The International Liquid Terminals Association (ILTA) is celebrating a major milestone in 2024, as it marks its 50th anniversary. Since its establishment in 1974, ILTA has been dedicated to supporting and uniting the bulk liquid terminaling industry by collaborating with terminal companies and their supplier partners, as well as advocating for their interests and providing valuable education.
Bulk liquid terminals serve as crucial storage and logistics hubs for various products that are integral to our daily lives, including oil and gas, biofuels like ethanol, liquid hydrogen, asphalt, and food products such as molasses.
Over the past five decades, ILTA has evolved from a small group of members to a prominent association representing over seventy terminal companies and three hundred supplier companies. These members range from small facilities with a few terminal tanks to large multinational organisations employing thousands of individuals worldwide. ILTA’s annual conference and trade show have become the leading industry gathering, bringing together thousands of professionals to share ideas and knowledge. Additionally, the association’s biannual committee meetings and Terminal Operating Practices Symposium offer further opportunities for industry growth and collaboration.
As a strong advocate for the bulk liquid industry, ILTA has achieved significant victories on behalf of its members. In recent years, ILTA successfully challenged railroads’ ability to impose demurrage fees on terminals, saving the industry from unjust charges amounting to tens of millions of dollars annually. ILTA also played a pivotal role in enabling terminal companies offering butane/pentane blending services to operate under reasonable Process Safety management requirements, avoiding installation costs of $300,000 per facility. Furthermore, ILTA’s efforts resulted in a delay of overly burdensome regulations mandating biometric Transportation Worker Identification Credential readers, saving millions of dollars in security installation costs.
ILTA’s advocacy work has also led to significant cost savings for the industry. By advocating for the expanded applicability of the New Source Performance Standards “Kb” tank rule, ILTA has reduced the frequency of required out-of-service periods, resulting in industry-wide savings of nearly $100,000 in lost revenue per tank annually, amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars.
Looking ahead, ILTA’s Interim-President, Leakhena Swett, is optimistic about the association’s future. Swett expressed enthusiasm for serving alongside a dedicated team and passionate membership, working together to support the critical bulk liquid terminaling industry. With ILTA’s positive momentum, demonstrated through successful in-person events and impactful initiatives, Swett believes that the association is well-positioned to further expand its team, conference, and advocacy events to serve the industry even more effectively.
For more information visit www.ilta.org
