New Frontiers In Shipping Technology - ClassNK's Chairman/President Guest Speaker at IMarEST Lectures
A new annual series of Institute of Marine Engineering, Science & Technology (IMarEST) lectures gets off to a thought provoking and stimulating start on Wednesday 5 October, when Mr Noboru Ueda, Chairman and President of ClassNK and Vice-Chairman of IACS addresses the theme and topic of New Frontiers in Shipping in Technology – From Regulation to Innovation: Charting a new course for Classification and the Maritime Industry.
The 1st Annual IMarEST Founders’ Lecture, held in association with ClassNK to celebrate the vision of the group of men responsible for forming the Institute in 1889, will be held at IET London, Savoy Place, London WC2. Tea will be served from 18.30, the Lecture will begin at 19.00 and a Reception will follow. Attendance is free of charge for IMarEST Members, Elective Member applicants, and delegates attending the IMarEST Arctic Shipping and Offshore Technology Forum being held Wednesday 5 – Thursday 6 October 2011 at the America Square Conference Centre, London EC3. Interestingly, the seeds which became the roots of the Institute were sown in 1887 by the foundation of the Marine Engineers’ Union in the Minories – a mere stone’s throw from the new offices of IMarEST in Aldgate.
In his overview Mr Ueda explains: “Since the founding of the classification industry more than 250 years ago, classification societies have played an essential role in ensuring the safety of life and property at sea and the protection of the marine environment. These centuries of course, were years of great discovery which have brought tremendous changes in terms of both technological innovation and regulatory development, and class societies have come to play an ever greater, and more central role in addressing the changing needs of an ever larger, more technically advanced, and more globalized maritime industry.
“Today, the maritime industry finds itself on the brink of another great age of discovery. From Arctic shipping to GHG emission reduction, the maritime industry finds itself embarking towards frontiers that would have seemed impassable only a few decades ago. Like all frontiers, there are many new challenges to overcome in terms of not only regulation, but also operational initiatives, and technological development that will require new ways of thinking and innovating.
“While classification societies have long played an important role in addressing the technical challenges faced by the maritime industry, the time has come for classification as an industry to make the bold leap from regulator to innovator, and take a leadership role as the maritime industry confronts the challenges of tomorrow.”
Further information on the 1st Annual IMarEST Founders’ Lecture is available from www.imarest.org. Those interested in registering, should contact [email protected],