DAy 2 - Wednesday, March 25
7000-0800: check-in, NetworkinG & Breakfast
(Onsite and included in registration price.)
Begin the day with breakfast and check-in while reconnecting with colleagues you met on Day 1 and continuing conversations sparked during yesterday’s sessions. This morning’s networking period provides a relaxed opportunity to build on new relationships, visit exhibitor booths, and get ready for another full day of programming.
We recommend you arrive as early as possible during this time period to ensure you are able to check in, get breakfast, find a seat for the day, and have time to meet fellow attendees.
0800-1000: The Fragility of the Marine Transportation System
This session will highlight local initiatives implemented to improve the resilience of the Marine Transportation System. A short briefing will identify known single points of failure and infrastructure challenges which, if disrupted, would cause significant issues for local communities and impact the U.S. global supply chain. This briefing will set the stage for a panel discussion, which will focus on ideas and solutions in place or being evaluated to begin to address these known challenges. This session will demonstrate how communities can build resilience by acknowledging existing risks and planning for worst-case scenarios.
Panel Moderator: Mike Emerson, Director, Marine Transportation System Directorate, U.S. Coast Guard
Panelists:
- CAPT Paul Dittman (USCG, ret.): President, Gulf Intracoastal Canal Association; Member, Greater New Orleans Port Safety Council Harbor Safety Committee, Lone Star Harbor Safety Committee, Southeast Texas Waterways Advisory Council, South Texas Waterways Advisory Committee, and the Bayou Safety Committee of Southern Louisiana
- W. Vern Gwin: Chief of the Operations Division, Mobile District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
- William “Billy” Hoffman: Safety Manager, Sause Bros
- Scott Humphrey: Executive Director, Marine Exchange of San Francisco; Chair, Harbor Safety Committee of the San Francisco Bay Region
1000-1030: Break
1030-1040: Coordinating Live Exercises
Speaker: Capt. Mike McElroy: Director of Marine Operations and Regulatory Affairs, Wendella Boats; President, Chicago Harbor Safety Committee; Co-Chair, Area Maritime Security Committee; Vice Chair, Harbor Safety Committee National Steering Team
This session will impart the experience of the Chicago Harbor Safety Committee in leveraging local partners, to include members of the Area Maritime Security Committee, to run live exercises to prepare for potential emergencies (e.g., active shooter, shipboard firefighting). Many agencies and organizations have a dedicated budget for training and some even have a mandate to engage in live exercises to maximize their real-world learning opportunities. What if these entities came together to develop a live exercise, pooling their resources and tackling an issue of collective interest? Learn about successful exercises executed in Chicago to improve marine safety through preparedness.
1045-1055: Maritime Workforce Development
Speaker: Rear Admiral Jim Watson (USCG, ret.): Co-author, ZERO POINT FOUR: How U.S. Leadership in Maritime Will Secure America’s Future; Vice Chair, Marine Board, National Academies of Sciences
With over 80 percent of the world’s trade volume carried by sea, the need for skilled and supported seafarers is persistent. Facing a worldwide shortage of seafarers, companies and communities have taken steps to improve recruitment and training to bridge the gap but challenges remain. This session will highlight how the shortage of skilled mariners represents a marine safety concern we must work together to address.
1100-1130: Leveraging Existing Safety Campaigns
This session will feature four short presentations designed to introduce conference participants to existing boating safety programs, resources, and campaigns that can be leveraged by local communities to improve the safety posture of recreational waterway users in their ports.
Speakers:
- Mike Breslin: Senior Director, Safety and Sustainability, American Waterway Operators (AWO); Lead, AWO’s Recreational Boating Safety Work Group
- Pam Dillon: Member, National Boating Safety Council Hall of Fame; former Education Director, National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA); Past President, American Canoe Associations; and Project Director, NASBLA’s Guide for Multiple Use Waterway Management.
- CAPT Jamie Frederick (USCG): Captain of the Port and Sector Commander, Boston; Member, Massachusetts Bay Harbor Safety Committee
- Lauren Hyland: Director, Public Policy and Industry Engagement, National Marine Manufacturers Association
1130-1300: Lunch
(Onsite and included in registration price.)
1300-1530: Lessons Learned from the Francis Scott Key Bridge Allision and Collapse
Almost exactly two years after the allision and collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, this session will highlight what we have learned and what work remains to prevent a similar catastrophe within our nation’s ports. This session will feature two briefings and a panel discussion. The briefings will provide perspective from the U.S. Coast Guard; the first will include a review of the incident and lessons learned from the Federal On-Scene Commander, the second will share findings from the U.S. Coast Guard Board of Inquiry. The panel discussion will highlight unique perspectives and actions taken in local communities to avoid a similar event.
- Speaker – M/V DALI Case Recap: CAPT David O’Connell (USCG): then-Captain of the Port and Commander, Sector Maryland-National Capital Region; Chief of Prevention, USCG Northeast District
- Speaker – USCG Board of Inquiry: CAPT Evelynn Samms (USCG): Chief, USCG Office of Investigations; Lead, USCG Board of Inquiry;
- Panel Moderator: Rear Admiral (select) Christiaan van Westendorp (NOAA), Prospective Director, Office of Coast Survey (invited)
Panelists:
- Capt. John Betz: Chief Port Pilot, Los Angeles Pilot Service; Chair, Los Angeles/Long Beach Harbor Safety Committee
- Katherine Chambers: Acting Associate Technical Director for Crisis Preparedness Research and Development, Engineer Research and Development Center, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; Chair, Resilience Integrated Action Team, U.S. Committee on the Marine Transportation System
- Larry Landgraver: Equipment and Fleet Manager/Facility Security Officer at the Port of Longview; Chair, Lower Columbia Region Harbor Safety Committee
- TBD: New Orleans-Baton Rouge Steamship Pilots Association
1535-1635: There’s No Wrong Way To Do It
This session will focus on the many different approaches local Harbor Safety Committees take to issues, to highlight the point there is no wrong way to establish, manage, and run these groups. Variation in approaches from port to port is expected as each Harbor Safety Committee conforms to the needs, challenges, and characteristics of its region or location. This panel will highlight varying viewpoints to illustrate there is no wrong way to do it, when it comes to working an issue within your Harbor Safety Committee. If your approach meets the needs of your local community, you are doing it right.
Panel Moderator: James Prazak: Performance Director, Tricon Energy, Ltd.; Member (Past Chair), Lone Star Harbor Safety Committee; and Chair, Harbor Safety Committee National Steering Team
Panelists:
- CAPT Norman “Buddy” Custard (USCG, ret.): President and Chief Executive Officer, Alaska Chadux Network; President, Aleutian Islands Waterways Safety Committee
- Capt. Mike McElroy: Director of Marine Operations and Regulatory Affairs, Wendella Boats; President, Chicago Harbor Safety Committee; Co-Chair, Area Maritime Security Committee; Vice Chair, Harbor Safety Committee National Steering Team
- Brandi Rogers: Supervisor, Scheduling Operations, Enbridge Ingleside Energy Center; Chair, South Texas Waterways Advisory Committee
- CAPT Glenn Wiltshire (USCG, ret.): Deputy Port Director, Broward County Port Everglades Department; Chair, Port Everglades Harbor Safety Committee
