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DNV GL, an international certification body with main locations in Germany and Norway, has collaborated with industry to update recommended practices (RPs) for pipeline maintenance. The first for the growing number of corroded pipelines worldwide, and the second for the integrity management of submarine pipelines systems.

As DNV GL has noted, the updates have been developed through the completion of joint industry projects (JIPs). The revisions aim to further support the decision-making processes related to maintaining the integrity of pipeline systems in the following areas:

Afghanistan's President Ashraf Ghani has dusted off 20 year old plans to build a $10 billion, 1735 km transnational Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India gas pipeline.

Potential project stakeholders, chief among them the Asian Development Bank, have been invited to a May meeting to be held in Kabul where the initial first steps will be discussed.

Mr. Dafe Sejebor, Managing Director of the Nigerian Gas Company (NGC), denounced the continued vandalism of the country's natural gas pipeline distribution network at a news conference in Warri, Delta State, Nigeria. Three major attacks have occurred during the past several months alone, costing the NGC over 8 billion Nigerian Naira ($43 million): "whenever these pipelines are sabotaged, we are forced to shut down the pipeline, and we defer a minimum of 200 million Standard Cubic Feet, SCF, of gas per day,” said Sejebor through his spokesman, Joseph Olisa.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), the independent agency responsible for regulating interstate transmission of electricity, natural gas and oil, is calling for more natural gas consumption along with an improved natural gas pipeline network to help curb greenhouse gas emissions and meet global climate goals.

The Trans Adriatic Pipeline AG (TAP), a pipeline project aiming to transport natural gas from the Caspian Sea to Greece and further into western Europe, has announced two pre-qualification contracts for the construction of the 105 km offshore pipeline section 820 meters below the surface on the floor of the Adriatic Sea.

In an effort to stop wide scale theft of refined products such as petrol and diesel from its network of pipelines, Mexico's state-owned oil company Pemex has announced that it will no longer transport ready-to-use products through its system.

Instead the last phase of the mixing process will take place when the petrol and diesel reach the company's storage facilities.

Phillips 66 Partners announced this week that it will acquire Phillip 66's equity interest in the Sand Hills and Southern Hills natural gas liquids (NGL) pipeline systems as well as in the Explorer Pipeline Company refined products pipeline system. Phillips 66 will receive in return a total consideration of $1.01 billion consisting of $880 million in cash and 1,726,914 newly issued PSXP units.

Vantage, the high vapor pressure pipeline system presently carrying ethane from Tioga, North Dakota, United States, to a end users near Empress, Alberta, Canada is about to be expanded with a new 80 km gathering lateral pipeline and main line pump stations, according to Pembina Pipeline Corporation.

The expansion will boost the system's mainline capacity from 40,000 bpd to 68, 000 bpd and cost an estimated $85 million. Providing all regulatory and environmental approvals are granted, the Vantage Expansion is expected to be in-service in early 2016.

The North Caspian Operating Company (NCOC) has awarded Saipem a $1.8 billion Engineering and Construction contract in the petroleum rich waters of the North Caspian.

The scope of the work includes engineering,welding materials, conversion and preparation of vessels, dredging, installation and finally burial and pre-commissioning of two 95 km oil pipelines. Construction is expected to be completed at the end of 2016.

In a move bound to enhance Synodon's ability to detect changes in a pipeline's geo-spatial environment, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued a Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) approving the installation of Synodon's realSens system on Bell 206B Jet Ranger type helicopters registered and operating in the United States. According to Adrian Banica, President and CEO of Synodon, "the receipt of this STC affords Synodon more operational flexibility.

Five years in the making, Myanmar on Wednesday officially opened a $2.45 billion 770 km oil pipeline and a deep sea port off of its western coast for a trial period, a significant pipeline project that will carry oil from the Middle East to China.

The Myanmar - China pipeline will help the Middle Kingdom to diversify its oil sources -- up to now China has has been essentially dependent oil transport through the Straits of Malacca.