SPEAKERS and MODERATORS

This list is current as of Sept. 12, 2008. Please continue to check back for updated information.

John Aitkenhead – IBS, Australia John Aitkenhead is the proprietor and CEO of International Broking Services (IBS). IBS commenced business in 1974 as a general ship brokerage. In 1992 John and co-director son James elected to define IBS as a fast ferry specialist sales and chartering agency. Later they commenced publishing the IBS Bulletin, a quarterly catalogue of fast ferries. The company has been located at its present office at Southport, Australia for the past sixteen years, however the company’s activities are now global and have expanded into marine activities well beyond the typical scope of shipbroking. John was also a co-founder of Gold Coast’s well regarded Somerset College, an interdenominational independent school, and has served on its Board of Governors for 23 years.

Dr. Khalid Al Zahed – Roads & Transport Authority Dubai, United Arab Emirates Dr. Khalid Al Zahed is Director of the Maritime Projects Departmant in the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) in Dubai. Prior to that, Dr Al Zahed was head of the Coastal Management Section in Dubai Municipality. Dr Khalid has published many scientific papers on coastal engineering and environmental issues in peer reviewed journals. He obtained his PhD in Coastal Zone Management covering Environmental Issues in Dubai Creek from St. Andrews University, United Kingdom. His Master degree in Coastal Engineering was from University of New South Wales in Australia.

	Camille Azzi — Universities of Glasgow and Strathclyde, UK Camille Azzi is a 26 year student at the Universities of Glasgow and Strathclyde in Scotland. He is studying Naval Architecture under Professor Dracos Vassalos. He expects to complete his PhD in June 2009.

Professor Alfred Baird – Napier University, Scotland Alfred Baird is Professor of Maritime Transport at Napier University Business School in Edinburgh, Scotland. Prior to embarking on an academic career he worked for a liner shipping company, followed by a position as Shipping Manager in an engineering company. His doctoral research concerned the study of strategic management in shipping. With an emphasis on the ferry and container shipping sectors, Professor Baird has researched, published, advised, and taught across a range of maritime transport subjects including strategic management in shipping, market analysis, ship cost and service schedule modeling, competition and privatization, government policy and state subsidies, and assessing the feasibility of shipping services and port facilities.

Stuart Ballantyne – Sea Transport Solutions, Australia Stuart Ballantyne is the Managing Director of Sea Transport Corporation, a company he founded in 1976. The company has sold ship designs into 43 countries and it also owns and operates vessels. Stuart spent seven years at sea as a cadet and then deck officer on passenger-cargo ships. He studied naval architecture in Glasgow and is a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Naval Architects. He received a Royal Humane Society Award for Bravery and has won six international awards for services to the marine industry. Stuart is also an author and has published three books: How To Do It and Get It, by One Who Has Done It, Got it and Can’t Get Rid of It, Bluff Your Way to Sea, and Secret Seamens Business.

Ted Bell– Moffatt & Nichol, USA Ted Bell is the Director of Waterborne Transit for Moffatt & Nichol, a full-service waterfront engineering firm founded in California in 1945. He has 27 years of experience in engineering with a specialty in ferry planning and marine facilities design. He has both a BS in Civil Engineering and a BA in Economics from the University of Washington. He’s managed dozens of waterfront-related projects, from permitting through construction, and is an expert in implementation under difficult environmental and permitting conditions. He is especially sensitive to security and operations concerns. Ted was Manager of Terminal Engineering for Washington State Ferries (WSF) and has worked at every WSF terminal on Puget Sound. As a consultant, Ted has worked around the world assisting the ferry industry in moving infrastructure improvements forward.

Stephen Bond – Videotel Marine International, UK Stephen Bond was one of the original founders of the Videotel Group in the early 70's. He qualified in photography and media studies and soon became Managing Director of Videotel Marine International U.K. He chairs many of the production groups for the development of new products. He frequently travels the world liaising with the overseas offices and clients in various locations. He is on the Board of various companies as well as the shipmanagement trade association InterManager.

Arthur Bowring – Shipowners Association, Hong Kong Arthur Bowring is the Managing Director of the Hong Kong Shipowners Association and part time Maritime Arbitrator. He has a broad shipping background, which includes several years at sea as a deck officer, working as a ship surveyor for Lloyds Register, acting as an oil and dry cargo chartering and owning broker and freight trader for a major international trading house, handling marine insurance placing and claims and working as a consultant, handling investigative work, claims and project management. He is fellow and member of several professional associations and organisations.

