Great Lakes Region Welcomes SecurePort® 2009 Conference on June 1, Hosted by Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority

(DETROIT, MI) - SecurePort® 2009 5th Annual Western Hemispheric Port Security Conference and Trade Exhibition (www.secureportamericas.com) comes to Detroit for the first time to turn a positive spotlight on the city, the port and the Great Lakes region. Understanding that transportation throughout the Great Lakes, St. Lawrence Seaway, and surrounding U.S. states and Canadian provinces is vitally important to our economies and security, makes this a must attend event.

The cooperation and relationships among those in the transportation community in the ongoing processes of security planning and crucial multi-level execution again will be the key focus. Western hemispheric government and business executives will gather to discuss local, regional, national and hemispheric issues in port, ferry, cruise and maritime security. SecurePort® 2009 will also underscore state-of-the-art technologies, and proven programs, that are devised to further develop and increase the effectiveness of hemispheric transportation security.

SecurePort® 2009 will be held in Detroit, Michigan, USA, during June 1-3, 2009, at The Atheneum Suite Hotel and Conference Center, located in the Greektown Dining & Entertainment District.

Enhancing and building on the very successful previous SecurePort® Conferences that have welcomed attendees from over 40 counties, this 2009 event provides a unique opportunity for the exchange of valuable information and insights among government and industry leaders and beneficial networking opportunities for all.

Hosted by the Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority (DWCPA), SecurePort® 2009 will provide interactive panel discussions, highlighting port and government executives, and industry partners. The conference will feature presentations from, and again include several hours of Open Forum discussions with, top industry and government decision-makers representing a broad range of interests in the marine transportation system, including:

-- Rear Admiral Peter Neffenger, U.S. Coast Guard, Commander, Ninth Coast Guard District

-- The Honorable John Jamian - President, Jamian McElroy & Hamlin, LLC; and Former Acting Maritime Administrator, U.S. Maritime Administration, Department of Transportation

-- Ross Ashley - Assistant Administrator, Grant Programs Directorate, Federal Emergency Management Agency, U.S. Department of Homeland Security

-- Fulvio Sracassi - Director General, Marine Security, Transport Canada

-- Gary LaGrange - President and CEO, Port of New Orleans

-- Gregg Ward - Vice President, Detroit-Windsor Truck Ferry, Inc.

The Honorable Curtis A. Hertel, Sr., Executive Director of the Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority emphasized: SecurePort® has come to be known as the premier port security conference in the Western Hemisphere and the Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority is pleased to sponsor SecurePort® 2009. It is truly an honor for Detroit to welcome U.S. and hemispheric leaders, along with Coast Guard and other U.S. Department of Homeland Security principals to the Great Lakes.

The collective participation of all presenters, sponsors, exhibitors and attendees together in the conference hall will continue to be the underpinning of the successes in maritime and port security achieved at SecurePort® events.

For more information or interviews, please call Mida Giragosian at 248-399-8200 or 249-217-4292. Giragosian@gmail.com