5-6 June 2025 - Krakow, Poland

The following highlights the main discussions and decisions made during the meeting.

Opening remarks from the President

Yasar Giregiz, IPLOCA Board of Directors President, opened the meeting.

Safety moment - Ethical responsibility

Giovanni Muriana, HSE & CSR Committee Chair, prepared his presentation following a visit to the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum by members of the Board. Safety is not only about physical wellbeing, he emphasised, it is also about moral courage, ethical decision-making and fostering environments where every individual is valued. The visit offered profound lessons about humanity, ethics, and responsibility. It is crucial to recognise early warning signs, speak out against harmful actions, take responsibility for ethical leadership, and foster psychological safety.

Annual Convention

IPLOCA Executive Secretary Georges Hage provided a detailed status update on the organisation of the Annual Convention in Izmir, Türkiye in September 2025. He was pleased to report that sponsorship pledges exceeded the budgeted amounts.

The planning of the 2026 Convention in Athens, Greece was on time and according to schedule, he added. Convention Manager Isabelle Bourzeix and Georges Hage were planning to travel to Athens for a site inspection in June.

HSE & CSR Committee

Giovanni Muriana, HSE & CSR Committee Chair, presented his report. Ian Pibworth, HSE Manager for CRC Evans EMEAA

Region, replaced Stacey Winkleman in the committee. Wim Guijt, Technical Expert Pipelines for Shell, replaced Loek Vreenegoor, who retired in April.

The next HSE & CSR Workshop will be held on 28 October 2025 in Budapest, Hungary. The event will focus on two topics: the “Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive” (CSRD) and “Driving a Positive Safety Culture.”

HSE statistics forms were received from 85% of Regular Members (63 out of 74) as of 5 June. Unfortunately, three fatalities had been reported for the year 2024.

IPLOCA Scholarship Programme

The Project Lead, Saji Khoury, presented his report. He thanked Michael Fakhoury, Gerben Wansink and Kent Wilfur, the members of the committee, for helping him grade the applications. He was pleased with the quality of the applications received. This year the questions were more detailed than previously, and the grading scale was published. The students knew what was expected of them, which had a huge impact on the quality of the applications.

A total of 128 students applied for a scholarship. Most of the applications were sent from North America, followed by the Middle East & Africa and the Europe Mediterranean regions. With 20 applications, Bonatti employees’ children showed the most interest in the IPLOCA Scholarship Programme. A total of 12 outstanding students - nine females and three males - were awarded a scholarship. S. Khoury was pleased to report that four recipients were first-generation college students.

NextGen Network

Saji Khoury, the Project Lead, presented his report. The Network is now officially open to all members of IPLOCA. On 3 June a Call for Nominations email was sent to all members and an application form was published on the website. The deadline for nominations was set for 27 June. Applicants must be under 35 years old and employed by an IPLOCA member company. Board members added that their NextGen members greatly appreciate the opportunity to connect with peers globally.

Innovation Committee

Georges Hage presented the Committee report as the Chair, Somaieh Salehpour, could not attend the Board meeting due to other obligations. 90 professionals took part in the Novel Construction Spring Session, which was a great success. 13 presentations were made by 16 speakers.

During the event, the Association launched a brand new, members-only collaborative platform called IPLOCA NEST, the Knowledge Hub. The password to access the webpage was sent to all members in an email in May. The Committee was looking forward to the next Novel Session in Budapest on 29-30 October.

Energy Transition Committee

Andrew Ball, the Chair of the Energy Transition Committee, presented his report. The committee plans to work on the following five topics: decarbonization of heavy pipeline equipment; net zero construction methods; renewable energy at temporary construction facilities; design and engineering; and finally, procurement, management, and disposal of materials. He presented several recent industry reports that are available on IPLOCA NEST.

Membership & Communication Committee

Marcin Przywara, Membership & Communication Committee Chair, presented his report. The Board decided that the soon-to-be-introduced membership category, “New Technology Startup Member,” will be a subcategory of the Associate Member category.

The Board will vote and approve each new member within this new category individually. Companies applying must have been in operation for a minimum of two years and a maximum of five years, the number of employees must not exceed 30, and the company must demonstrate innovation and disruptive technology.

Marcin Przywara created a detailed plan to attract offshore companies. Andre DeCastro presented a document featuring a list of companies that will serve as a tool for directors to identify, track, and follow up with potential new members.

Speakers Committee

Hakan Göral, the Speakers Committee Chair, presented his report. He briefed the Board about the status of the speakers for the 2025 convention.

Treasurer’s Report

The Treasurer, Bruno Pomaré, presented the Second Quarter 2025 Forecast Report and the 2024 Final Annual Report. He was pleased to advise that the Association had improved its yearly results and is positive for the first time in five years. The Treasurer reiterated that the joining and annual membership fees should be paid in CHF without exceptions.

Membership

Eszter Czirjak, IPLOCA Membership Manager, presented the Membership Status report. The following membership applications were approved:

- XCAV8 Plant Services PTY LTD (Associate Member)

- Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi (Academic Member)

- Oilfield & Production Services SRL. (Regular Member)

The Board approved two name change requests:

Old Name: Berg Pipe Panama City Corp

New name: Borusan Berg Pipe

Old name: SOCAR Midstream Operations LLC

New name: SOCAR Midstream Gas Operations LLC

Regional & Board Meetings

The Secretariat is aiming to organise Regional Meetings in Saudi Arabia in December 2025, in Houston, Texas, on 11 March 2026, and in Paris, France, on 17 June 2026.

IPLOCA 60 th anniversary

IPLOCA will celebrate its 60 th anniversary next year with a series of events leading up to 20 June 2026. On this date 60 years ago, leaders of the international pipeline construction industry gathered in Paris to establish the International Division of the Pipe Line Contractors Association (PLCA) of the United States. Over the years, this division evolved into the association now known as IPLOCA.