KLAS BROGREN – SHIPPAX INFORMATION, Sweden Klas Brogren is first and foremost dedicated to passenger shipping as a lifelong hobby. Not really discovering the border line of a hobby, it became his profession when, in 1977, his first assignment was a project with Tor Line in Gothenburg. That was followed five years later with shipbroking in Stockholm where he was active in S&P and chartering, specialising in passenger shipping. In 1981, Klas returned to his hometown of Halmstad to become a partner in Marine Trading which for many years held the management contract for Prince of Fundy Cruises as well as Scarlett Line. As the need of market information expanded, Klas developed this in his own company Plus 2 Ferryconsultation AB, which later registered ShipPax Information as its marketing name. Apart from the publications, CRUISE & FERRY Info, GUIDE, DESIGNS and STATISTICS, the company is also offering tailor-made consulting or evaluations, and runs the spring-time Ferry Shipping Conferences.

Eric Chu – Discovery Bay Transportation Services, hong Kong Eric Ka Lok Chu is General Manager of the HKR International Ltd. He is also the Head of the Transportation Division overseeing the ferry and land transport of Discovery Bay which is an exquisite resort-style residential development in Hong Kong and a market leader in the development of hi-speed ferries for the Hong Kong local ferry commuter services. A qualified Naval Architect himself and serving the field for over 30 years, Eric has been a ship designer and marine consultant in Hong Kong and in Australia. He is also the Vice Chairman of “The Hong Kong Joint Branch of the Royal Institution of Naval Architects And The Institute of Marine Engineering Science and Technology”.

Robert Clifford – Incat Australia Pty Ltd, Australia Robert Clifford has been instrumental in pioneering the high-speed vehicle/passenger ferry industry. Through his direction Incat developed the wave piercing catamaran and has been responsible for the construction of around 40% of the world’s large high speed vehicle ferries. These ferries, which initially revolutionised transport links around the United Kingdom, are now also operating in commercial service in North and South America, Asia, the Middle East, the Caribbean, the Canary Islands, and throughout Europe. As Chairman of Incat, Robert devotes much of his time to overseas sales and marketing from his bases that now include a townhouse in the UK, and offices in Denmark and at Lockport, Louisiana. Robert says: “Around the world the high speed vehicle ferry is proving to be an attractive alternative to both passengers and operators alike in the commercial market, with the world’s military now embracing high speed craft as a complement to their existing amphibious force ships.”

Stephanie Dawson – Sea SA, Australia Stephanie has been in the marine industry since 1963, spending the first 25 years in ship provedoring during which time she gained directorship of Australia’s oldest provedoring company. She became CFO of Sea Transport Corporation in 1988, a marine group encompassing boat and ship design companies, commercial vessel building as well as ferry owning and operating. Since 1991 Stephanie has been directly involved in ferry operations, as Managing Director of Sea Stradbroke Pty Ltd from 1991 – 2006 and Managing Director of Sea SA Pty Ltd from its inception in 2006. Stephanie has won six tourism awards for ferry services in Queensland and South Australia. She was the first female President of Interferry and hosted the annual conference in 2002 in Australia. Together with husband and business partner Stuart Ballantyne, Stephanie currently spends a lot of time on Qantas.

Tom Docherty – Red Funnel , UK Tom Docherty is the Managing Director of Red Funnel, a company employing 500 people and operating car ferries and passenger high speed catamarans to the Isle of Wight, off the south coast of England.  Tom is a marine engineer by background, with experience in the oil industry, ports, towage and latterly, seven years within ferry operations.  Red Funnel is a fully integrated travel , transport and leisure one stop shop, carrying more than 3 million passengers and 1 million car equivalent units per year across the Solent from Southampton to the Isle of Wight.

HÅkan Enlund – Aker Yards, Finland Håkan Enlund is a graduate from the Technical University of Oulu in Mechanical Engineering. His career started 1981 with the performance yacht builder Baltic Yachts. Within the Hollming group he was the key person in establishing the new Technology Division. Håkan has presented a number of scientific reports and papers in the field of lightweight engineering/construction and its application in shipbuilding. In 1994 he joined Finnyards, holding a position first as Project Manager and later Sales Manager for the fast ferry activities and from 2005 as Vice President, Sales, with Aker Yards Cruise & Ferries. Since September 2007 he has been a member of the Rauma shipyard´s Management Team. Aker Yards Rauma specialises in ferries, small cruise vessels, multipurpose icebreakers and naval craft. Håkan is chairman of the DNV Ferry Committee and a board member of Interferry.

