Barry Rogliano Salles

This year's 7th International Conference & Exhibition on Maritime Transport using Roll-on/Rolloff Methods—RO/RO 84—will be held on May 9-11 in Nice, France, at the invitation of the City and with the cooperation of the Chambre de Commerce et d'Industrie et des Alpes Maritimes and the Port of Nice.

RO/RO 84 will be held in the new Palais des Congres situated in the center of Nice, with the Old Town close by and the major hotels only a short walk away. This new center has been designed with full integration between the conference and exhibition areas, thus permitting delegates to maximize their time at the event.

The 1984 Conference comes at a time that marks a new era for the RO/RO mode, with no fewer than 11 new 2,000-TEU-plus roll-on/rolloff ships currently coming into services on the world's deepsea routes. The main contenders in this league are Atlantic Container Line's third generation RO/RO containerships, Barber Blue Sea's Supercarrier II, and Merzario's enlarged tonnage, not forgetting the existing big ships of Saudi National Lines, Transatlantic Rederi, and Leif Hoegh.

It is against this scenario of new ships that the Conference will be opened at 2:00 pm by the first session's chairman, Nigel Tatham, who is senior vice president of the Sea Containers Group. Under his direction, representatives of most of the shipping companies mentioned above will take up the debate with leading brokers in the RO/RO market.

The other sessions of the Conference will be guided by leading international figures from the shipping and port industries, including: F. Bureau, president of ICHCA and director general, Cie. de Navigation Denis Freres; Y-P. Remond, commercial director, Port of Marseilles Authority; J. Penissard, International Road Transport Union; J-E. Wahl, technical director, Oivind Lorentzen Shipping A/S; and G.N. Bowman- Shaw, chairman, LancerBoss Group.

An important part of RO/RO 84 will be the Exhibition, where delegates will see the latest technologies, port developments, and transport services at first hand.

During the meeting there will be an opportunity for participants to inspect one of the latest Mediterranean RO/RO ferries loading at the Port of Nice, and a post-congress visit on May 12 to the Port of Marseilles-Fos, which is served by 60 container lines, and which operates 36 RO/RO berths.

An official welcome reception for all delegates will be hosted by the City of Nice on the evening of Wednesday, May 9. All delegates and their ladies will be invited to the Official Buffet Evening of the Conference on May 10. It is intended that this reception will be held at the magnificent Villa Massena, which is built and furnished in the style of the Italian villas of the First Empire.

In all, the three days of RO/RO 84 promise to provide a packed program for all concerned with the improvement of through transport for general and unitized freight.

ROR84 Conference Program Wednesday, May 9 2:00 pm, Session 1: "World RO/RO Trades and the Market Future," chaired by N.J.

Tatham, senior vice presidentships, Sea Containers Ltd., London.

Panelists and speakers: B. Hultman, deputy managing director, Brostroms Rederi AB, Gothenburg.

E. Belloni, vice president, Andrea Merzario SpA, Milan.

J.E. Holvik, director, Parley Autustsson & Company, Oslo.

J. Rasmussen, shipbroker, Sacomar- Barry Rogliano Salles SA, Geneva.

A.M. Briere, shipbroker, Barry Rogliano Salles (Affretements) SA, Paris.

P. Hogberg, shipbroker, Simsonship AB, Stockholm.

Thursday, May 10 9:00 am, Session 2: "Computer Applications to RO/RO Transport." Chairman: Prof. J. King, Department of Maritime Studies, University of Wales and Institute of Science and Technology, Cardiff.

"Operational and Design Requirements for Shipboard Software and its Applications for General/Unitized Cargo," by Prof. King.

"Computer Systems for Chartering and Operations: New Opportunities for RO/RO Operators," by Erik Stavseth, Management Consultants, Oslo.

"Trailer Stowage and Ship Stability— Microcomputers May Provide the Answer," by N. MacWhirter, naval architect, DMC Ltd., Chichester, U.K.

"Computers Open the Door-to-Door Information Concept for Ports and their Users," by Christer Roos, vice president-marketing, Gothenburg Stevedoring Company, Sweden.

9:00 am, Session 3: "RO/RO's Role for the Developing Countries" Chairman: F. Bureau, chairman of ICHCA and director general, Compagnie de Navigation Denis Freres, Paris.

"Efforts to Promote Roll-on/Rolloff Technology in Africa," by A.

Kovalev, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, Addis Ababa.

"The Role of Intermodal Freight Terminals in Transport Network Planning in Developing Countries," by C.F. de Castro, The World Bank, Washington.

"To What Extent Should Developing Countries Utilize RO/RO Ships?," by S. Gilman, director, Marine Transport Centre, University of Liverpool, U.K.

"RO/RO Ships in Developing African Liner Trades," by G.F.B.

Cooper, Ex-Commissioner for Shipping, Liberia; and R.H.

Baines, director, OT Africa Line, managing director, Antrak Group of Companies, London.

"Low-Cost Ports for Developing Countries—the Role and Economics of RO/RO Operations," by E.G.

Frankel, port and shipping adviser, The World Bank, Washington.

2:30 pm, Session 4: "RO/RO Port Operations and Handling" "The Adaptation of a 100% Breakbulk Port to an 80% RO/RO-StowRo Capability, by K. Cooper, chief executive, Medway Ports Authority, Sherness, U.K.

