Travel Grant in Support of APEC China Workshop

University Of Texas At Austin, Austin TX

Investigators

Abstract

This action provides support for four U.S. researchers to participate in, and contribute to, the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) workshop, to be held 8-11 October 2000 in Beijing, China. They are scheduled to give keynote addresses and invited lectures, and will form the backbone of the U.S. representation at this important workshop. The U.S. participants will contribute several articles on the workshop to U.S. technical publications in construction (Engineering News Record), civil engineering (Civil Engineering Magazine), and the oil and gas industry (Offshore Magazine). The workshop addresses best practices in the assessment and management of aging offshore oil and gas platforms and floating production facilities - a major environmental risk in the APEC Region that has over 1,000 offshore oil and gas structures. The workshop promotes private sector and public sector partnership by bringing together a mix of experts from oil and gas regulators, academia, consultants, oil and gas companies, and certification bodies. The goals of the workshop include strengthening intra-regional cooperation among APEC economies, and contributing to the quality of coastal waters by helping APEC oil and gas producers to identify facilities that are no longer structurally sound. The end product of the workshop will be publication of a recommendation paper, distribution of papers presented at the workshop, and continued development of an APEC directory of specialists on this topic