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Sailing Ahead - December 2006
PIANC recently concluded another ExCom and Council meeting. This issue of "Sailing Ahead" gives you an overview of the main topics discussed, as well as the news in the PIANC community and the events on the calendar.
Please also note that as from January 2007, PIANC will increase subscription fees. From that moment on, they will be as follows :
- individual member: € 85,00
- small corporate member: € 425,00
- large corporate member: € 850,00
- the minimum subvention: € 1.700,00
As stated in the Rules and Regulations (Art. 10.g.), the association is allowed to adjust annually the membership fees and subvention fees to the Belgian inflation rate by using the official index of consumption prices. Other justifications for the increase are full color publications (magazine, WG reports, ...), additional staff at HQ due to a.o. extra tasks for PIANC (COPEDEC, YP, WFD Permanent Task Force, CoCom, ...) and new initiatives (YP-Com, Cooperation Fund, Dictionary, ...).
For those who are not members of national sections, the invoices of the membership fees will arrive shortly.
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| EXCOM AND COUNCIL MEETING |
On 23 October 2006, ExCom held its meeting in Brussels. The following gives an overview of the main topics discussed.
A new chairperson for MarCom
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As Dik Tromp ends his mandate as chairperson of MarCom, HQ sent letters to the national sections to ask for candidacies for a new chairperson. Only one candidacy was received. The French section put forward the candidacy of Geoffroy Caude (picture). At the ExCom meeting, Eric Van den Eede gave an overview of his CV. It was also stated that besides Caude's excellent professional qualities, this nomination would also ensure the representation of the French speaking countries within PIANC. As Caude's mandate as vice-president ends within a year, Eric Van den Eede also advised to allow him to combine the two mandates. The candidature of Geoffroy Caude was accepted by the Council on 24 October. |
Action plans of the commissions
The chairpersons of every commission presented their action plans at the ExCom meeting. They were also asked to forward basic information about the working groups to HQ. All action plans are to be found on the PIANC website.
Council, AGA and secretaries meeting
 At the Council meeting, a discussion was held regarding this topic on the basis of a document drafted by Mike Thorn(picture). The main issue was to find a more efficient way to organize the meetings.
The Council decided to abolish both the secretaries meeting and the Council meeting of May. Furthermore, it was proposed to move the Council's October meeting to February, in order to be able to approve the financial matters. If there is a statutory matter to be approved, a one-hour Council meeting can still be held before starting the AGA meeting in May.
After discussion, the Council agreed on the following solution :
A non-congress year :
| Day |
Activity |
| Day 1 |
ExCom meeting |
| Day 2 |
AGA meeting - The presentations by the National Sections should also be limited. |
| Day 3 |
AM :
PIANC Conference, including the presentation of new Working Group Reports, presentation by the De Paepe-Willems Award winner and the Jack-Nichol Award winner. This half-day conference must be attractive for non-PIANC members, especially for students of the host country!
PM :
Conference organized by the host country |
| Day 4 |
Conference organized by the host country |
HQ and the Indian Section of PIANC already made all the arrangements for 2007 so the format of the AGA '07 will not be changed. The new format will be implemented starting from 2008.
A congress year:
| Day |
Activity |
Day 1
Sunday |
ExCom meeting |
Day 2
Monday |
AGA meeting, followed by the opening reception for the Congress |
Day 4-6
Tue till Fri |
Congress |
This means participants of the AGA and the Congress only have to take one week of leave.
Results of the WG "Evaluation of the 31st Congress"
At the plenary session, Marcos Rita reported on the results of the WG "Evaluation of the 31st Congress". He focused on the quality of the abstracts of the papers that were sent in, the format of the congress and the registration fees :
- Quality of abstracts:
- Is a one page abstract enough to judge on quality?;
- Final papers should also be submitted before the congress;
- By decreasing the number of presentations, there will be more time for discussion and less chairpersons will be needed;
- An effort is needed to improve the quality of the papers.
- Format of the Congress:
- The importance of keynote speakers was discussed. The proposal was made to invite only one international speaker in the future;
- The meeting also focused on the parallel sessions and it was decided to only have four at the next congress.
