Many Reasons to be Thankful and Every Reason to be Positive

As MarEx readers begin to wind down and recharge their batteries for the challenging year to come, Managing Editor Joseph Keefe’s regular column returns – and not a second too soon.

There is absolutely no truth to the rumor being circulated inside the beltway that I had joined the Obama transition team. Today, I wanted to put that out on the table from the git-go. But, less than 9 days after being released from the hospital following some planned abdominal surgery, I am able to sit up at my desk and hammer out a few lines for your viewing pleasure. I’m glad to be back, thankful I’m a quick healer and fully cognizant that I’m lucky to be able to claim both conditions.

Five days and four nights in a hospital probably do not trump one night in a Holiday Inn Express, but I am confident that I could probably give the new (nominated) Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Daschle a few tips on how to reform healthcare in this country. Rest assured that I am fully insured, but when the actual bill (for all of it) came across my desk today, it left me positively breathless. Nevertheless, I will steadfastly resist any and all pleas to leave the MarEx team for a higher calling. C’mon: that made you smile just a little, right?

It has been a remarkable 12 months. Starting with what looked like an unending and robust maritime capex cycle and ending with dire predictions (realities?) of credit issues that threaten to cut that prosperity off at the knees, we have literally seen it all. I would be a liar if I claimed to be any better than anyone else at predicting what happened or more importantly, perhaps, what is to come next. What I do know with certainty is that the maritime industry will rebound from current conditions and when it does, the recovery will be robust, sustainable and driven by technology.

Like most people and businesses in the maritime industry, we at MarEx have seen our share of challenges in the past 12 months. From our perspective, we are especially cognizant of the big picture. Challenging an established media presence that extends back as much as 100 years or more, we knew one thing for sure: we would have to be much better than the competition and that benchmark would have to be established early. That much we have accomplished. As the maritime industry periodical of choice – at least on this side of the pond – we are also painfully aware of the tasks still to be accomplished.

What some publications struggle to accomplish in fifty years, we will do in a fraction of that time frame. With most of the heavy lifting already out of the way, we turn our attention to other tasks that are no less important. Like the maritime industry that for many years decided that it was good enough to build bigger, move more cargo and perhaps do that a little safer – all metrics certainly laudable on their own – we are finding that this is not nearly enough; not anymore. At MarEx, we see similar parallels in what we do.

The New Year will bring palpable changes to the maritime industry and a few changes to how we do things at MarEx, as well. No, the cutting-edge, serious and business-oriented content of THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE will not change. How we back that up, benchmark it against the competition and deliver it you, certainly will. The advent of stricter air emissions standards, invasive species and gray water controls, questionable criminalization of mariners and the tighter vetting of medical standards for seagoing personnel all herald the fact that saving an hour here and there on demurrage is merely the low hanging fruit in today’s logistics game. Those conditions (albeit in a different way) extend to the online and print vehicles through which you get your news. We know this, too.

We had a terrific 2008, backed up by enthusiastic online and print readership and – although I don’t often cross that firewall – substantial and loyal advertising support. Following all of that with a better year, especially in this climate, will be a tall order. Challenged by our readers and industry supporters, we’ll continue to get out the truth, packaged in the best possible vehicle. This, and a whole lot more, you can count on.

On behalf of the entire staff of THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE, I want to wish all of our readers and supporters a happy holiday season and a prosperous and healthy New Year. There is every reason to believe that 2009 will be a better one. We’ve gained your trust, earned your business and now, we’ll take what we do to the next level. I plan to hit the ground running at full stride on January 2nd. I look forward to seeing you out on the trail and I can assure you – even minus a few moving parts – I have no intention of slowing down. See if you can keep up. – MarEx.

Joseph Keefe is the Managing Editor of THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE. He can be reached at [email protected] with comments on this or any other article in this e-newsletter. The necessary disclosures, strictly consistent with NAVC 04-08 will follow soonest, as will the quest for STCW compliance. Feliz Navidad!