Following the deadly capsizing of the Costa Concordia off Italy in January this year and the onboard fire on its sister ship the Costa Allegra in February, safety concerns of large cruise liners is headline news. These events are in the centenary year of the sinking of the Titanic. Do large cruise ships preclude safety?
The emergence of the Ultra Large Container Vessels obviously has major benefits regarding the cost of transporting units of cargo, but what are the implications for ports wanting to handle the latest generation? How do they affect the economics of the latest works to the Panama Canal? What should Ports expect in terms of future Container Ships and their demands?
Even with the economic downturn in the West the World requirement for iron ore and other raw materials is still growing, yet the largest ore carriers are reputed to be idle. Are the Vale Giant ore carriers just too big to be economic?
Very Large Crude Carriers have topped the 300,000dwt mark and looking to get ever bigger. LNG carriers have increased too. Is this a floating environmental disaster waiting to happen?
Ferries are one of the oldest forms for transporting passengers across bodies of water and are becoming extremely sophisticated; requiring specialised docking and transition facilities. Have they reached the end of the line or does solar and wind power have a role to play in their future development?
What future trends can we expect? What are the issues at the Ship /Port interface regarding structural, dredging and navigation requirements for ports, and is bigger always better?
This half-day seminar (free to PIANC members) will provide delegates with an important opportunity to hear from experts raising, and answering, these and many more similar questions.
Each presentation will be followed by a short discussion session, enabling participants to further explore the issues raised.