Business and Finance

PIANC World Congress Set for June in San Francisco

The U.S. Section of PIANC (World Association for Waterborne Transport Infrastructure) will host the 33rd PIANC World Congress in San Francisco from June 1 to 5.

The Congress will include 260 technical presentations with speakers from 30 nations; two plenary sessions six pre-Congress technical short courses; networking opportunities three technical tours; an exhibit hall with more than 50 vendors; and events for young professionals and students under 40.

The opening session on June 2 from 8:30 to 10:00 a.m. will include remarks by Congress Co-Chairs John Headland of Moffat & Nichol and the Honorable Jo-Ellen Darcy assistant secretary of the Army for Civil Works. Dan Mecklenborg senior vice president and chief legal office and secretary Ingram Barge Company will present Climate Change and Inland Waterways Transport: When and How to Adapt – the US Experience. Eng Geoffroy Caude president of PIANC International will welcome delegates and the plenary will conclude with a keynote address by Jorge L. Quijano administrator Autoridad Del Canal De Panama (ACP).

The closing plenary luncheon on June 5 will include remarks by Richard Hepworth president of Trelleborg Marine Systems and an awards presentation by MG John Peabody deputy commanding general for civil and emergency operations U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The technical presentations are split into different tracks: Port Engineering and Infrastructure; Habitat & Wildlife Protection; Mitigation and Restoration; Dredging; Advances in Information & Communication Technology; and Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation; Locks; Opportunities in the Arctic; Coastal Engineering for Maritime Applications; Panama Canal; Lifecycle Asset Management: Coping with Aging Infrastructure; Systems Approach to Operational Management; Green Infrastructure & Practices; Inland Waterways; Global Issues: Partnering; Sedimentation and Sediment Management in Waterways; Safety Security & Risk Management; CoCom Sedimentation; Passenger Vessel Cruise and Ferries; Deep Draft Navigation and Waterways; Marina Planning & Design; Innovative Investment in Infrastructure; and Urban & Recreational Waterfronts.

The congress is held every four years to present and discuss topics relevant to the waterborne transport infrastructure sector. The congresses are not restricted to members of PIANC and are open to anyone with an interest in navigation waterways and ports.