booked the inn.”
Over the past 20 years GIIGNL’s membership has grown strongly. Today the Group has 74 member companies in 24 countries worldwide. The membership comprises nearly all the companies active in the import of LNG or in the operation of LNG import terminals. By region, 32 of the members are from Asia, 32 from Europe and 10 from the Americas, including North and Latin America.
It is a non-profit organisat ion and its resources only come from the membership fees. The association constitutes a forum for the exchange of experience among its members, with the goal of enhancing the safety, reliability and efficiency of LNG import activities. J-YR