Port Conference News

This year’s IAPH World Ports Conference will be held in Hamburg from June 1-5. International representatives from business, politics and science will gather in Hamburg to debate changing demands and alternative actions required in our times of globalization and climate change. The conference will focus on the smartPORT concept developed by the host of the conference, the Hamburg Port Authority (HPA). During the five-day conference delegates will get to hear about what Hamburg, Europe and the world mean by intelligent port management.

Sea Tow Clarks Hill Lake, S.C. & Ga., Capt. Jon Gridley Recognized for July 4th Rescue. Capt. Jon G. Gridley, co-owner of Sea Tow Clarks Hill Lake, South Carolina and Georgia, was honored with an international life-saving award by AFRAS (the Association for Rescue at Sea, Inc.) at the 25th Anniversary C-PORT (Conference of Professional Operators for Response Towing) Annual Meeting on January 9 at the Grand Hyatt in Tampa, Fla. The AFRAS C-PORT Award, which recognizes extraordinary bravery exhibited by a member of C-PORT during an on-water rescue, was presented to Capt. Gridley and his friend, Jim Masiongale, who also participated in the incident, by Steve Sawyer, president of AFRAS and retired captain, U.S. Coast Guard Office of Search and Rescue, at an awards ceremony on Monday night.

Stéphane Beemelmans, State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Defence, is to open the second MS&D, international conference and exhibition on maritime security and defence hamburg, in Hall A4 of the Hamburg Fair at 9:00 am on Wednesday 15 June. Other speakers at the Opening of this three-day international conference are Senator Michael Neumann, Hamburg Minister of the Interior and Sport; Bernd Aufderheide, President and CEO Hamburg Messe und Congress, who will give a welcoming address; and Vice Admiral Axel Schimpf, Chief of Staff of the German Navy, who will give a keynote speech. The conference starts with introductory remarks by Vice Admiral (rtd) Lutz Feldt, Chairman of the Conference, which is split into two sections – a Security Panel and a Defence Panel.

C-PORT, Conference of Professional Operators for Response Towing, the national association for the Marine Assistance Industry, announced the hiring of Tina Cardone as Executive Director. Formerly the Director of Government Affairs at C-PORT, Cardone will consolidate that position into her newly assigned role. “The Association was designed to have one position fulfilling both responsibilities,” commented Terry Hill, C-PORT Chairman. During this transitory time, Cardone is focused on the Annual C-Port Conference to be held January 25-January 27, 2010 in Arlington, Va.