Creel Addresses Transportation Management Conference
The following are remards by the Honorable Harold J. Creel, Jr., Federal Maritime Commisioner, as prepared for presentation at the International Transportation Management Conference in Houston. It is an honor and a pleasure to be addressing this distinguished conference. As Barry indicated in his opening remarks, this panel will be addressing the following hot topics in ocean transportation: globalization; deregulation; terrorism; new security requirements; antitrust immunity; and NVOCC confidential contracts. I would like to focus my remarks, from a government regulator's perspective, on the latter two topics. I will, of course, attempt to answer any questions you may have on anything that comes up.
Panama Canal Administrator Briefs Asia
In a speech delivered to influential business leaders, the Administrator of the Panama Canal, Alberto Alemán Zubieta, briefed members of the American Institute for Shippers' Associations (AISA) on the state of the Panama Canal and the importance of Panama as a logistics and transportation center. Alemán highlighted the Canal's increasing importance to global trade - particularly cargo coming from Asia - and impressive record of creating operational efficiencies, executing the Canal's vast modernization program and improving Canal safety. Of late, the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) has shifted its model by operating the Canal as a business and has made tremendous progress in shortening transit time and reducing accidents.