K.M. Fung – Marine Department, Hong Kong After spending eight years in the Hong Kong merchant fleet as a deck officer, Mr. Fung joined the Government as an Assistant Marine Officer in 1985. From 2005 to 2008, he worked on secondment in the Economic Development and Labour Bureau (which was renamed as the Transport and Housing Bureau) as the Chief Assistant Secretary looking after port and maritime policy matters. He took up the post as the General Manager/Services in the Marine Department in January 2008 overseeing the cross-boundary ferry terminals, public cargo working areas, oil pollution and other port logistics matters.

Paul Gannaway – Batam Fast Ferry, SINGAPORE Paul Gannaway, Managing Director of the BatamFast Group, is a pioneer operator in the Singapore regional fast ferry industry. Operating out of Singapore’s Finger Pier since the mid-80’s with the 1981 Australian built “Seaflyte”, he grew the company to the present fleet of 13 vessels, performing more than 60 daily trips between Singapore and Indonesia. The original “Seaflyte” has remained in continuous service until today. Paul’s 25 years service to the industry in Asia, Australasia, Europe and the Mediterranean saw his participation in various business areas including ferry operations, shipbuilding and engine distribution. Paul is a founder member and the current Secretary of the Association of Regional Ferry Operators (Singapore) – ARFO.

John Garibaldi – Hawaii Superferry, USA John Garibaldi is vice chairman of Hawaii Superferry, Inc. and one of the original founders in 2003 of the Hawaii interisland vehicle/passenger fast ferry operation. During John’s tenure as chief executive officer, Hawaii Superferry planned its operations, raised equity and debt capital, negotiated construction contracts for two fast ferries, built its corporate and operational infrastructure and created its brand identity. Hawaii Superferry commenced operations in 2007 between the islands of Oahu and Maui with the Alakai, a 107 meter high speed catamaran built by Austal USA. A sistership will be delivered in 2009 to expand service to the island of Hawaii. Over the last twenty years, John has held senior management positions with Hawaii’s two interisland airlines, Hawaiian Airlines and Aloha Airlines. He graduated magna cum laude from the University of Southern California.

Richard Goodwin – Lloyd’s Register, UK Richard Goodwin is responsible for managing Lloyd’s Register’s involvement in the cruise, ro-ro passenger ship and large yacht industry. The role involves supporting clients and surveyors in the development and construction of designs satisfying both the regulatory regime and the clients’ needs. Richard is also responsible for client and surveyor training, and is responsible for ensuring that the Society has sufficient trained and experienced staff. He is Lloyd’s Register’s representative at the IMO and passenger industry meetings such as the Cruise Ship Safety Forum, Interferry and the Bahamas Ship Owners Association.

Pansy Ho – TURBOJET, Hong Kong Pansy Ho is Managing Director of Shun Tak Holdings, parent company of Turbojet. Shun Tak Group operates in the transportation, hospitality & tourism, property development and investment businesses with over 3,000 employees in Hong Kong and Macau. Pansy oversees the overall strategic development and management of the entire Group. She also hold other key positions including: Chief Executive Officer and Director of Shun Tak – China Travel Shipping Investments; Director of Sociedade de Turismo e Diversões de Macau; Chairman of Macau Tower Convention & Entertainment Centre; Executive Director of Air Macau Company; Chairman of King Power Duty Free (Macau); Managing Director of MGM Grand Paradise. Besides her business endeavors, Pansy also serves on a host of economic, social and public services. She holds a Bachelor degree in Marketing and International Business Management from the University of Santa Clara, California.

Len Holder – Videotel Marine International, UK Len Holder served at sea from 1953 until joining Liverpool Polytechnic in 1963 to undertake further study and research. He was Head of Department there from 1977 to 1988 and then Director of the School of Engineering and Technology Management. Since 1989 he has been an independent consultant. He was a founder member of the Nautical Institute and served as President from 1993 to 1996; he was Master of the Honourable Company of Master Mariners from 2000 to 2001 and is currently Chairman of their Apprentices Committee. Since 1996 he has been Chairman of Videotel Marine International.

