ITS Back in the U.S.

The trade fair element of the eighteenth International Tug & Salvage Convention & Exhibition, (ITS) being held at the Bal Harbour Beach Resort in Miami from 26th-30th April 2004, will be dominated by propulsion and associated machinery manufacturers and tug building yards. Returning to the US for the first time since 1996, the ITS 2004 Convention will include 27 papers and a Salvage Forum - covering a broader than ever range of important industry issues. Topics to be discussed by the world’s leading experts include bollard pull determination, the Prestige incident and its ramifications, maritime security, underwater oil recovery, ports of refuge, tackling hazardous and noxious substances, tug construction in China, innovative tug designs, operational concerns and ATBs. Caterpillar, as befits the primary event sponsor, is to be located right by the main entrance to the exhibition hall but not far away will be Cummins, Deutz, Karl Senner, Nautican, Niigata, Rice Propellers, Rolls-Royce, Schottel, Thrustmaster, Twin Disc, Voith, Wärtsilä, and ZF Marine. These propulsion specialists will be joined by a number of engine room associated equipment manufacturers including Fernstrum, Kobelt, Bloksma, Kobelco and Duramax. In spite of the Jones Act, US tug builders Bender, VT Halter and Washburn & Doughty will be outnumbered by overseas yards including Armon and Zamakona, two of Spain’s leading yards, Chile’s Detroit Shipyard, Damen and Kooren from the Netherlands, Irving from Canada and Turkey’s Sanmar Limited. Organiser Allan Brunton-Reed comments: “This invasion by foreign yards reflects the truly international spread of ITS 2004 delegates and, furthermore, the trend for Gulf oil operation service bases to be located outside US borders, thus avoiding Jones Act restrictions.” Participants are already registered from over 30 countries and more are known to in the pipeline There are Conference presentations on fire-fighting and this probably reflects the good show turnout by companies in this field: Fischcon, Kumera, Aker Kvaerner, Fire Fighting Systems and Stang Counterfire. Two of North America’s leading naval architects, Robert Allan Ltd and Jensen Maritime Consultants have both booked space and in this connection Brunton-Reed says: “I always allocate some free Conference delegate places to students taking their first steps in the industry.” Application should be made as soon as possible.