Thursday, May 22nd, 2008

2008 National Maritime Day Seminar – focusing on "The Environmental Imperative" - connects industry, legislators and, perhaps – you…

Washington, DC: Last week, as you may or may not recall, I expressed concern as to whether the upcoming National Maritime celebrations would amount to much more than a light day at the office. As you read this, I will have already been to six events and two interviews revolving around the day, inside the Beltway. Trust me, I'm not bragging. Having said all of that, I did find reason for hope – especially after attending this year's National Maritime Day Seminar. Here's why:

The theme(s) of the day, in my humble opinion, centered on (a.) a change of culture in the maritime industry, (b.) collaboration, and (c.) a call to remember the 'human' factor in all of this. All of those generic things translate into good news for the maritime industry. The message, delivered by eight panelists, varied in delivery, but eventually merged into one central tenet: the maritime industry must do more to improve their environmental footprint and, beyond that, get the word out that we are doing better than most people would have you believe.

With the focus of the day's efforts centered on accelerating solutions for "the environmental imperative," perhaps no one said it better than the Chamber of Shipping's Kathy Metcalf, who insisted, "We need to have a cultural change in the maritime industry that focuses on cooperative endeavors." She went on to explain that the maritime industry – through such protocols as SOLAS, MARPOL and OPA-90 – has always been very good at addressing casualties, but the focus on improving processes on normal, everyday operations, has been lacking. In this regard, she added, "Our reputation, going forward, is going to be reflective of our actions." She closed by advocating that the United States move forward by ratifying the various international conventions as a way of getting started.

ASA's John Witte, President of the American Salvage Association (ASA), and EVP at Donjon Marine, approached the issue of environmental protection of the environment from another tack altogether. He characterized salvers as "the ultimate environmentalists," and then went on to advocate a systematic and focused effort to remove the oil lurking in any number of forgotten wrecks along our coastline – and beyond. He stressed that these ticking time bombs may very well be one of the most dangerous threats to the marine environment today. He also lobbied for a stepped up role for salvers; specifically to be included in the category of "first responders" to any marine disaster.

Greg Binion, Vice President at Kirby Marine, brought a commercial and operational approach to the table. Outlining the "Kirby" way of being a good maritime steward for the environment, he began by reminding the gathered executives that the economy of scale offered by the marine industry is one which also moves more cargo, using less energy, and thereby creating less pollution. At Kirby, he said, they had taken that a step further by combining barges in its gulf coast line-haul model, reducing the number of tugs on the water by at least twelve over the traditional method, while maintaining tonnage. He also added that companies can reduce their environmental footprint - as Kirby is doing - by smarter allocation of barges to reduce the need for tank cleaning, simply by ensuring that barges in one service stay in that category for as long as is possible. This, combined with their ramped up efforts to reduce their emissions from cargo tanks through better vapor control, is, he claimed, moving Kirby closer to the goal of eliminating environmental impact where practical.

Congressman Elijah Cummings (D-MD) found time to pop in for a brief talk, where he extolled the virtues of HR2830 (the Coast Guard Authorization bill) as the right start for various marine environmental initiatives. Within that bill, he said, language exists to ensure that every vessel with significant bunker capacity would have double hull protection around those spaces, as well. And, while there was no one in the room who disagreed with that premise, his insistence that Title V language (elimination of invasive species) was good policy – in the absence of a standard upon which to base a January 1st 2009 deadline for compliance - still rang hollow for many in the room, including this writer. But, his speech also served to remind everyone present that there is much to be done on all fronts to protect the marine environment.

USCG VADM Vivien Crea spoke on the Coast Guard's efforts to enforce regulations that are designed to protect the environment. Echoing the current party line at Coast Guard headquarters, she stressed balance in their approach; and pledged continuing efforts to "collaborate, provide outreach and educate" the maritime industry. As an organization, she said, the Coast Guard would bolster enforcement efforts by anticipating environmental problems, preventing them if possible and responding vigorously when they did occur.

Greg Linsin, Partner at Blank Rome LLP, made the case for achieving a "middle ground" of sorts in the effort to regulate and sometimes punish those who would violate the environment. More cooperation between regulators and the commercial sectors was a key to this effort, he said. Curiously, Linsin took the unusual position – at least for a former federal prosecutor – of saying that "focusing primarily on criminal prosecution" when it came addressing environmental transgressions, was "not productive." That message, obviously, was well received in the room.

Winding up the Forum was the Reverend James Von Dreele, Vice President of NAMMA, who highlighted the neglect of seamen – a practice, he said, can and does affect the environmental performance of ships and their operators. The message was a simple one: a happy and well cared for seaman is much less likely to be involved in environmental wrongdoing. Painting a picture of widespread abuse of today's merchant seaman, he added that the heavy handed prosecution of mariners and blacklisting (by manning agencies) of those who would cooperate with authorities was also a serious problem. In the end, he advocated that the role of seamen should be one of an active partner in environmental efforts, not an afterthought.

When it was all said and done, this Maritime Day event didn't solve any pressing problems. But, the impressive assembly of legislative, regulatory, trade organization, legal and commercial interests provided the perfect venue for dialogue and exchange of information. And the choice of location was telling: the halls of Congress are clearly the place to be, especially with today's ever-changing regulatory climate and what that could eventually bring for maritime companies everywhere.

For my money, this type of event is exactly what a "National Maritime Day" should be all about. It's nice to look back and remember. It is also important to pause briefly and ponder the present state of affairs. I'd rather look forward, however, at what is coming down the road. And, that's just what the 2008 National Maritime Day Forum participants did on Wednesday afternoon.

Editor's note: The National Maritime Day seminar was hosted by the North American Maritime Ministry Association (NAMMA), the North American Marine Environment Protection Association (NAMEPA), and the American Salvage Association (ASA). The event was promised to be a pivotal event in the discussion of our marine environment and did not dissappoint.

Joseph Keefe is the Managing Editor of THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE. He can be reached at jkeefe@maritime-executive.com">">jkeefe@maritime-executive.com with comments or questions on this or any other piece in this e-newsletter.


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