Shinji Koga – Higashi nihon Ferry, Japan Shinji Koga is the president of Higashi Nihon Ferry, which operates seven conventional ferries and two high-speed ferries on five routes crossing between Honshu and Hokkaido in northern Japan. After graduation from university specializing in naval engineering in 1975, Shinji worked for the sales department of a shipyard. In 1985 he joined one of the foremost shipowners in Japan, Libera Holdings, where he took charge of Marketing and Sales Promotion. Shinji became involved in the ferry business in 2005 when Libera Holdings was assigned as the sponsor company for Higashi Nihon Ferry.  In October, 2006, he became President and took charge of its revitalization. His goal has been to convert the conventional sea freight operation to the passenger ferry operation, which is a high value-added, creative business.  A major part of the strategy has been the purchase of two 112m Wave-Piercing Catamarans built by INCAT.

Li Huawen – Guangdong Maritime Administration, China Mr. Li Huawen, born in Hunan province, P.R.China, graduated from Dalian Maritime University in 1999 with a Masters degree in Marine Engineering. For the past 9 years he has been responsible for ship safety supervision affairs with the Guangdong Maritime Administration. He has attended a series of training, exchange programs and seminars regarding Port State Control in Sweden, South Korean, and Japan. In 2005 he was awarded the professional qualification of Senior Engineer. His main focus is on research into the ship safety supervision and Port State Control and he has published over ten papers in related magazines.

Liang JianWei – Guangdong Maritime Safety Administration, China Mr. Liang Jianwei, born in Guangdong Province, joined Guangdong Maritime Safety Administration (GD MSA) in 2005. Prior to 2005 he was the Deputy Party Secretary of Zhanjiang Municipal Government and Director-general of Zhanjiang Port Group. He currently holds the position of Director-general of GD MSA. Meanwhile, Mr. Liang also takes the position and responsibilities of Director-General and Party Secretary of Pearl River Navigation Management Bureau of MOT (Ministry of Transport, P. R. China). With his specialty and experience in Harbor Economics & Maritime Administration, he serves as a member of several organizations, such as Guangdong Public Events Emergency Response Experts Committee, Guangdong CPPCC (Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference), Guangdong Population, Resource & Environment Committee. In July 2007, Mr. Liang was awarded as a Visiting Professor of DMU (Dalian Maritime University).

	Timothy Latta – Australian Maritime College, Australia Tim Latta is a 20 year old student from the Australian Maritime College in Tasmania. He is studying for a Bachelor of Business (Maritime Logistics Management) in the National Centre for Ports and Shipping program. He expects to graduate in November.

Stefan Mueller – MTU, GERMANY Stefan Mueller studied mechanical engineering at the University of Stuttgart and graduated as Dipl. Ing. He joined MTU Friedrichshafen in November 1989 starting as a numerical engineer developing mechanical simulation software and using it for calculation of the dynamic behaviour of propulsion plants under various load cases. In 1996 he was made responsible for a team of engineers dealing with “vibrations of drive-trains”. In April of 2002 he assumed responsibility for the department of “Pre Development / Design Studies”. Since April of 2006 he has been Director of the “Application Center Marine” at MTU Friedrichshafen.

SEIICHI NISHIMURA – Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Japan Seiichi Nishimura is the Director of KHI JPS Co., Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Kawasaki Shipbuilding Corporation, specializing in the product support of Boeing- /Kawasaki -built Jetfoil Hydrofoils in Japan, Korea and Hong Kong. Mr. Nishimura is a naval architect and has been fully involved in the construction and product support of Jetfoils as a leader of naval architects in the design department of Kawasaki Shipbuilding Corporation.

Torill Grimstad Osberg – DNV, China Mrs. Torill Grimstad Osberg graduated with a masters degree in 1966 from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Department for Marine Technology and Marine Propulsion. Since then Torill has worked for DNV. She has recently taken up a new position in the Maritime Service Centre in Shanghai, with responsibility for piping approval, quality assessment and training of new people. She has been responsible for rule development for winterization of ships, fuel cell installations and gas fuelled engine installations. She was project approval coordinator in DNV for the first LNG fuelled gas ferry in the world, Glutra. Torill is involved in new ship designs with gas engine propulsion including large gas fuelled roro and ropax ships. She is also involved in the development of international regulations for gas fuelled ships in IMO (International Maritime Organization).

Daniel Povel – Germanischer Lloyd, Germany Daniel Povel is responsible for risk assessments, fire safety and evacuation analyses within the sub division of advanced engineering services at Germanischer Lloyd AG. His main duties involve risk analyses for fire safety on board of passenger and cargo vessels including fire and evacuation simulations and collision risk analyses. He is handling research and consultancy projects. The latest project was addressing safe return to port issues in design and regulative aspects. He studied civil engineering at the Institute of Civil Engineering at the Technical University of Berlin, where he also completed his doctoral thesis on theoretical investigations of fire safety.

