Page 6: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (April 1998)

International

Representatives

EDITOR'S NOTE

An important part of the equation w; f V 1/ \lhere is a strong undercurrent which is presently pulling all of the maritime industry, and a company's respect of this powerful force could ultimately deter-mine its long-term profitability — and even survivability. The force is the "human element," and while it is certainly not a new concept, it is one which has, nonetheless, picked up con- siderable strength and visibility in recent months.

Whether a company operates inland tugs and barges, coastal support and supply vessels or oceangoing tankers and bulkers, recognition of the human equation in the successful operations of these vessels is paramount to long-term success. Focus on the human role in maritime operations is partially being force-fed via international, national and regional conventions, rules and regulations.

In fact, it's increasingly rare for a speech from William A. O'Neil, Secretary General of the IMO, to not include several references to his organization's activities regard- ing humans and their role in safety at sea. But it's interesting to note that the tone is changing, as the IMO is increasingly stepping up its efforts to be forward-looking, aggressively seeking ways to ensure safety of life and ship, instead of allowing regula- tory policy to be dictated by events, i.e. disasters. In a speech to leaders at the recent

Shipping '98 conference, Mr. O'Neil said, "...most of the work in the legislative field has now been taken care of. This means that we are, almost for the first time, in a position to deal with measures to prevent future disasters by taking pro-active rather than reactive action." Companies that adopt this tactic of aggressively searching for ways to improve without being prodded to action by legislation will surely gain an advantage over competitors who do not.

Enter technology.

Technology, which has become a blanket industry buzzword encompassing advanced development of vessel design, building and equipment outfitting, is surely a driving force in the creation of the mega-million dollar vessels of today and tomor- row. But technology alone, for all of its merits, is useless in the hands of an amateur.

One of the most exciting technologies to enter the maritime fray in sometime —

ECDIS — is featured in this edition, starting on page 58. In a short time, the final standards which a basic ECDIS system must meet to be considered compliant to international standards will be published, meaning that by early autumn, type- approvals for equipment should start flowing, and a vessel owner/operator can final- ly replace paper charts with an advanced electronics system, designed to enhance safety and operational efficiency. While the ECDIS system represents a break- through in maritime operations, it should be noted that the system will be rendered useless without a commitment by top management to ensure that users of the sys- tems are well trained and re-trained to guarantee that they are used to their full capacities. While some may see the cost of training as simply another expense, it is actually a prudent investment given the stakes — lives, ships and the environment — at hand. As Mr. O'Neil summarized in his recent speech: "Technology is com- plex. It has to be controlled by people who know what they are doing, not by well- meaning novices."

INTERNATIONAL OPERATIONS

CHARLES E. KEIL, Vice President 4400 N. Federal Highway, Ste. 210-06, Boca Raton, FL 33431

Telephone: +561-368-1021; Fax: +561-368-1161 24-hr Tel/Fax: +561 -998-0313; Mobile Tel: +561 -716-0338

Australia

ANNE MURRAY/YVONNE SANDFORD

World Media Network Pty. Ltd.

Suite 5, Level 1, 89 York St., Sydney, NSW 2000

Australia

Tel: +61 2 9299 5677; Fax: +61 2 9299 6178

Argentina

R. LESLIE RAMSAY

Calle Pellegrini 173

Primer Piso, Departamento C 1009 Buenos Aires, Argentina

Tel: +54 1 394 8821; Fax: +54 1 326 4377

Benelux

PAULA TACQ

Maritime Media ML

Otweg 18 2771 VX Boskoop, Netherlands

Tel: +31 172 230707; Fax: +31 172 230708

Brazil

JOSE 0UARTE DOS SANTOS

Multipla Agencial Martima, Ltda.

