April 1977 - Maritime Reporter and Engineering News

Los Angeles Sections—SNAME, MTS, ASNE—Discuss LNG Needs, Transportation And Shore Facilities

It was the annual joint meeting of the three local sections of The Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers, Marine Technology Society, and the American Society of Naval Engineers, with the Los Angeles Metropolitan Section of SNAME acting as the host. The group met aboard the Princess Louise in Los Angeles Harbor, at its pier on Terminal Island. It was the largest turnout of the season — 139 members and guests of all the three societies attending.

The surprise of the evening, and the privilege of the host chairman, SNAME's Robert E.

Apple, was the introduction of Phillip Eisenberg, national president of MTS and past president of SNAME. Mr. Eisenberg is well acquainted in southern California.

He had been in town on other business and heard of the scheduled meeting. He delayed his departure long enough to put in an appearance and to express his own warm greeting to the members of all three societies.

John Hollett, Papers chairman, introduced the speakers. Although it had not been planned as a team presentation, the discussions of two separate papers by three individuals were both compatible and complementary.

The first paper was delivered by George L. Stiehl of the Hendy International Company, on the "Prospects for Shipping of Liquefied Natural Gas." The second paper, on the subject of "LNG for California," was delivered alternately by R.G. Terry and J.A.

Aspland, both representing the Pacific Lighting Corporation of Southern California.

Mr. Stiehl's emphasis was on the need for recognizing the extent of the energy demand that at the present time exceeds the capabilities of the United States to meet. He was thus premising the need for importing LNG into this country by marine transportation.

He drew the correlation between that of our own nation and that of other countries both as to the supply and demand, now and for the future.

Mr. Terry's handling of his subject described the engineering and planning for the construction of the shore facilities, storage tanks and the machinery installations designed by his firm through the cooperative efforts of the Pacific Lighting Corporation and the Pacific Gas and Electric Company of Northern California.

He covered, too, the characteristic ship designs that would be employed, the tank insulation techniques, docking, off-loading and the safety precautions needed.

Mr. Aspland's evaluation of the situation was more analytical. He reviewed the pros and cons, and sought for some resolution of the seemingly insurmountable difficulties encountered in attempting to gain approvals with which to proceed on these projects. He, too, emphasized the needs for such importations and the risks in not moving expeditiously at this time.

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