WLPGA visits Vietnam

David Tyler visited Vietnam in May 2013 to make final arrangements for the WLPGA Best Practice Workshop which will take place in Ho Chi Minh City on 3rd July 2013.

The workshop will be followed by a two day Asia LP Gas Conference and Exhibition which is being organised by All Events Group (www.alleventsgroup.com) and is being supported by the WLPGA. The workshop, conference and exhibition will be held at the five star New World Hotel in Ho Chi Minh City and several hundred delegates are expected to attend. The WLPGA has been working with the All Events Group for some months on this event (www.lpgsummit.com) which could be an annual fixture for the LP Gas industry in Vietnam.

Apart from the Best Practice Workshop, there will also be a visit to the newly commissioned Petro Vietnam LP Gas refrigerated terminal at Vung Tao during the afternoon. The Conference and Exhibition will be held over two days (4th - 5th July) and features speakers from Vietnam, Asia, The Middle East and Europe. Several WLPGA member companies have already booked their booths in the exhibition and the WLPGA will also have a booth there promoting the Association and the WLPGA London Forum in October (www.wlpgasforum-aegpl2013.com). Whilst in Vietnam, David Tyler held separate discussions with WLPGA member PetroVietnam Gas Trading about the WLPGA and the Best Practice Workshop.

Established in 2007 as a subsidiary and marketing arm of PetroVietnam Gas Corporation (PVGAS), PetroVietnam Gas Trading Company is mainly assigned to trade LP Gas and Condensate. PetroVietnam Gas Trading Company has recently commissioned the 60,000MT Thi Vai refrigerated LP Gas terminal to support its local and overseas business. Other smaller terminals in the north (Dinh Vu - 1,500MT), the centre (Dung Quat - 2,000MT) and the south (Go Dau - 4,200MT; Vung Tau - 7,100MT) have until recently been reliant on the floating storage, FSV Maple 1 - 44,000MT. PetroVietnam Gas Trading Company is the largest supplier of LP Gas in the country with over 50% of the market country wide and around 80% of the southern market.

The Vietnam LP Gas industry is very fragmented with over 80 downstream companies competing in a market where several bad practices exist undermining the business. The Best Practice Workshop is one of many that have been held by the WLPGA all over the world and the one in Vietnam is expected to attract between 50 and 100 delegates. Simultaneous translation is being organised to enable a free flow of discussion.

For more details about the WLPGA’s Best Practice Workshops contact David Tyler on dtyler@worldlpgas.com