3rd Safer Seas Event :
One of the major international maritime events of the year 2011
Today, maritime safety and security are major global stakes, whose multiple facets encompass political, legal, technological, economic, social and environmental realms. For optimal comprehension of these stakes, regional, national, European and global interactions have proved to be highly determining factors.
The Brest métropole océane urban council is working in coordination with the Technopôle Brest Iroise science park, and supported by the Pôle Mer marine competitiveness cluster, the European Union, the Brittany regional council and the Finistère general (county) council, to organize the 3rd international Safer Seas event to be held from 10 to 13 May 2011 at the Quartz conference center, devoted to issues of maritime safety and security.
Safer Seas: a one-of-a-kind event for safer and cleaner seas
The event was created on a multidisciplinary basis, at the crossroads of scientific, technical, legal and institutional skills and specializations, taking advantage of the expertise of operators and seafaring professionals. As the worthy successor of the 1st symposium organized in Brest in 1998 to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Amoco Cadiz disaster off the coast of Brittany, Safer Seas has amply proved its value since it was officially launched in 2002.
The quality and diversity of our partners and the stakeholders mobilized for the occasion make Safer Seas a unique event to:
- grasp the scope of European and international policies implemented.
- focus on technological innovations and opportunities designed to serve the cause of safer and cleaner seas.
- measure the ground covered and the new challenges which must be dealt with respect to changes and developments in the fields of economy and shipping.
- meet and talk with key players and international experts.
With the participation of key players from the maritime world...
The International Maritime Organization (IMO), European Parliament, European Commission, European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA), European Space Agency, Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development, Transports and Housing, Secretariat General of the Sea, the network of local and regional authorities, port authorities, ship-owners and seagoing personnel, industrial firms and maritime clusters from various regions worldwide.
The event is organized around international conferences and workshops, and a trade show intended for institutional representatives, entrepreneurs and researchers from France and abroad. Tours are also proposed by some of the main stakeholders on the theme present in Brest (Atlantic Maritime Prefecture, French Navy, CETMEF, SHOM, METEO FRANCE, Ifremer, CEDRE, Ecole Navale (Naval Academy), UBO University of Western Brittany and other research bodies).
The pivotal role played by the European Union
2007 was the key turning point when the EU's maritime policy became a strategic priority. This policy must necessarily be an integrated policy. That was the first message to be strongly asserted in the session concluding the event in 2007.
The second message was the commitment undertaken by Brest métropole océane and its partners, - particularly the IMO, the European Commission, the Secretariat General for the Sea, the Brittany Regional Council, the Finistère General Council and the Brittany Marine Cluster - to meet again, seeing the intense level of current events in the maritime realm and the determining stakes for governance.
From 10 to 13 May, Safer Seas: new stakes and affirming the environmental requirements
From 10 to 13 May, Safer Seas: new stakes and affirming the environmental requirements
The ocean is a planetary resource which is constantly being increasingly exploited. Apart from shipping, which represents over 80% of international trade in tonnage, the ocean is more than ever before an economic stake, seeing its wealth of bio-resources and fossil fuels, and its potential for renewable energies. In addition, it should be remembered that over half of the world's population is concentrated on the shores. This leads to heavy impacts on the marine environment.
Well aware of its own responsibilities, the maritime community is mobilizing its forces to ensure that safety, security and competitiveness are combined in maritime activities. Means of monitoring and surveillance are evolving to meet increased needs to prevent accidents and forecast the impacts of climate changes.
Shipping and offshore exploitation activities are exploring and moving into new zones. The maritime community must seize these new opportunities for development while ensuring that the marine environment is protected.
Program of the 2011 edition: what’s to become, changes and prospects
After assessing the policies designed and implemented since 2007, on the technological advances made in terms of maritime safety and security, Safer Seas 2011 will particularly take the angle of climate change to propose that participants project themselves into the future.
With increased observational capabilities, scientists have highlighted oceanographic (modifications in ocean currents, acidification of the ocean), climate (melting of ice, rising sea level), meteorological (cyclones), seismic (tsunamis) and environmental (erosion, overfishing of resources and harming biodiversity) changes, whose links, causes and developments are still very poorly known. These new stakes highlight how important the ocean is, as a major component of the climate's equilibrium and as a resource to be protected.
The stakes in terms of observation and knowledge about the marine environment, navigational aids, planning and monitoring of coastal and maritime areas, training and professionalization will be reviewed. Conferences and round tables will outline the ship of the future (a cleaner, more economical and safer vessel), talk about opportunities and hazards inherent to the new sea routes in perspective and even imagine the port of tomorrow and interactions between sea and shore. Finally, Safer Seas 2011 will devote a strand to the sensitive issues of maritime security and to exchanging feed-back and experience between different parts of the globe.
Safer Seas 2011 will also bear the hallmark of international cooperation. The event will provide the opportunity to welcome Asian (China, Vietnam, Singapore), American (Canada, USA, Mexico, Chile, etc.), Russian, and of course, European delegations. Finally, this 3rd edition will highlight the institutional and economical partnerships built with Mexico over the years, in particular with the State of Vera Cruz.
The conference has received the support of numerous international and intergovernmental organizations (United Nations agencies, European Space Agency, networks of cities, regions, ports, clusters and scientists), marking the international mobilization rallying to the Safer Seas slogan "for safer and cleaner seas".