- Registration fees: it was decided that there should be different fees for PIANC members, non-PIANC members, retired people and students (age limit 30 years) respectively.
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48th meeting in Brussels
On 20 October 2006, RecCom held his 48th meeting at the HQ in Brussels. Chairman Marcello Conti and participants from several countries discussed many items of a busy agenda. After reviewing the status of the active working groups, four Terms of Reference were presented for interesting matters that could follow in setting up new working groups. In cooperation with ICOMIA-IMC, the commission persists in the efforts with many activities, among which the participation to each other's meetings and statements and setting up joint working groups on arguments of interest for the two associations. The new action plan 2006-2010 was defined and approved and further RecCom activities in the context of the next important global PIANC events were planned. As there is still no French representative in RecCom, HQ will send out a letter to the French National Section.
Elio Ciralli
RecCom
RecCom attends 36th meeting of ICOMIA/IMC in Ostend
After the 35th ICOMIA IMC meeting in Göteborg in June 2006, in the presence of Lars Odhe from RecCom, Dirk Gunst and John Pyman represented the commission at the 36th ICOMIA IMC meeting in Ostend, Belgium that took place from 10 until 12 November 2006. On the other hand, Steven Desloovere represented IMC in the last RecCom meeting in Brussels on 20 October. These and other joint activities follow the Memorandum of Understanding, as well as a paragraph in the Rules and Regulations, to confirm the cooperation between the two bodies, as agreed by the PIANC AGA in May 2004.
Elio Ciralli
RecCom
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Call for candidates MarCom 54-57
MarCom would like to launch another call for candidates for the working groups 54 to 57, which were recently re-launched.
The Terms of References can be found on the website at www.pianc-aipcn.org/pianc/marcom-wg.php.
If you wish to participate, please send in your candidacy before 31 December 2006.
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72nd CoCom meeting in Brussels
On 22 October, CoCom held its 72nd meeting in Brussels. The following gives an overview of the main topics discussed :
Introduction of new CoCom members
CoCom chairman Han Ligteringen welcomed Macario Fernandez, Bas Wijdeven and Bruce Lambert as the three new members of the commission.
Reports from the subcommittees
Subcommittee 1 discussed the activities of the different Working Groups. It focused on the draft TOR of a Task Force on training for CiT's and the draft TOR of a working group on the same subject. The results of the Task Force activities will be shown on the PIANC website. The WG will analyse the results of the Task Force and make a report with conclusions and recommendations. Paolo Fadda will complete both TOR's and will also start up the Task Force (which is internal to CoCom);
Subcommittee 2 reported on the Regional Groups. It discussed the progress of the Regional Group in Central and Eastern Europe, the development of a Regional Group in East Asia and how to activate the new Regional Groups for South Asia and (Southern) Africa;
Subcommittee 3 dealt with the IOC on PIANC-COPEDEC VII: The IOC met a second time in May 2006. The composition of the IOC-LOC paper selection committee (chairman is Kees d'Angremond) and the fellowship award committee (Freddy Wens and Ranjit Galappatti are members) was finalized. Dubai will grant 100 fellowships. Two persons from Mumbai Municipality were already awarded one. Additional fellowships will depend on additional sponsoring. The second announcement of the conference was sent out with the PIANC magazine "On Course". Abstracts and fellowship applications must be submitted before 10 February 2007;
Subcommittee 4 discussed the logistic and financial support: The Cooperation Fund has been included in the PIANC budget 2006. The fund will be used partly for special CoCom activities and partly for fellowships. CoCom will have to attract other sponsors (National Sections, international organisations, etc…) now. Guidelines and procedures to use funds were drafted and agreed with PIANC HQ; they were already sent to the Dutch National Section (with the request to sponsor) and will now be sent to the other sections.
CoCom Action Plan 2006-2010
The new PIANC flyer was discussed. It was suggested to design the flyer in such a way that it can be left behind at meetings etc. and gives the possibility of filling in name and address of people who are interested in joining PIANC. Along with the flyer, a letter of invitation should be distributed. Mr. Jain prepared a draft letter to promote PIANC membership among professionals in CiT's. The draft letter was discussed.
