PIANC USA plans to hold its one-day Annual Meeting on Monday, August 27, in conjunction with the many maritime meetings happening in Pittsburgh, PA, during the week of August 27-31, 2012. We are putting together the agenda now to focus on the latest advancements and current ‘hot topic' issues for the navigation and maritime community. We have also invited Mr. Carlos Mladinic, the new Secretary of the Inter-American Committee on Ports at the Organization of American States, to give a presentation on Latin American port/dredging topics. If you have an proposal for a session/presentation to deliver at the Annual Meeting, please contact pianc@usace.army.mil. The PIANC USA meeting will tentatively take place at the Omni William Penn Hotel in downtown Pittsburgh. More information will be forthcoming shortly!
Other events taking place during this week include PIANC and Coast Guard committee meetings, and the 2012 Joint Conference of Harbor Safety Committees and Area Maritime Security Committees which includes 2-1/2 days of technical sessions, a reception and evening cruise.
Additionally, a two-day technical seminar taught by Jeff Lillycrop of the US Army Corps of Engineers will be held on August 30 & 31. In February 2009 USACE Navigation R&D hosted the Inland Navigation Technology Workshop in Vicksburg, MS, to highlight and discuss the impact of digital technology on inland navigation safety and reliability. The workshop was attended by over 60 participants from NOAA, USCG, USACE, CMTS, Academia, Ports, and the inland Towing Industry. From this meeting came a U.S. vision for the harmonization and sharing of critical data and information that has evolved into a National strategy for eNavigation and River Information Services. The August 30-31 meeting will assemble the inland waterway stakeholders to review progress since the 2009 workshop and identify new National goals for the next few years. For more information, contact: Jeff Lillycrop.
