Senator Lott Will Headline PVA’s MariTrends 2002

The Passenger Vessel Association (PVA) annual convention at MariTrends 2002 will be held February 16-19, 2002 at the Grand Casino-Biloxi, Biloxi, Miss. MariTrends 2002, dubbed the passenger vessel industry’s comprehensive convention, will allow attendees and exhibitors to engage in a variety of seminars, workshops aimed at informing and assisting current operators small and large, prospective operators and government officials. U.S. Sen. Trent Lott (D-Miss.) will serve as keynote speaker for the opening general session on Saturday, February 16, beginning at 4:00 p.m. The Mississippi native and Senate Minority leader who serves on the Commerce, Science and Transportation committee, the Finance committee and the Rules Committee, Sen. Lott is known as a strong advocate of U.S. shipyards and the U.S. flag maritime industry, and most recently, pushed for the Navy to purchase and convert the cruise vessels that Northrop Grumman was building for American Classic Voyages. Also scheduled to speak at the conference is Rear Admiral Paul Pluta, who will hold a discussion on Public Policy on Tuesday, February 9 at 12 noon. In addition to the industry’s latest products, services and equipment that will be showcased at the MariTrends 2002 Exhibition, the PVA Ferry Conference will be held during the convention. “New Passenger Vessel Designs and Trends” and “Improving Your Security Measures and Crisis Management,” will be among the variety of the informative seminars that will be featured. The co-sponsors of MariTrends 2002, the U.S. Maritime Administration (MarAd) and the Municipal Planning Organizations (MPOs), will team together to conduct a program on establishing and broadening ferry services nationwide. For more information about PVA’s annual convention at MariTrends 2002, log onto www.passengervessel.com or call 1-800-807-8360.