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Vancouver welcomes the 21st International Tug & Salvage Convention and Exhibition
May 12, 2010
The International Tug & Salvage Convention and Exhibition, is now in its 42nd year, is hailed as the key international networking and information-gathering opportunity of its kind. Its importance is underlined by the fact that, in spite of the world’s recessionary times, this year’s event will be the biggest in its history, with a record number of 430+ delegates from 40 countries, more than 100 exhibitors from 18 countries and hundreds of day visitors expected at the exhibition.
The biennial convention and exhibition travels the world – in 2008 it was in Singapore – but one of its very first ports of call, some 37 years ago, was Vancouver itself, at the then Hotel Vancouver. This year’s Convention, at the Westin Bayshore Hotel, will feature 33 papers by industry notables, including the new ISU (International Salvage Union) president Todd Busch. The keynote address will be by Robin Silvester, the new president and CEO of Port Metro Vancouver.
The papers will cover a broad range of topics on current issues in the tug and salvage industries, including, in a special morning session, items on key ‘green’ tug developments from around the world, plus papers examining the importance of a co-operative approach in salvage operations, and contributions on training and safety issues pertinent to the 21st century marine environment.
Three vessels of interest will be moored alongside the hotel: two smart former tugs, Thea Foss, which is now Foss Maritime’s company yacht, and another tug-turned-yacht, the Dennis Washington-owned St Eval, plus the 7.8m BRAtt, the world’s first ‘green’ Z-drive training tug, which will be making its world debut. An historic contract for the first of these ground-breaking vessels is due to be signed at the Convention between Robert Allan Ltd, Western Maritime Institute and Corvus Energy, reinforcing the long-established role of the event as a forum for innovation in the tug and salvage industries.
Anyone wishing to register as a delegate for the Conference can still do so, either on line at the ITS website, www.tugandsalvage.com or by arriving at the hotel on Registration Day, Monday 17th May. Entry to the exhibition, which takes place from 9am to 5.30pm on Tuesday 18th-Thursday 20th, is free of charge.
For further information, contact Allan Brunton-Reed, Chairman, The ABR Company Limited at the Westin Bayshore (from 13 May) on (604) 682 3377.