North American World Maritime Day Observance and US Coast Guard Missions Conference to feature Piracy, Stewardship, Safety and Security

October 11, 2011— Piracy will be the focus of this year’s North American World Maritime Day Observance being held in Tampa, FL on October 27th followed by a US Coast Guard Missions conference on October 28th which will feature panel discussions on the stewardship, safety and security missions of the Coast Guard. Both events will be held at the Marriott Waterside in Tampa and are free and open to the public. North American regional representatives from industry, government and NGO’s will dialog on these critically important regional issues. The events directly follow the USCG Flag Officer’s conference and Innovation Expo.

For the past several years, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has promoted awareness about the maritime community through World Maritime Day. Issues important to the global maritime industry (technical cooperation, seafarers, climate change, etc.) are highlighted at events occurring in London, a selected parallel country, and throughout the maritime nations. It has been observed in the United States since 2006, in Canada since 2008, and in 2009 the United States hosted the Parallel Event. Last year, Transport Canada was host to the World Maritime Day Observance in Vancouver. This year’s focus is on piracy.

The 2011 North American World Maritime Day Observance will include an overview of the current piracy situation, with Kevin Doherty of Nexus Consulting providing updated information and John Kimball of Blank Rome outlining the legal structure. Joe Cox from the Chamber of Shipping of America will present what shipowners need to protect their crew and ships, and Roberto Giorgi of VShips will discuss the seafarer’s experience with piracy.

There will also be a special presentation by Captain Kuba Szymanski, Secretary General of Intermanager, on the industry association-led anti-piracy “Save our Seafarers” campaign.

Addressing the way forward will be Tom Kelly, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the State Department discussing what governments can offer, followed by the Navy’s advice for the maritime industry from RADM Kevin Donegan. Dr. Martin Murphy, author of Somalia: the New Barbary, Contemporary Piracy and Maritime Terrorism, and more treatises on piracy will offer solutions to the scourge.

VADM Brian Salerno is the Chairman of the 2011 World Maritime Day Observance, with Jeffrey Lantz and RADM James Watson moderating the panel sessions.

The October 28th Coast Guard Mission Conference will bring regional and industry attention to the core responsibilities of the United States Coast Guard-- Safety, Security and Stewardship-- through panel discussions on each of the missions. Speakers include senior industry, regional governmental and Coast Guard leaders covering a wide array of topics including supply chain security, border protection, innovation technology, and the role of non-government organizations. In addition to Coast Guard personnel including RADM Paul Zukunft, RADM Fred Kenney, RADM James Watson and others, Thomas Smith of UNEP and Clay Maitland of the North American Marine Environment Protection Association will examine the role of the NGO, Captain Kevin Kiefer is looking at reception facilities, and Captain Steven Poulin examines enforcing environmental regulations, with Ray Botto of SeaRiver/ExxonMobil addressing prevention and response; the Sean Moon of the Department of Homeland Security will cover global supply chain security with Jay Todras of Customs and Border Protection who will address Tampa’s needs, The Rev. James von Dreele of the North American Maritime Ministry Association will address security impacts on seafarers, and Captain John Felker presenting on preventing cyber attacks. Christina DeSimone of FutureCare and Harry Vordokas of Germanischer Lloyd will speak about crew safety. Rob Lorigan of Overseas Shipholding Group and Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines’ Rich Pruitt will also be participating.

The luncheon keynote speaker will be Donald Roussel of Transport Canada discussing “Regional Response & Cooperation—the “What if” Factor.

Registration is limited. For information on attending, contact r.lambert@namepa.net.