Workshops Address Burning Issues in a Changing World
A series of one day NEXT GENERATION Workshops are being held 'back to back' at the Grand Harbor hotel and conference venue overlooking the historic port of Southampton, U.K., October 24-26, 2017.
The NEXT GEN program combines a group of dynamic international presenters with panel discussions. Opening sessions for each workshop feature expertise from heads of U.K. Border Force and U.K. Ministry of Defense, along with the Design and Engineering team from U.K. search and rescue provider the RNLI.
Workshop lead, John Haynes, said, “In recent years less people are expected to do more work and time is becoming scarce for everyone in the marine industry. Our focused one day workshops are designed to deliver a unique mix of sessions that are highly relevant to all sectors. The feedback from recent NEXT GEN Workshops has highlighted hot topics for further discussion. In recent weeks I have personally asked a number of organizations what are their most current and burning issues. These suggestions have been used to develop the October workshop program.”
On day one the Shock Mitigation Solutions Workshop theme considers “How Shock Mitigation By All Means Improves Efficiency.” Topics look beyond simply complying with vibration directives or unrealistic health and safety objectives that are hard to apply in the maritime workplace.
On day two the RIB and High Speed Craft Workshop theme looks at “Boat and Equipment Procurement in a Changing World.” Topics include commercial off the shelf (COTS) solutions, through life support of fleets and balancing the need for speed with reliability and durability.
On day three the Systems Safety and Equipment Workshop focuses on “Identifying and Avoiding Single Points of Failure at Sea.” Improving situational awareness is an emerging theme. Design led redundancy is essential for critical tasks including power, navigation and communications.
The fast moving workshop style program brings together an international group of experts armed with the latest knowledge to identify problems that affect the sub IMO / sub 24 meter maritime sector worldwide and highlight potential solutions. The unique knowledge gained from NEXT GEN presentations and panel discussions will help to shape decisions that lead to improvements for in-service equipment and procurement.
Haynes added, “Having trained over 100 organizations we know that when groups of maritime professionals get together their shared knowledge and experiences can improve both the performance of their organizations and the seafarer workplace. For example recent activity has been driven by a need to identify which European laws will still apply in the U.K. with or without Brexit. Our objective is to look beyond this and identify genuine best practice across all maritime sectors without being stifled by bureaucracy.”
NEXT GEN Workshop days are relevant to workboats, pilot boats, patrol boats, search and rescue, survey vessels, wind farm support, superyacht tenders, training and charter vessels. Attendees include professional and military organizations, boat builders, equipment manufacturers, service providers, classification and standards organizations. Supporters of the event include the British Marine Federation, Shipbuilders & Shiprepairers Association, U.K. Maritime Pilots Association, Southampton Marine & Maritime Institute, University of Southampton.
Feedback from a recent NEXT GEN Workshop attendee sums up the objectives, “Whilst I was there I was bombarded with new and interesting ideas, facts and outlooks. Your infectious enthusiasm for these subjects is clearly rubbing off on all those who were present.”