Len Roueche – Interferry, Canada Len Roueche is the Chief Executive Officer of Interferry, a shipping association representing the world-wide ferry industry. It has 215 member companies representing almost 500 individuals from 26 countries. Since Len became CEO of Interferry six years ago the association has grown by over 100%. Prior to joining Interferry, Len was with BC Ferries for 25 years where he was responsible for strategic planning. He has a B.A. from the University of Victoria and an M.A. from the University of British Columbia, both in economics.

Ole Stene – Aboitiz Jebsen, Philippines With his combined degrees in commercial law, and building and construction, Ole Stene joined the Jebsen Group in 1977. Today he is Managing Director of Aboitiz Jebsen Bulk Transport Corporation and Chief Operating Officer, Jebsen Management AS. During his career he has held a variety of positions in Europe, Asia and the USA, including Managing Director of Jebsens Ship Management, Acting Managing Director of Fjordline, and President of Barber International (USA). Ole is an active committee member of the International General Committee and Council of the Classification Society, Bureau Veritas, Lloyd’s Register Asia Shipowners’ Committee, and an Alternate Member of Germanischer Lloyd Asian Committee. He also held important positions and became a member of several well-known and respected marine associations and institutions globally. He is currently the President of InterManager.

Dr. Alan Tang – RINA and IMarEST, Hong Kong Dr Alan Tang is the Assistant Honorary Secretary of the Hong Kong Joint Branch of Royal Institution of Naval Architects (RINA) and the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology(IMarEST) and has been serving the council/committee since 1995. He obtained his first degree and doctoral degree in the U.K. Dr. Tang has published over 30 technical papers in journals and international conferences, including two papers for the Fast Ferry International Conferences. In 2006, the Merchant Ship Naval Architecture, a book that he co-authored, was published by the IMarEST. He is a senior lecturer of the Vocational Training Council, managing marine and general engineering courses. Apart from academic work, he has undertaken a number of marine related studies, ranging from local ferry transport, marine cargo-handling safety, container ship emissions to developing competency standards for ship-repair engineering.

Steffen Thomsen - 3i Nordic, Denmark Steffen Thomsen is partner in 3i's buyout business. 3i is a leading private equity firm with Euro 12 billon under management. In 2007, 3i co-led the Euro 1.4 billion buyout of Scandlines - the largest ferry operator in the Nordic region with main offices in Denmark and Germany. At 3i Steffen focuses on buyouts in the transport and logistic sectors and buyouts in the Nordic region. Steffen has a masters degree in Business Economics from the Copenhagen Business School and is a Certified Public Accountant in Denmark.

Dr. Tsui Shung Yiu – TurboJet, Hong Kong Dr. Tsui has a vast wealth of marine engineering experience spanning over 40 years. His experience encompasses ship design and construction, surveys and safety of ships, examinations and certification for seafarers to IMO matters, port management and maritime administration. Dr. Tsui was the Director of the Hong Kong Marine Department from 1998 to 2006. He is a Chartered Engineer with an Extra First Class Engineer Certificate and an MBA degree. He has also gained an MSc in Data Processing and a PhD in Business and Management. He is the Fellow of the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers; the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology; and the Hong Kong Institute of Marine Technology. Dr. Tsui is currently a consultant for TurboJET.

Roger Tupper – Marine Department, Hong Kong Roger Tupper spent 12 years at sea. After obtaining his Master Mariners Certificate of Competency he came ashore as a Marine Officer with the Hong Kong Government Marine Department in 1980. Since that time he has been involved in various port management and ship regulatory tasks with Marine Department from cargo handling through pollution control, vessel traffic management, port planning and promotion of shipping services. He served as Deputy Secretary of the Hong Kong Port and Maritime Board from 1997 to 2001. He reached the rank of Deputy Director of Marine in 2002. He was appointed as Director of Marine in 2006.

Andreas Ullrich – Germanischer Lloyd, Germany Andreas Ullrich is Shiptype Manager Passenger Vessels at the international classification society Germanischer Lloyd. Andreas studied naval architecture in Rostock, Germany. He has been with Germanischer Lloyd since 1991 working in the field of ship safety, focussing on passenger ships, high speed craft and yachts. Andreas has over 15 years experience in the field of fire protection, means of escape and life saving appliances. He is also working as a Consultant for the German Ministry of Transport, Building and Town Development, representing Germany in working groups of the Sub-Committee on Fire Protection and the Marine Safety Committee with a main focus on passenger ship safety.

