Business Networking News

The "Hong Kong Maritime Week 2018" (HKMW 2018), a major annual event of the maritime and port industries in Hong Kong, unveiled on Saturday (November 18) with the "Hong Kong orienteering race.According to a government press release, the  third edition of Hong Kong's Maritime Week oragnised by the Hong Kong Maritime and Port Board (HKMPB) with co-organisers, the Hong Kong Shipowners Association and the Hong Kong Maritime Museum, runs from 18 to 24 November and features over 50 events comprising both industry and outreach.Officiating at the opening ceremony of the HKMW 2018, the Chairman of the HKMPB and Secretary for Transport and Housing, Frank Chan Fan, said, "Maritime, trading and logistics have all along been the pillar industry of Hong Kong.

Even Mother Nature Can’t Dent the Enthusiasm at this Year’s MACC.Curtis Bay, MD: On the morning after the Baltimore, MD area received a record 3.5 inches of torrential rain in just 90 minutes, this year’s Multi-Agency Craft Conference (MACC) kicked off without a hitch at the United States Coast Guard Yard in Curtis Bay, MD. That may sound easy, but for those flying in Tuesday afternoon (or like myself, driving in through DC at exactly the moment that the George Washington Parkway flooded badly near the DCA Airport), it was touch and go.Although a proud (although badly aging) graduate of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy and a licensed mariner – Chief Mate (any gross tons) and a 1600 Ton Master – this officially was my first command at sea.

The inaugural edition of the MarTID Maritime Training Insights Database (MarTID) Report sheds new light on maritime safety and training practices, what works, and what doesn’t. More importantly, its analysis and data emanates from you. The first annual Maritime Training Insights Database (MarTID) Report initiative has been two years in the making. This initiative was developed with the intent of being a shared commitment to safe, efficient and sustainable operations in the maritime industry. Importantly, the detailed 50-page report provides valuable insight, not based on so-called third-party experts, but input from the stakeholder respondents themselves. That means you.

I have never been in a hurricane. That’s a fact. Actually, my wife likes to say that whenever there is any kind of natural disaster, I’m typically nowhere to be found. And, when I think about it, I realize that she is right. Whether by accident or by design, that’s exactly how it has played out during the 30+ years that we have been together. Whenever this touchy subject does come up – typically once a quarter – she usually points to one particular event as proof of concept. In August of 1983, long before Katrina left her indelible mark on the U.S. Gulf Coast and the city of New Orleans in particular, there was Alicia. On August 18 of that year…

As I watch the back and forth in Washington – and beyond – on the issue of whether to allow the export of crude oil and LNG, I can only shake my head and wonder why it is even a topic for discussion anymore. I honestly cannot think of a single reason why we shouldn’t. Our European and Asian readers are probably laughing as I discuss the merits of changing a domestic policy that is clearly a remnant from a bygone era. Here at home, though, it’s not really a laughing matter, is it? For more than four decades, the biggest threat to American security was energy – or rather the lack of enough domestic supplies and the use of energy (by others, principally OPEC) as a geopolitical weapon. Those days, at least for North Americans, are long gone. The shale boom is upon us.

Just last month, the Secretary General of the European Community Shipowners’ Association (ECSA) opined that the sixth negotiations round of the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) should include concessions from the American side on maritime transportation issues. Specifically, he called for European access to the “feedering” of international cargo in U.S. domestic trades and access to the American dredging and offshore sectors. They didn’t ask for anyone’s first born child, but I suppose that there’s still time to issue that edict before the end of the summer. EU and US negotiators met in mid-July for the sixth Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiations.

When dealing with the environmental lobby, there’s really only one thing you need to know. The nautical definition of middle ground is a length of comparatively shallow water having channels on both sides. In everyday language, we might call it a position of compromise between two opposing views or parties. That’s typically what reasonable folks try to achieve when resolving disputes or disagreements. For some in the environmental lobby, however, there’s no such thing as middle ground. And, there never will be. The sooner the maritime industry and its oil & gas cousins wake up to this reality, the better. I must admit that I am increasingly not a fan of the environmental lobby. That’s not to say I don’t support some of its collective goals and missions. I do.

Joseph A. Keefe, former Editor in Chief of The Maritime Executive magazine and the MarEx e-newsletter, has joined MaritimeProfessional as its leading commentator. "Joe Keefe is a globally respected maritime journalist who brings a wealth of industry insight and knowledge to MaritimeProfessional," said Greg Trauthwein, Editor and Associate Publisher with New Wave Media, producers of MaritimeProfessional (and MarineLink.com). Keefe brings more than thirty years of experience in…

Asia Pacific Maritime (APM) showcases the latest in marine engineering and port technology. Besides exchanging ideas at industry conferences and technical seminars, APM 2010 is an excellent opportunity for business networking. The main conference, themed “Shipping in Asia Today – Preparing for the Future,” will address important issues and challenges for the industry. Supported by 27 key international associations, government agencies and commercial partners, APM presents some 800 leading international maritime exhibitors from over 50 countries and attracts more than 10,000 Asian visitors. (www.apmaritime.com)

Dubai Maritime City Authority has announced that it will organize the ‘Dubai Maritime Week’ starting from 2010, as part of a series of initiatives designed to support the development of the UAE and region’s maritime sector. The region’s first-of-its-kind event will be co-organized by Dubai World Trade Centre, one of the largest exhibition organizers in the Middle East and owner of Dubai International Boat Show, the region’s largest and most prestigious boating event. The “Dubai Maritime Week” will include seminars…

The World Trade Centers Association will hold its 38th General Assembly in New Orleans Oct. 21-24. The assembly will attract delegates from around the globe to the Crescent City. The event will include seminars, briefings, guest speakers, business networking and tours. It is hosted by the World Trade Center of New Orleans in cooperation with WTCA headquarters.