- Next and future CoCom meetings
- 73rd meeting: Cochin, India, during the AGA meeting (17th-19th of April 2007);
- 74th meeting: October 2007, PIANC HQ, Brussels;
- 75th meeting: linked to PIANC-COPEDEC VII (February 2007) or to the AGA in Beijing (May 2007).
Peter DeWolf
CoCom secretary
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Kick-off meeting of InCom 30 and 31
InCom 30, as well as InCom 31, held their kick-off meeting on 23 October in Brussels. Ideas for the new WG's are mentioned in the InCom action plan 2006-2010 (to be found on the PIANC website), the TOR should be ready by the next meeting. At the ExCom meeting, InCom informed the meeting that The Mekong River Commission is interested in participating in WG31 on "Management and Organization of River Ports".
InCom also informed the ExCom that in September 2007, the commission is planning a meeting in the US. WG's of other commissions are also welcome. Chairperson of Incom Sandra Knight, will inform HQ about the exact dates and location.
InCom meeting and visit to Falkirk
As it was the UK's turn to host this year's visit, British Waterways (BW) organized a site visit and meeting at the Falkirk Wheel in Scotland. Richard Millar, BW's Service and Business Development Manager Scotland, organized a visit to look at the regeneration of the Forth and Clyde Canal undertaken as both part of the Millennium Schemethis included the creation of the Falkirk Wheel and the regeneration of the Union Canal into Edinburgh. The participants had the opportunity to take a closer look at the latest regeneration scheme involving the creation of two new locks and lower basin at Port Dundas, forming part of an improved linkage with the Glasgow City Centre. Moreover, George Ballinger, BW's Head of Engineering on the Forth and Clyde Canal Restoration Project, presented the history of the canal and the steps that were taken to ensure a successful restoration project.
The InCom meeting dealt with the review of the current working groups and proposals for future work, especially with regard to asset management of inland waterways. The PIANC action plan was reviewed in terms of the InCom input to it and whilst there was some concern about the final format, it was agreed that the use of the action plan would help structure future business. The InCom members also found it essential that some of the work done by other committees (EnviCom, MarCom), which impinged on InCom activity, needed to be reviewed by InCom and/or its members to ensure that recommendations were not at cross purposes to InCom's own outputs. Moreover, the InCom members agreed that the publication of the WG reports should be circulated as widely as possible and it was proposed that an executive summary should be created for each document that could be freely available off the web so as to create interest and demand and thereby persuade people to buy hard copy documents.
Ian White
PIANC UK-section
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On 29 September 2006, the first meeting of the new YP-Com was held in Palermo, Italy, hosted by Elio Ciralli from the Italian national section. The main objectives of the meeting were to determine the structure of YP-Com and to initiate an action plan for the years 2007 to 2010.
Holger Schüttrumpf from Germany was elected as chairman of YP-Com and David Romero from Spain as the co-chair. Secretary of the group is Jessica McIntyre from the US. In addition, observers and alternates were appointed for all PIANC technical commissions (MarCom, InCom, EnviCom, RecCom and CoCom). To increase the number of YPs in Countries in Transition (CiT), YP-Com is working in cooperation with CoCom.
The action plan of YP-Com focuses on :
- the expansion of the number of YPs, especially in CiT;
- the formation of YP-groups in more countries;
the increased involvement of YPs in PIANC by participation in PIANC working groups, publication of technical papers in the magazine and during the Congress, and organization of technical and social events, technical workshops, etc., on national and international levels. In addition, flyers, presentations and personal visits will be utilized to attract new membership from universities and companies.
The next YP-Com meeting will take place on 2 February 2007 in Brussels.
YP-Com meets in Palermo
from left to right: David Romero - Jurgen Trogl - Holger Schüttrumpf - Bruno Lemaire - Elio Ciralli (guest Italy) - Eric Marcone - Jessica McIntyre - Peter Troch - Ridha Bentiba - Pietro Chivaccini (guest Italy) - Guglielmo Migliorino(guest Italy)
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Holger Schüttrumpf
YP-Com
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| NEWS FROM THE TASK FORCE 'PIANC HISTORY' |
First meeting of the task force 'PIANC History'
On 30 October, the task force 'PIANC History' held its first meeting. The objective of this task force is to prepare a book on the history of PIANC at the occasion of the association's 125th anniversary. The book must be inviting to read and should also serve the purpose of promoting PIANC and attracting new members. It will be written in the two official languages in the same lay-out and must be ready for distribution on 1 January 2010. All members will receive a copy.
