The American Salvage Association (ASA) and the North American Marine Environmental Protection Association (NAMEPA) will co-sponsor a conference, “Wrecks of
the World: Evaluating and Addressing Potential Underwater Threats” (WOW) II” on Monday, June 6 and Tuesday, June 7, 2011 at the Maritime Institute of Technology and Graduate Studies (MITAGS) in the Washington, DC area (Linthicum Heights, MD) USA.
The conference will explore the problem of potentially polluting wrecks and recent incidents around the world that have caused government agencies and responsible parties to look proactively at preventing catastrophic oil and other chemical releases from these long-submerged shipwrecks which may contain as much as 20 million tons of oil and other hazardous materials. Sporadic or continuous leakages or potential sudden massive spillages from these wrecks pose a continual risk across the globe.
The first day will include a discussion of state-of-the-art research and technology on wrecks, as presented by expected speakers Dr. Christopher Reddy and Michael Barrett, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute; regulatory issues of polluting wrecks by RADM Brian Salerno, USCG, Hans Petter Mortensholm, Kystverket Norway; Jan de Boer, IMO Legal Committee, and others; risk assessment issues with David Conlin, National Park Service; Jordan Stout, NOAA OR&R, and others; financial issues related to polluting wrecks with Craig Bennett, National Pollution Fund Center; Jose Maura, IOPC Fund; Charles Anderson, Skuld North America; and Dabney Hegg, U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations.
Sponsoring companies including T&T Bisso, Frank Mohn, Marine Pollution Control, and
Ballard Marine. Sponsorship opportunities are available.
Further details are available on the ASA and NAMEPA websites: