Working Groups

WORKING GROUPS

At the core of PIANC’s mission is the publication of high-quality Technical Reports realised by international Working Groups. PIANC Working Groups are composed of participants from multiple member countries who have expertise in the issue being investigated. The groups gather, analyse, and consolidate international, state-of-the-art, best practice material to provide evidence-based guidance.

Once a particular Working Group topic has been approved at PIANC HQ, and Terms of Reference established, national sections are invited to propose an expert member from their region. The PIANC A&NZ Board then invites interested members to apply to the Board, and reviews applications before nominating one member to the Working Group. 

An additional expert per country/organisation, being a young professional, can participate in the Working Group activities.

Costs of participation are met by the individual members or their employers. However there is some travel assistance. Please see PIANC A&NZ  TAP – Travel Assistance Policy for our members involved in Working Groups.

Many of our members are currently active on a number of PIANC Working Groups and they produce significant outcomes that benefit maritime matters in our region. See our video here and find out why you should get involved!

PIANC A&NZ members involved in PIANC Working Groups are listed in our Annual Reports:
Annual Report 2020
pp12-13  
Annual Report 2021 pp24-27
Annual Report 2022 pp32-34 

Process for Applications

Your application should include a detailed CV/Resume with a short covering letter outlining:

1. Your experience in the particular technical field; see expertise list above.
2. Why the WG is relevant for the Australian / NZ content and the direct benefits of participation;
3. A commitment that you will prepare (for distribution to all members) a short report providing an overview & outcomes of the WG etc;
4. Whether or not you are seeking to access Travel Assistance Policy (TAP )funding; and
5. Whether you qualify as a Young Professional.

Eligibility:
Please note that Working Group Members need to be Individual Members of PIANC, working for a Corporate Member or Platinum Partner, be an invited expert or a be a member of a Sister Organisation.

Process:
A Selection Committee will review all nominations received and make a final recommendation to the PIANC A&NZ Chair.

Responsibilities:
Please be aware that membership of a Working Group does require your active participation. This includes attending Working Group meetings (pre-Covid -19 this was usually at international locations) or as a ‘Corresponding Member’ if you do not want to undertake the normal travel requirements of full membership. If you are expert in the field and would like to influence the outcome of the Working Group we encourage you to participate as fully as you are able.

Costs:
All costs associated with membership must be borne by either yourself or your employer, however PIANC Australia & New Zealand has a Travel Assistance Policy to partially assist with travel & attendance at Working Group meetings, in order to promote Australian and New Zealand technical input into these important WG activities. 

Under the PIANC A&NZ Travel Assistance Policy (TAP), up to $2,000 funds may be payable post travel upon the successful completion of a WG Summary Report and production of relevant travel receipts.

Terms of Reference:
Please view information below for Terms of Reference for recent PIANC Working Groups, many with Australia & New Zealand involvement. For all PIANC working groups, please refer to the links to PIANC International website in the sidebar.

Terms of References for Working Groups (ToRs)

WG225: MarCom – Seismic Design Guidelines for Port Structures

PIANC ANZ Nominations: Ravikumar Segu & Tom Bishton (YP)

WG224: Planning of Fishing Ports ToR MarCom WG

WG223: RecCom – Meaningful inclusion of fishing communities in recreational marinas – guidelines for planning.

WG222: RecCom – Design Guidelines for Floating Breakwaters in Marinas – ToR

PIANC ANZ nomination: Andrew (Andy) Brown (YP)

WG221: RecCom – Design Guidelines for Recreational Boating Slipways

PIANC ANZ Nomination: Rick Plain (YP)

WG218: The Implications of Invasive Alien Species for Waterborne Transport Infrastructure

ANZ Nomination: Nicola Stokes

WG214: EnviCom – Beneficial Sediment Use – ToR April 2021

PIANC ANZ Nomination: Dave Hopper

WG213: Design guidelines for marine multipurpose terminals

ANZ Nomination: Venket Naidu

WG212: Update of WG 24 – Criteria for acceptable movement of ships at berth

ANZ Nominations: Wim van der Molen, Fabien Cogorgan

WG211: A Update of WG 33 – Guidelines for the design of fender systems

ANZ Nominations: Bob Lamont-Smith, Harvinder Singh (YP)

WG209: Recommendations for use of AIS data for recreational navigation infrastructure

Nominations closed

WG208: MarCom- Planning for Automation of Container Terminals

PIANC ANZ Nominations: Carsten Varming & Tom Condie (YP).
Report now published – in March 2021. Our news story is here.

WG205: Design and Construction of Breakwaters on Soft Seabeds

ANZ Nomination: Stuart Bettington

WG200: Recommendations for the Design and Assessment of Marine Single Point Mooring (SPM) or Multi-Point Mooring (MPM) Facilities

Australian nominations:

  • Katrina Dodd, Ausenco
  • Kevin Sartipi (VP), JJ Ryan

WG199: Health Monitoring for Port and Waterway Structures

Australian nominations:

  • Colin Hedderwick, SMEC

WG195: An Introduction to Applying Ecosystems Services for Waterborne Transport Infrastructure Projects

Australian nominations:

  • David Hopper, NSW Trade and Investment

This report is now published April 2021. See our news story here

WG194: A Framework for Early Contractor Involvement in Infrastructure Projects

Australian nominations:

  • David Kinlan, Kinlan Consulting

This report is now published. (August 2022)

WG187: Protection of Undersea Pipelines and Cables in Navigable Areas

Australian nominations:

  • Brian Johnson, Australian Maritime Systems

WG186: Mooring of Large Ships at Quay Walls

Australian nominations:

  • Sam Harris, Mott McDonald
  • David Dack, Arup

WG185: Site Selection and Planning for New Ports and Specialist Marine Terminals on Greenfield Sites – Technical Guidelines

ANZ nominations:

  • Jason Sprott, Sprott Planning and Environment
  • Sam Harris, Mott McDonald
  • Harish Srivastava, Transport for NSW

This report is now published.