As for the contents of the book, the meeting decided that there should be a chronological order. Chapters may include themes like the congresses, national sections, technical highlights that illustrate achievements relevant to the history of PIANC, etc. Jolke Brolsma (picture), chairman of the task force, will send out a proposal for the contents of the book. He will also ask for a preliminary estimate of the costs. It is the intention to have the book sponsored, so that there will be no costs for PIANC.
The next meeting will take place in Brussels on 5 March 2007.
Jolke Brolsma,
Chairman of the task force 'PIANC history'
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| NEWS FROM THE PROMOTION TASK GROUP |
On 23 October, the Promotion Task Group held its first meeting at HQ in Brussels. The meeting started with the chairman reviewing the task group's charge from the Council meeting in Estoril: "Develop a recommendation for the Council regarding the need, scope and composition of a new commission, the Promotion Commission". The discussion that followed led to the general agreement that a promotion initiative for the association is needed, so the participants discussed the issue from several perspectives.
The Promotion Task Group recommends that PIANC establish a permanent Commission/ Committee/Working Group/??? to direct and to coordinate the organization's promotional activities including formulating a promotional program. This group will develop a marketing plan that is consistent with the goals and objectives of the 2006-2010 strategic plan. It will be responsible for the timely execution of the marketing plan, programming and managing the promotion budget for implementing the marketing plan, and reporting to the ExCom and Council on the activities and accomplishments of the promotion program.
Specific activities included in the marketing plan will be :
Promote public and industry awareness that PIANC is more than a technical report provider;
Increase educational and outreach activities regarding navigational guidance to governments (e.g., the EU Water Framework Directive), other industry sectors (ship owners, seaports, terminal operators, etc.) and other professional societies targeting their technical conferences;
Develop membership from among countries-in-transit including national and regional sections (in cooperation with CoCom) and among newly emerging industry sectors including container, bulk, cruise liner, and LNG communities.
The participants agreed on several actions and on a schedule for their accomplishment targeting the February 2007 ExCom meeting for the completion of their work. The task group members are to contribute their ideas to the table and return it to the chairman by 15 December. After the replies are compiled, the draft recommendation will be finalized and the list will be incorporated into a draft scope of work for future tendering, award and action by a marketing or public relations firm. These materials will be returned to the task group members for their review along with the draft scope of work. If there is general agreement among the members regarding these papers, the package will be provided to HQ for distribution to the ExCom for their further action.
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| PIANC'S 32nd CONGRESS IN LIVERPOOL: MERSEY MMX |
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On 24 October, Eric Van den Eede, Louis Van Schel and Mike Thorn held a meeting regarding PIANC's 32nd congress "Mersey MMX", to be held in 2010 in Liverpool.
The following gives an overview of the topics that were discussed : |
The Local Organizing Committee (LOC) is free to organize the congress in close contact with HQ. As Mersey MMX is part of the 125th anniversary events, it is important to turn it into a special congress. As from now, the annual meeting will be planned between LOC and HQ. The LOC is also in charge of the registrations, as well as for the accompanying guest program and the post-congress tours;
The time schedule for the AGA and the congress has to take into account the decisions that were made at the Council meeting of 24 October: ExCom on Sunday, AGA and opening ceremony on Monday and congress from Tuesday to Friday;
The Scientific Committee (SC) will include a chairman, members and a representative from HQ. Also, a professional will be asked to set up the different sessions. Each commission should provide one or two candidates for the SC, the UK section will provide three candidates. All commissions will be asked to look for chairpersons of the sessions. As for the papers, the scope of topics to be treated will be narrowed;
The UK section suggests the secretary-general of IMO as international guest speaker, to be invited by HQ. HQ will also investigate the possibility of inviting HRM Albert II, King of Belgium;
A close look should be taken at all the expenses to guarantee a profit;
A press conference should be organized with speakers from Flemish and UK ministries.