"New RO/RO Techniques for the Transfer of Heavy and Indivisible Unit Loads," by G.M. Pinckaers, director-general manager, SOMEF N.V., Antwerp.

"Developing a Management Information System for RO/RO Port Operation/Handling," by J.T.

Mors, assistant director, Harbors, South African Transport Services, Johannesburg.

"Technology, Know-how, and Teamwork—the Vital Circle in a RO/RO Port," by H. Assarsson, general manager, Alvsborg Harbor, Port of Gothenburg, Sweden.

"Bolster Units vs StowRo for Handling Breakbulk Steel and Forest Products," U. Cramer, Badische Waggonfabrik GmbH, Rastatt, West Germany.

2:30 pm, Session 5: "Ship Design" Chairman: J-E. Wahl, technical director, Oivind Lorentzen Shipping A/S, Oslo.

"The Structural Design of Bulkheads on PCTC Carriers," by B.

Rapo, principal surveyor, Lloyd's Register of Shipping, London.

"Hull Forms and Propulsion Efficiency of RO/ROs—the Effect of Number of Propellers and Propeller RPM," by S.A. Hellstrom, Swedish Maritime Research Centre, SSPA, Gothenburg.

"Strength Analysis of Roll-on/Rolloff Ships Due to their Specific Loadings," by P.J. Latreille, senior principal surveyor, Bureau Veritas, France.

"Pusher-Barge Transportation System—A New Business Concept for the Cargo Shipping Market," by K. Levander and T. Routa, Wartsila Helsinki Shipyard, Finland.

"Aspects of Optimizing RO/RO Designs," by E. Heirung, director, Ship Division, and P.O. Brett, Research Division, Det norske Veritas, Oslo.

"RO/RO Ship Hull Form: Stability, Speed/Power, and Seakeeping Properties," by U. Sjoeholm and A. Kjellberg, naval architects, Kockums AB, Malmo, Sweden.

Friday, May 11 9:00 am, Session 6: "Mediterranean RO/RO" Chairman: Y-P. Remond, commercial director, Port of Marseilles Authority, France.

"Design Aspects of Railferry Cargo Access Equipment—Results after One Year's Service," by R.J. Currie, technical manager, Metallotecnica Veneta SpA, Venice, and M. Vitiello, naval architect, Italian State Railways.

"The Design and Operation of the New Mediterranean Ferries," by T. Dedeyan, manager-ship sales, Chantiers Dubigeon Chantiers de l'Atlantique, Paris. Panel: D.

Josso, deputy managing director, SNCM (Societe Nationale Maritime Corse-Mediterranee, Marseilles; J. Le Padellec, Project and Design Department manager, Chantiers Dubigeon, Nantes.

"Mediterranean-Far East Trade: Israel Land Bridge vs Suez Canal Services," by D. Morgenstern, director of Port Shipping and Freight Department, Ministry of Transport, Jerusalem.

"The Pros and Cons of a Central Transshipment/Distribution Terminal in the Mediterranean," by K.J. Loroch, port/management consultant, Hamburg.

"Future Prospects for the Italian RO/RO Services," by M. Monica, G.A. Pasquali, and R. Repetto, Maritime Economics Department, Cetena, Genoa.

9:00 am, Session 7: "RO/RO Safety—The Trailer on the Ship" Chairman: J. Penissard, International Road Transport Union, Geneva.

"Operational Aspects of Cargo Securing," by J. Telle, principal surveyor, Det norske Veritas, Oslo.

"Lashing the RO/RO Trailer/ Standardization/The French Experience and the ISO Development," by F. Robin, chairman of the French Standardization Committee for Lashing of Vehicles Aboard RO/RO Ships, AFNOR, Courbevoie, France.

"A Seagoing Road Trailer—A Proposal for Standardization," by P.

Andersson, project manager, MariTerm AB, Helsingborg, and P. Ottosson, project manager, Swedish Maritime Research Centre, SSPA, Gothenburg.

"Report from the SAGIT Reference Group (Safety of Goods in Trailers)— Haulers / Operators / Underwriters," by G. Hesselgren, managing director, Ferrymasters AB, Gothenburg.

2:30 pm, Session 8: "RO/RO Terminal Design" Chairman: G.N. Bowman-Shaw, chairman, LancerBoss Group Ltd., U.K.

"The Commercial Aspects of Pavement Construction for RO/RO and Container Operation," by N.

Nixon, partner, Nigel Nixon & Partners, Newcastle upon Tvne, U.K.

"Lift Trucks and their Effect on Terminal Operation and Construction," by G.A. Stevens, product manager, LancerBoss Group Ltd., Leighton Buzzard, U.K.

"Composite Construction in a Rollon/ Roll-off Floating Berth," by A.C.G. Hayward, CassHayward & Partners, Chepstow, and F.I.

Lees, Butterly Engineering Ltd., U.K.

2:30 pm, Session 9: Ship inspection of one of the latest Mediterranean ferries loading at the Port of Nice, arranged with the cooperation of the Port and the shipowner, SNCM, Societe National Maritime Corse-Mediterranee.

5:00 pm, Close of Conference