My CEO Update for July 2024
Hi Ferry Fans,
I’m writing this update on the way back home after a productive and enjoyable visit with our operator members in the New York area – which you will hear more about later in this report.
This month I’m pleased to be able to announce our full Speakers Program for Interferry2024 in Marrakech. In addition to the two Ferry Leaders Panels that wrap up each day of the program, I’m confident that with our two-day lineup of presenters and speakers, conference participants will leave Morocco much better informed and educated in all three areas of our conference theme – “Safety, Security, and Sustainability”.
Interferry2024 Speakers Program Overview
Speakers Program Day 1 ? October 28
On the opening day of the 48th Annual Interferry Conference, the program will kick off with two well-respected industry keynote speakers. Bud Darr, Executive VP, Maritime Policy and Government Affairs for the MSC Group will provide a strategic overview of the conference themes relative to one of the largest shipping companies in the world – including his take on how greenhouse gas regulations are affecting the maritime industry and how MSC is addressing these challenges and opportunities.
Next up will be Sotiris Raptis, Secretary General of the European Community Shipowners’ Associations (ECSA). Sotiris will enlighten the audience on his association’s key areas of focus with the European Union officials in Brussels that are relative to our conference themes. He will also provide an overview of how ECSA and Interferry work together for the benefit of the ferry industry.
Following our keynote addresses, Interferry’s Director of Regulatory Affairs Johan Roos will discuss Interferry’s top regulatory priorities while engaging the perspectives of fellow industry experts and leaders from member companies in a conversational panel format.
The afternoon sessions will dive into security topics with presentations on cybersecurity and physical security, as well as a closer look into some alternative fueling solutions, before closing out the day with the first Ferry Leaders Panel of the conference which will feature large vessel operators.
Speakers Program Day 2 ? October 29? ???
The second day of the program?will begin with a regional spotlight session focusing on the African continent. Delegates will hear an update on the first-ever successful Africa Ferry Safety Seminar and learn about Interferry’s overall strategy to encourage domestic ferry safety in the developing world. Following this update, we are proud to welcome leaders from throughout Africa to the main stage to showcase their respective organization’s commitments to improving safety and sustainability in the region.
As environmental regulations continue to tighten, operators are looking to build vessels as sustainably and cost-effectively as possible. The mid-morning session will explore building the next generation of sustainable vessels from the perspectives of shipbuilders, designers and operators.
The future of battery-electric solutions and alternative fuels for powering ferries and the vehicles they carry is a timely and popular topic. The afternoon session will explore the fire and safety considerations for building and powering the electric vessels of the future, as well as the transportation of battery-powered vehicles onboard.
Delegates will once again be enlightened and inspired by the thoughtful conversations during the closing Ferry Leaders Panel which will feature small to medium-sized vessel operators.
Conference Hotel Filling Fast as the Early Bird Deadline Draws Near
We have been advised by the M?venpick Hotel Marrakech that our dedicated block of rooms is filling up fast – so please act quickly to avoid being disappointed. Click here to see the hotel registration information.
On a related note, our early bird reservation deadline ends next month on September 14. There is no better time than now to save on your conference registration costs and guarantee your room for Morocco.
And, on a final note, our once-in-a-lifetime Technical Tour which includes a charter plane flight and Strait of Gibraltar ferry crossing courtesy of conference host, DFDS, now has just a handful of spots left!
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Limited Sponsorship and Exhibition Spaces Remain ?
On the sponsorship side of things, we have very few exhibition spaces remaining. So, if you’re interested in presenting your products and/or services at the conference, check out the Sponsorship Information page as soon as possible to find out about the remaining sponsorship options.
Conference Registration Opens to Non-members on August 1
With registration being available to Interferry members for two months, it is now time to open it to anyone who wants to join us in Morocco. As of August 1, we are pleased to accept registrations from industry participants who are not Interferry members. History has proven that many of these new attendees will become part of the Interferry family once they participate in their first conference and see the value of membership.
New York Member Operators Visit
Since our travel schedule is usually so hectic in the fall, winter and spring, we don’t like to stray too far from our Vancouver Island home during the summer. However, this year proved to be a welcomed exception as Interferry’s Director of Conferences and Finance Shari Corrigan Corrigan and I had the pleasure of visiting many of our operator members in the New York area.
We were first hosted by Tim Mooney, Interferry Chairman and CEO of Fire Island Ferries. Tim – together with his wife Jane and daughters Morgan and Brittany – made us feel so welcomed at their beautiful beach front home in Kismit. Tim’s operation is quite impressive with almost 50 pieces of equipment plying the waters. As usual, Tim does a good job of understating the operation that he and his dad built. On a busy day, Fire Island Ferries moves about 30,000 passengers from Long Island to Fire Island and back… and this doesn’t include all the freight and essential services they take to and from the island.
After Fire Island, we travelled to Brooklyn and Manhattan to visit NYC Ferry and the Staten Island Ferry, respectively. We also stopped in to check out Seastreak Ferries, another Interferry member, as part of our adventures.
We met with Timothy O'Brien and Jonathan Figueroa of NYC Ferry / Hornblower Group at their operational headquarters in Brooklyn at the Navy Yard. We were impressed not only with the size of their fleet but also at the complexity of the NYC operation – which includes heavy lifts, ops center, a full-service warehouse and at least a dozen or so berths. We finished our visit with a ferry trip back to midtown Manhattan on one of NYC Ferries’ vessels.
The next day we had the pleasure of spending with John Garvey, head of the Staten Island Ferry. John gave us the full tour which included a return ferry trip to Staten Island from Lower Manhattan and a walk through their two major terminals – Whitehall and St. George. We also were able to see their state-of-the-art bridge simulators, as well as their crewing and operations centers. If you haven’t travelled on the Staten Island Ferry system, I encourage you to do so. With continual 30-minute departures from both sides and 24/7 operations, it’s no wonder that they are one of the busiest ferry systems in North America with almost 16 million passengers being transported each year.
That’s it for the busy month of July. October and Interferry2024 will be here before we know it! As usual, I look forward to your questions and comments.
Take care and be safe… Mike Corrigan – CEO, Interferry