Interferry's regional meeting at China Maritime on February 29 will be one of two upcoming industry events the global trade association is hosting to update existing and potential members on its fast-growing role as the ferry sector's leading forum and lobbyist.
CEO Len Roueche will report on the association's recruitment drive – membership currently stands at 226 operators and suppliers. He will also preview the 37th Interferry annual conference, scheduled for October 21-24 in Dubai, where host the Roads & Transport Authority is offering a 50 percent subsidy on delegate fees in recognition of the event's increasing importance as a platform for action. Roueche's appearance at China Maritime follows a similar presentation he gave at the Passenger Vessel Association's annual convention in Portland, USA in late January.
The regional meeting's agenda will include feedback on a joint project with the IMO to stem ferry fatalities in the developing world. As part of their ten-year Memorandum of Understanding, Interferry and the IMO staged the inaugural Regional Forum on Domestic Ferry Safety in Bali, Indonesia, on December 6-7, attracting 74 participants. Delegate attendance was supported by additional funding from sources including the Australian maritime administration and four Interferry members from Australia – Austal, International Marine Consultants, Riverside Marine and Baird Publications. Discussions ranging from crew training to weather forecasting led to an action plan being agreed covering issues such as accident reporting and guidelines on buying and running second-hand vessels.
Roueche will also focus on Interferry's expanding activities as the industry's voice on regulatory issues. The association recently appointed former Stena Group director of sustainability Johan Roos as executive director of EU and IMO affairs, based in a newly-opened office in Brussels. Among other hot topics, he is currently leading Interferry's campaign on EU and IMO requirements for 0.1 percent fuel sulphur content in north European Emissions Control Areas by 2015 – a target which the association argues is not only impossible in the timescale, but would also be counter-productive by prompting a modal shift to overland transport.
For further information, contact len.roueche@interferry.com.
About China Maritime Week
Following highly successful events in 2006, 2008 and 2010, China Maritime will return for a fourth time to Hong Kong in 2012, from Wednesday, February 28 to Thursday, March 1. Alongside an extensive exhibition, the event will offer a series of social events facilitating unrivalled networking possibilities.
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