NAMS to Feature Safety, Security Topics

Marine surveyors and related professionals serving yacht and small craft, hull and machinery, and cargo industries will gather September 28-30 in Vancouver, BC, at The National Association of Marine Surveyors (NAMS) holds its 35th Annual National Marine Conference West. The theme for the conference is Safety and Security. "There's no better time than the present for the marine industry to explore these issues," said NAMS President Ron Reisner. Topics to be addressed include:

Hull & Machinery Collision of an Inland River Tow with a Bridge - Part One - Ed Shearer, NAMS-CMS, President & Owner of Shearer & Associates, Inc. Lightering & Salvage of a Capsized Tank Barge - Part Two - Ed Shearer, NAMS-CMS, President & Owner of Shearer & Associates, Inc.

Safety and Security Problems regarding large passenger vessels and tankers - Peter Bernard, President of Bernard & Assoc. Maritime Law Firm of Vancouver, B.C.

Cargo Cargo Crime/Organized Crime - Captain Mel Fernandes, Senior Surveyor & Director of McLarens Canada Cargo Security and related subjects - Doug Schmitt, Partner of Law Firm - McEwen, Schmitt & Co. of Vancouver Security of the Port of Vancouver since 9-11 - Captain Chris Badger, Vice President, Operations, Vancouver Port Authority Terminal Security Systems and related subjects - Greg Poitras, Safety and Security Officer of Terminal Systems Inc., Terminal Operator of Delta Port and Vanterm Container Terminals.

Designed primarily to benefit professional marine surveyors, others involved in the maritime industry will find the conference of interest and valuable. Attendance includes marine underwriters, brokers and agents, loss adjusters, naval architects, admiralty attorneys, marina operators, vessel owners and operators, freight forwarders, and terminal operators. For NAMS members, attendance at this conference counts toward "Certified Marine Surveyor" (CMS) annual re-certification. Time has been scheduled for additional networking and a spouses program is also planned. The conference takes place at the Westin Bayshore Resort & Marina, where room rates have been secured for $229 CDN-plus tax single or double occupancy by mentioning NAMS (call 604-682-3377 by August 28 to reserve). Conference registrations must be made by September 22; fees are $300 for NAMS members ($325 after August 30) and $350 for non-members ($375 after August 30). Request a registration package by contacting the Association at 757/488-9538, emailing [email protected], or visiting www.nams-cms.org.