Click here for more information
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| NEWS IN THE PIANC COMMUNITY |
WFD Seminar - January 2007
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On 31 January 2007, in Brussels Belgium, PIANC together with its partners in the Navigation Task Group on the Water Framework Directive will host a conference on the EU Water Framework Directive and the issues it raises for ports, navigation and dredging. For more information about this event (venue, background, objectives, presentations, registration and hotel reservation), please click here and read all about it in the WFD flyer.
On-line registration for the seminar, as well as hotel registration is now possible via www.pianc-aipcn.org/wfd2007. |
SmartRivers 2006
SmartRivers 2006, "an international joint conference on synergies for an efficient waterway system in Europe and the US", was held in Brussels from 5 until 7 November 2006. It is a continuation of SmartRivers 21, an international coalition intent on realizing "Strategic Maritime Asset Research and Transformation for 21st Century River Systems", which was started in 2004 by the signature of a co-operation agreement between US and European partners, followed by the organization of a conference in October 2005 in Pittsburgh.
The conference brought together all partners involved in the development of inland waterways, inland ports and seaports around the theme of an efficient water system in Europe and the United States. The participants in the conference endeavoured to bring some answers to the areas identified in the co-operation agreement and other subjects of common interest that emerged from the conference. The conference was based on an exchange of experiences. One major new element of SmartRivers 2006 was the increased involvement of seaports.
PIANC president Eric Van den Eede attended the conference, together with some hundred participants coming from the United States and Europe (whether EU or non EU Member States). SmartRivers 2006 proved to be a very meaningful event, inscribing itself in the framework of the cooperation agreement signed in 2004 between European and American partners. For further information about the keynote speeches, pictures, attendance lists, etc., please visit www.inlandports.be/public_smartriver.php.
PIANC president Eric Van den Eede (first on the left at the table) attended the conference
Dutch YP's visit the Port of Amsterdam
On 19 October, the Dutch YP's went on their second excursion of the year and visited the Port of Amsterdam. They were invited aboard the "Havenbeheer" to make a round trip through the industrial harbour and the city canals. Captain Oudendijk, Managing Director of the Shipping Department of the Port of Amsterdam, guided the YP's during the trip, which brought them from the centre of the city on the river IJ and the North Sea Channel to the Western Harbour. Here, the new and innovative all-weather terminal was approached closely. This special terminal enables loading and unloading through all weather conditions. The OBA Quay was called at as well. At this quay, enormous bulk carriers are being unloaded for the Amsterdam power plant. Besides this, the newly extended ACP Quay, on which one of our YP's performed design work, was also sailed by. Above this, enjoying drinks and fascinating stories of Captain Oudendijk made the boat trip a success.
After this interesting tour through the harbour, the "Havenbeheer" set sail to the famous Amsterdam city canals. Here, the YP's gazed at the magnificent architecture and old warehouses of the Dutch Golden Age. Just in time, the "Havenbeheer' moored in front of the Muziekgebouw, where the YP's dined in the Star Ferry café to catch up on each other's experiences and stories.
The YP's were invited aboard the "Havenbeheer"
Charlotte van der Vorm-Hoek
Dutch YP-section
New : PIANC UK website
PIANC is pleased to announce that the British National Section created its own webpage at www.pianc.org.uk. Besides a presentation of PIANC in general, as well as information about publications and activities, the different working groups and the young professionals, the site also contains full contact details for the PIANC UK Section and notices of forthcoming events of interest to PIANC members. It will be maintained with further news from the ports, maritime and inland navigation community and also welcomes your comments and contributions. Congratulations on a job well done!
PIANC USA annual meeting 2007
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PIANC USA's annual meeting will be held on 27 March 2007 in San Diego, California, in conjunction with the Ports 2007 conference (see on the calendar below). PIANC USA commissioners and members will hold a general membership meeting in the morning and technical presentations in the afternoon, all set against the backdrop of La Costa Resort, one of the foremost convention facilities in Southern California. Lunch will be held in the Ports conference exhibit hall, giving you the chance to view the showcase of companies who provide goods and services to the ports and harbors industry. If you arrive on Monday 26 March, you can hear the PIANC USA president, Major General Don T. Riley, speak as the Ports conference keynote luncheon speaker. For more information and registration, please visit www.pianc.us, or write to Kelly Barnes at Kelly.J.Barnes@usace.army.mil.
