SIU safety directors last month scrutinized a host of significant issues that affect not only Seafarers individually, but also the maritime community and the entire shipping industry during their annual conference at the Paul Hall Center for Maritime Training and Education in Piney Point, Md.
The five-day gathering, which ran Sept. 13-17, marked the sixth yearly meeting of the union’s safety directors. The conference’s agenda, jam-packed from the opening day, included a series of informational briefings from heads of several of the union’s administrative departments, and presentations by instructors from the Paul Hall Center.
The lion’s share of the safety director’s agenda however involved in-depth discussions on small arms awareness, mariner identification documents, and maritime security awareness. Cdr. Cyndi Stowe, U.S. Coast Guard, briefed the directors on the Maritime Security Act of 2004 while Capt. John Lawrence presented a seminar on behalf of SIU-contracted Alaska Tanker Co.
“The entire conference was very well-organized, flawlessly structured and highly informative,” said Kevin Marchand from the port of Houston. “Everyone involved in putting together the conference did a masterful job, and we all gained a great deal of insight from the union officials who participated in the various workshops with us.
“This was my first time participating in the conference,” Marchand continued, “but the veterans in the group all said that this year’s event was the best that they have ever attended. I’m sure I’m speaking for the entire group (fellow safety directors) when I say that we all walked away better equipped to handle the everyday situations which we encounter in our respective ports.”
In addition to Marchand, others who participated in the sixth safety conference and their respective ports were: Amancio Crespo, port of San Juan; Frank Iverson, Honolulu; Mitch Oakley, Piney Point; Randy Senatore, New York; Samuel Spain, Norfolk; Frank Vincenzo, Tacoma; Archie Ware, San Francisco; and Christian Westbrook, New Orleans.
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