Safety at Sea Focus of National Maritime Day DC Seminar

April 26, 2011—One year after the Gulf oil spill, and amid daily reports of piracy and needless accidents at sea, the North American Marine Environment Protection Association (NAMEPA) will be offering a seminar “Environmental Intelligence in Shipping: Safety at Sea, featuring an emergency preparedness & response regulatory update, as well as a panel on piracy, STCW update, and terminal access for seafarers. The seminar will take place on May 23rd at the National Press Club in Washington DC commencing at 3:00pm. The seminar is intended to commemorate National Maritime Day, which is held on May 22nd to honor merchant mariners.

Panelists include (to date): RADM Kevin Cook, USCG; Clay Maitland, International Registries Inc. (Marshall Islands), RADM Robert North (Ret.), North Star Maritime; Jonathan Waldron, Blank Rome LLP; Greg DeMarco, ExxonMobil; RADM Paul Zukunft, USCG; the Rev. Mary Davisson, Baltimore International Seafarers’ Center; the Rev. Canon James Von Dreele, Seamen’s Church Institute-Philadelphia; Mauricio Garrido, American Salvage Association.

“NAMEPA designed this seminar to be both informative and participatory so that the risk of an event such as the Deepwater Horizon oil spill recurring can be reduced” stated NAMEPA Chairman Clay Maitland. “We must also look at seafarer welfare. Piracy is on the rise. Lifeboat safety hook failures are on the rise. Seafarer fatigue is on the rise. The seminar will explore strategies and realities to mitigate future risks.”

The cost to attend the seminar is $50 for NAMEPA members ($75 for non-members. Please contact r.lambert@namepa.net for reservations or call +203 255 4686. Admittance is by reservation only and is limited.

Sponsors of the seminar include Blank Rome Maritime, Clay Maitland, the International Propeller Club of the United States, Sea Research Foundation, and TBS Shipping.

The seminar will be followed immediately by the National Maritime Day Dinner and AMVER Awards where 77 shipping companies will be recognized. The honored guest will be Congressman Frank LoBiondo. Request more information from r.lambert@namepa.net .

The North American Marine Environment Protection Association was officially launched in 2007 and now boasts over 100 members. In keeping with the mission of MEPAs worldwide, it is an industry-led initiative to increase environmental awareness and motivation of the human element within shipping and land-based industries that have a vested interest in preservation of the marine environment. Specifically, NAMEPA has the goal of educating the seafarers, port communities, and the wider public and school communities about the critical importance of the world’s oceans to mankind and the maritime industry’s role and actions to preserve it. NAMEPA is a maritime industry led initiative to “Save the Seas”, and welcomes members who share this mission. For more information, go to www.namepa.net .

Media inquiries: Carleen Lyden-Kluss +203 255 4686 executivedirector@namepa.net