Ferry Safety Conference to be Held in Manhattan in May

The third annual Ferry Safety and Technology Conference will be held in downtown Manhattan on May 11-12, 2017. 

Lack of ferry safety is a problem in many parts of the world where ferry travel is not discretionary and accounts for loss of lives and limits economic development and consequently sustainability. The conference brings together an international cadre of ferry owners and operators; naval architects and marine engineers; and new technology developers and providers seeking to improve efficiency and safety. 

The Worldwide Ferry Safety Association (WFSA) ( www.ferrysafety.org ) will be presenting awards to the winners of its Ferry Design Competition.

Nine student teams from around the world submitted their ideas for design of a safe affordable ferry for the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok. They designed a 200-passenger ferry that could become a new addition to 59-vessel fleet of the Chao Phraya River Express Boat Company, which currently has 38 landings along its 30-kilometer route. 

The conference will provide opportunities to:

•    Learn about innovative new ferry systems in Africa, Asia, and North America.
•    Listen to ferry operators from Bangkok, Manila, and Abidjan as they speak about their challenges and successes.
•    Meet a carefully chosen group of technology vendors and designers from Europe and North America.
•    Learn about the latest practical technologies - a plethora of devices for fire detection, crowd counting and monitoring vessel speed.
•    Discover emerging uses of telematics for critical vessel control functions but also for commercial processes such as digital insurance underwriting and procurement.
•    See the new mobile e-learning course for crew, developed by the great Fast Cat ferry in Philippines with Marine Learning Systems and applicable, with modification, everywhere.
•    Find out about how to access advanced weather information available thanks to NOAA’s new satellites and advanced computing power.
•    Learn about plans in the works to create inexpensive ferry–mounted weather monitors to track route conditions in real time.
•    Experience first hand the new City-wide ferry service and travel the longest route linking downtown New York with the Rockaways, hearing from the major players who have made it happen.
•    Find out about the huge new ferry market in India: 1000 miles, 18 landings, many vessels to come.
•    Learn about Google Glass Nav now in being tested in simulators. These Wearable Immersive Augmented Reality glasses show the same information on electronic charts but are untethered from the pilot house.
•    Be a part of truly great networking over breakfasts; lunches (indoors and out); an indoor/outdoor evening reception; and quite a few boat rides.

The Worldwide Ferry Safety Association is an international non-profit organization based in New York City. The Association works in partnership with Interferry and the IMO.

Register for the conference here.