Kelly J. Barnes
USACE, Institute for Water Resources
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Results and winner of the "On Course" questionnaire
Always trying to make our publications as accessible and "reader-friendly" as possible, we recently launched a small questionnaire concerning the renewed version of our magazine "On Course". Overall, PIANC is happy to hear your positive comments regarding the new lay-out, full-colour pictures, readability, etc. In short, the majority of those who filled in the questionnaire concluded that our magazine has changed for the better, which was the main objective. Of course, given there is always room for more improvement, we will certainly take into account your comments on what could be done better.
Obviously, those who filled in the questionnaire, were also "in it to win it"! It is Hans Peter Tzschuke who was selected randomly by our computer and who wins our PIANC pen. Congratulations! |
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At around 15 February, these publications will be distributed to the PIANC members :
For any address changes and updates, please contact your national section or PIANC HQ at info@pianc-aipcn.org.
The following magazine will be released around 15 April :
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31st International Conference on Coastal Engineering - first call for papers
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The 31st International Conference on Coastal Engineering (ICCE) will take place in Hamburg, Germany from 31 August until 5 September 2008. The conference will be organized under the auspices of the Coastal Engineering Research Council (CERC) of Coasts, Ocean, Ports and Rivers Institute (COPRI) of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).
Those who are interested are invited to submit papers dealing with the conference subjects or related topics, which can be found at http://icce2008.hamburg.baw.de/callforpapers.html. Here you can also find all the instructions regarding the submission of your paper. All authors will be notified of the status of their summaries in November 2007 and accepted authors will receive instructions for preparing an abstract for publication. The book of abstracts will be distributed at the conference.
For further information on ICCE 2008, please write to the following address or subscribe to the ICCE 2008 mailing list :
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7th International Conference on Coastal and Port Engineering in Developing Countries - Call for Papers
This is a reminder that all abstracts of papers for the COPEDEC VII conference are now coming in. These abstracts should reach the paper selection secretariat in Colombo by e-mail (pss@pianc-copedecdubai.com) before 10 February 2007. More information can be found on our website at www.pianc-copedecdubai.com.
Only your active support could make this conference a success.
Ranjit Galappatti
Joint Secretary Paper Selection Committee COPEDEC VII
Port and Coast Seminars UNESCO-IHE
UNESCO-IHE is the International Institute for Water Education in Delft, The Netherlands, offering 18-month MSc programmes in water-related sciences. Candidates should have a BSc level and some years of working experience in relevant fields to be eligible to these programmes. Also postgraduate courses, seminars and tailor-made training programmes are offered every year.
The specialization Hydraulic Engineering - Coastal Engineering and Port Development is offering the following two specialized seminars :
- 43rd International Port Seminar (10-27 April 2007);
- Seminar on Integrated Coastal Zone Management (10-27 April 2007).
You will find detailed announcements on our website
More information about these seminars or the MSc-programme can be obtained from the course co-ordinator, Mr. Hendrik Bijnsdorp at h.bijnsdorp@unesco-ihe.org or click here and read all about it in the flyer.
We look forward to meet you as participant of one of our courses!
Hendrik Bijnsdorp
Unesco-IHE
Ports 2007 Conference
 PIANC USA, together with the Coasts, Oceans, Ports and Rivers Institute (COPRI) of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) would like to invite you to attend the Ports™ 2007 conference. Ports 2007 is the eleventh in a series of international port and harbor development specialty conferences.
The conference will be held on 25-28 March 2007 in San Diego, California (USA) and will provide an international forum for the exchange of information among engineers, port and harbour facility management, contractors, consultants, government agencies, academics and private industry companies. Exhibiting at this conference would be an excellent opportunity to develop new customers and industry contacts. For more information, please visit www.portsconference.org, or contact Lesa Rair at lrair@asce.org.
Kelly J. Barnes
USACE, Institute for Water Resources
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| AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST... |
The "Sailing Ahead"-team wishes you and your loved ones a merry Christmas and a happy new year! See you in 2007, when we will continue our efforts to keep you well informed and up-to-date about the PIANC community.
Happy holidays! |
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