Rua Carolino Rodrigues 28

Cuarto Andar, CEP-11055-070

Santos, Sao Paulo, Brazi

Tel/Fax: +55 1 32 32 74 74

Central America

EDUARDO F. LOPEZ/LUIS A. SANCLEMENTE

Transmarine Media Service, P.O. Box 2071,

Panama 1, Panama

Tel: +507 264 8404/60; Fax: +507 223 8367

China

WANG ZE/XU XIAO FENG

Liaoning Foreign Trade Advertising Corp. 2 Zhongshan Square, Dalian, China 116002

Tel: +86 411 2801924; Fax: +86 411 2644606

Eastern Europe

IVAN BERENYI/OLGAIVANOVA

Pannonia Media Agency, 8630 Balatonboglar

Radnoti Miklos u.14, Hungary

Tel: +36 85 353 319; Fax:+36 85 353 442

Egypt

CAPTAIN TARIQ M. 0SMAN

Osman Marine Media Co.

Algamhoria St., P.O. Box 1248, Alkleej Bldg.,

Port Said, Egypt

Tel: +20 66 340988; Fax: +20 66 325705

France

DANIEL SOLNICA

Ediconsult Internazionale, 25 rue Saulnier 75009 Paris, France

Tel: +33 1 4246 9571; Fax: +33 1 4246 8508

Germany/Switzerland

HANSJ0RG BRANS

Maritime Media

Freiherr v. Stein Str. 24, D-63303

Dreieich, Germany

Tel: +49 6103 697745; Fax: +49 6103 697743

Hong Kong/Taiwan

DENNIS LO/JIMME KWAN

Phantom International, Ltd.

Room 208, Seaview Centre 139 Hoi Bun Rd.,

Kowloon East, Hong Kong

Tel: +852 9179 9872; Fax: +852 2304 1232

Italy/Malta

VITT0RI0 NEGR0NE

Ediconsult Internazionale

Piazza Fontane Marose, 3-16123 Genoa, Italy

Tel: +39 10 583684; Fax: +39 10 566578

Japan

AKIO ISH11

Ace Media Service Inc. 12-6,4-chome, Nishiike

Adachi-ku, Tokyo 121, Japan

Tel: +81 3 5691 3335; Fax: + 81 3 5691 3336

Korea

JO, YOUNG SANG

Business Communications, Inc.

Kwangwhamun P.O. Box 1916, Seoul, Korea

Tel: +82 2 739 7840; Fax: +82 2 732 3662

Peru

WILLIAM FRY

Trahites y Despachos S.A.

Avenida Salaverry 3005, Lima 27, Peru

Tel: +51 1 264 3225; Fax: +51 1 264 1974

Portugal/Gibraltar

PAULO BREHM

AZ Publiciadade Lda., Rua Almirante Barroso, 52-1 D,P-1000 Lisbon, Portugal

Tel:+351 1 3142256; Fax: +351 1 3525157

Scandinavia

STEPHAN R.G. 0RN/LE0N SCHULZ

AB Stephan R.G. Orn, Box 184

S-271 24 Ystad, Sweden

Tel: +46 411-184 00; Fax: +46 411 105 31

Singapore

CATHERINE WONG

The Euro-Asia Link, 391 A Orchard Road #12-01

Ngee Ann City Tower A, Singapore 238873

Tel: +65 337 4658; Fax: +65 456 4610

South Africa

FINN KVAMSDAHL

Finn's Enterprises, Media Marketing Division

P.O. Box 99,2250,

Blinkpan, Republic of South Africa

Tel/Fax: +27 13 2953 023

South America/

Caribbean Basin

DELIO R. AL0NS0

Multilink International 115 Calabria Ave., Ste. 12

Coral Gables, Fla. 33134

Tel: +305-445-6423; Fax: +305-445-1483

Spain

JOSE LUIS SEVA

Via Exdusiuas S.L.

Modesto Lafuente, 4 28010, Madrid, Spain

Tel: +341 448 7622; Fax: +341 446 0198

Turkey/Cyprus

NIHAT BOYTUZUN/LALE ASMAZ0GLU

Kamera Corp., Cumhurlyet Cad. 257/3,

Harblye 80230, Istanbul, Turkey

Tel: +90 212 241 73 72;

Fax: +90 212 230 36 97

United Kingdom

MICHAEL J. DAMSELL

Euromedia Ltd., P.O. Box 122,

Hayward's Heath,West Sussex

RH161YF, England

Tel: +44 1444 417360;

Fax: +44 1444 410497 8 Maritime Reporter/Engineering News