The first five professional engineers to meet the requirements of registration were announced at the conference.

APIA CEO Cheryl Cartwright said the registration of oil and gas pipeline engineers represented a milestone for the industry.

“A depth and breadth of specialised knowledge and experience is required to satisfy the requirements of registration which is assessed against a set of competency standards developed by APIA specifically for pipeline engineers,” she said.

“The APIA competency standards for pipeline engineers have been drawn up to support the industry standard, AS 2885.”

“Registration for oil and gas pipeline engineers is part of an Australia-wide system for professional engineers administered by the National Engineering Registration Board. Registration is based on the world-first APIA competency standards for pipeline engineers.

Cartwright said this latest step would help public confidence in the safety and reliability of hydrocarbon pipelines at a time when there is significant growth in the gas transmission sector, “further boosting the reputation of Australia’s oil and gas pipelines which are built and operated to standards that are among the best in the world”