Reynold's Wrap Up: Highlights from the Subcommittee on Inspection Meeting at the Fall 2015 API Refining Standards Meeting

Inspection Summit Planning Committee

• The 2017 API Inspection Summit will be held the week of January 30 – February 2, at the Galveston Convention Center (GCC);
  • Due to its growing popularity, this event will likely move to another venue for the 2019 Summit. We are simply outgrowing the GCC and will need to take some steps to avoid overcrowding at the 2017 meeting.
• The Inspection Summit has increased in attendance nearly 30% each time it is held. We expect that to be the case again in 2017. The quality and quantity of information presented on asset integrity management, inspection/NDE, damage mechanisms, and engineering analysis continues to be highly regarded by attendees. This reputation continues to spread and bring in new people.
• The timeline for submitting and approving presentations will be earlier this coming year from previous years. The Call for Presentations will first go out in early March 2016, with the deadline for submitting abstracts at the end of May. This will provide the Planning Committee sufficient time to review the quality of abstracts and slide presentations prior to the end of the year.
• The format of the next Summit will generally be the same as 2015’s event, with a few improvements to keep it interesting. We’ve decided not to make any major changes since the format of previous Summits has been so successful Inspectioneering will once again be the Official Media Sponsor
• of the Inspection Summit, and the primary source for advance event information leading up to the 2017 conference.

Subcommittee on Inspection (API SCI)

• About 10% of certified API inspectors have not yet switched their old paper-based certification account to the new online portal, which is constantly being improved. If you have not yet switched, you must do so very soon or you will not be able to recertify when your certification expires—it will only take 10 minutes. All accounts have already been uploaded to the new porta—certified inspectors simple have to log in and confirm theirs. API has tried numerous times to contact all those who have not switched to the new online portal, however about 2300 accounts remain unconfirmed. All certified inspectors should be aware that the old paper system will soon be shut down and when that happens, those that have not acknowledged their new accounts will lose their certifications when it comes time for renewal.