2012 National HSC/AMSC Conference Update

SAVE THE DATE!  The 2012 National HSC/AMSC Conference planning is well underway.  The event is shaping up to be one of the best ever.  Please mark your calendars for 28-30 August 2012 and plan to join us in Pittsburgh, PA at the Omni William Penn hotel.  More details will be forthcoming in the near future so please stay tuned to this blog. 

The event is being organized by the Waterways Association of Pittsburgh and the Port of Pittsburgh Commission with the assistance of Coast Guard Sector Ohio Valley and Marine Safety Unit Pittsburgh.

We look forward to seeing you there next August! 

Planning for 2012 Joint HSC/AMSC Conference

Our next telephone planning meeting for the 2012 Joint National Harbor Safety and Area Maritime Security Committee Conference to be held in Pittsburgh, PA will be held on November 22nd. We are continuing to work out the many details of the conference. We expect to announce the final conference dates and location soon. The conference Theme, ”America’s Maritime Infrastructure: -Investing for Safety, Security and Prosperity” has been established. Our future meetings will focus on developing, and coordinating the presentation topics, and speakers that have been proposed to date. The following is an outline of the proposed topics :

MTS InfrastructureIntelligence Sharing
Active Partnerships for Port Level Coordination
Marine Transportation Safety Act
Best Practices Panel
Training & Education in the Marine Transportation System
Port Security Grant Program
Oil Exploration and Extraction Issues
Security Policy Updates
New Energy Technologies
Waterways Statistics and Analysis
Policy for Events of National Significance

If you would like to participate in our next telephone planning meeting on November 22, at 2:30 pm, please contact Mr. Dennis Fahr at 202-372-1531 for call in details. Your input is important.

Planning for 2012 Joint HSC/AMSC Conference

The initial kickoff planning meeting for the 2012 Joint National Harbor Safety and Area Maritime Security Committee Conference to be held in Pittsburgh, PA was held on October 5th with a great turnout. Many details including potential conference dates, hotel selection, conference theme and topics were discussed. "America’s maritime Infrastructure: Investment for Safety and Security" was proposed as a conference theme. Also various Safety and Security presentation topics were suggested including:
MTS Infrastructure
• Locks and Dams
• Dredging
• St. Lawrence/Great Lakes
• Canals (Panama Canal)
Intelligence Sharing
• Fusion Centers/Joint Terrorism Task Force/Anti Terrorism Advisory Committee
• Local Emergency Operations Centers
• Maritime Operations Centers
• Interagency Operations Centers
• Region 13/Regional Partnerships
Maritime Domain Awareness
• Common Operating Picture/Automatic Identification System
• Inland Rivers Vessel Movement Info Centers
• Vessel Traffic Services
• Certain Dangerous Cargo Issues

We hope to make final selections for a Hotel and set the conference dates at the next planning teleconference which will be held on October 26, at 2:00pm EDT. If you would like to participate, please contact Mr. Dennis Fahr at 202-372-1531. Your input is important.

Pittsburgh Selected for 2012 Joint HSC/AMSC Conference

Preparations are underway for the 2012 Joint National Harbor Safety and Area Maritime Security Committee Conference to be held in Pittsburgh, PA, during September 2012.  The 2012 conference will be hosted by port and industry groups from the Pittsburgh area with support from Coast Guard Sector Ohio Valley, and Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Pittsburgh. The Transportation Research Board (TRB) will perform in the vital role as conference coordinator. 

We are still in the early stages of planning the conference and we welcome you input on such things as the agenda, session topics, and conference theme.  If you would like to participate the the planning teleconferences, please contact Mr. Dennis Fahr at 202-372-1531.

We look forward to hearing your input (commenting to this blog is also welcome!) and we'll see you in Pittsburgh next September.

New link added: Mariner's Advisory Committee for the Bay and River Delaware

At the request of it's Chair, Capt. Steve Roberts, we've added a link to the Mariner's Advisory Committee for the Bay and River Delaware (MAC) to our list of HSC's or similar water safety and/or security organizations.  We highly encourage you to check out their website and explore some of their great work.

From the MAC website:

"The Mariner's Advisory Committee is comprised of Master Mariners and River Pilots, and concerns itself with safety of navigation, with particular regard to large ocean-going vessels.

Formed in 1964, the Committee works closely with the U.S. Coast Guard regarding appropriate drafts and the safe and environmentally sound operation of its river and bay.  As a result of this committee's efforts, the Delaware River ports have a history of more than 40 years of operating in a navigationally safe manner."

If you participate in a Harbor Safety Committee or similar group which promotes maritime/waterfront safety and/or security, and wish us to publish a link to your website, please let us know by commenting to this post. 

Please keep our comment and posting policies in mind and recognize that the U.S. Coast Guard does not endorse any non-government websites, companies, or applications.

Final Program and E-Sessions now available for the National HSC/AMSC Conference!

The Joint Harbor Safety Committee (HSC) and Area Maritime Security Committee (AMSC) Conference occurred on June 7-9, 2011, in Houston, Texas. The combined event provided an opportunity for the committees to engage in information exchange on current challenges, best practices, case studies, and lessons learned. The conference offered the opportunity for the committees to engage both public- and private-sector leaders on issues relating to marine transportation and harbor safety and security.

The Transportation Research Board co-sponsored this event and has the conference program and e-sessions available for viewing on their conference website.  Click here to view the e-sessions.  This will allow you to watch videos of all the conference presentations.

Waterways Association of Pittsburgh (WAP) 2010 National Harbor Safety Committee of the Year

At the recent Harbor Safety Committees and Area Maritime Committees Conference in Houston, Texas, the Waterways Association of Pittsburgh was awarded the 2010 National Harbor Safety Committee of the Year award by Mr. Dana Goward. A press release is attached.

Press Release-Harbor Safety Updated