Wilco van der Linden – WÄrtsilÄ SHIP DESIGN, The Netherlands Wilco van der Linden heads the sales of the newly established Wärtsilä Ship Design segment of Wärtsilä Corporation, Finland. Previously he was sales director Europe & Africa of Wärtsilä Ship Power and in Wärtsilä Propulsion, Netherlands. He graduated as a naval architect from Haarlem Polytechnic in the Netherlands in 1978 and held various positions in design, project engineering and sales in the Dutch ship building industry. From 1995 to 2003 he was the commercial director of shipyard Van der Giessen-de Noord, builder of many well-known ropax- and cruise ferries. Wilco is a member of the DNV ferry committee since 2004. In 2003 he worked closely with Stena Line’s Pim de Lange in hosting the 28th Interferry Conference in Rotterdam.

John Waggoner – Hornblower Marine Services, USA John Waggoner has been actively involved in the passenger vessel industry for over 30 years. John has a Bachelor of Science degree in Marine Biology and a Master of Business Administration. After serving as Director of Marine Operations for Hornblower Dining Yacht’s fleet of 29 Dinner Cruise vessels, John and his partner founded HMS. He was awarded a Commendation from the Commandant of the US Coast Guard for his substantial and lasting contribution to promoting passenger vessel safety. John was recently appointed to the National Academy of Science Marine Board. He also assists many civic organizations. While serving as President and CEO is a challenging task, John still lives his childhood dream of “being able to play with boats the rest of his life so he will never have to grow up and get a real job.”

JEN-NING WANG – Shun Tak / TurboJet, Hong Kong Jen-Ning Wang has dedicated 50 years to marine engineering. He is the Executive Director of Shun Tak – China Travel Ship Management Limited (“TurboJet”), a major passenger ferry company. Headquartered in Hong Kong, TurboJet has a fleet of 30 jetfoils and catamarans that transport more than 10 million passengers from Hong Kong to Shenzhen and Macau annually. Jen-Ning leads the research & development, maintenance and operating functions for the company’s fleet. He has designed and built two fully submergible-type hydrofoils. He has developed the award-winning “Digital Flight Control System” and “Night Vision Augmentation Camera”. Jen-Ning graduated from the National Maritime Academy of China in 1951. He is a Chartered Engineer of the Council of Marine Engineers and an Honorary Member of the Institute of China State Shipbuilding and Engineering. He has served as Visiting Professor at the Wuhan Marine Engineering Institute since 1990. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of Interferry.

Roberta Weisbrod – Partnership for Sustainable Ports, USA Roberta Weisbrod, Ph.D. is principal of Partnership for Sustainable Ports, a consultancy working to expand maritime transport of people and freight. She is based in New York City, and works nationally and internationally. Roberta was recently appointed chair of the U.S. Transportation Research Board Ferry Transport Committee and also co-chairs its Marine Highway Committee. She has been helping Interferry coordinate the International Ferry Safety project since its inception. She has researched and published on the issue of worldwide ferry safety incidents and facilitated the formation and activities of the Bangladesh Ferry Safety Working Group. Roberta currently assists in implementation of the Working Group’s four point action plan: for ferry safety training for crew, transmitting the knowledge of Interferry members into the course content, and for hazardous weather detection/ communication to ferry operators, she engaged the US National Weather Service to provide assistance.

Martin Westphal – TEAM, Spain Martin Westphal is Director of Marketing for TEAM, an engineering and service solutions company founded in 1991 in Barcelona, Spain. Since he joined TEAM in 2006, he strategically helped the company to become the leading designer and manufacturer of passenger boarding bridges for the cruise and ferry industry around the globe. Prior to joining TEAM, Martin was European Marketing Director for Checkpoint Systems, a world leading supplier of retail security technology systems. Martin started to work in marketing, communications and public relations more than 13 years ago and held marketing management positions with the National Archives of the Netherlands, the Municipal Health Centre in Rotterdam and a leading manufacturer of food ingredient products before moving to Spain. Martin’s academic background lies in History, in which he graduated. He has published several historical studies.

Karl MortEn Wiklund – DNV, Norway Karl Morten Wiklund is Director of Passenger Ships and Vice President of the DNV Technology and Production Centre. He has worked with passenger ships in DNV for 38 years and is today responsible for market and development of all types of passenger ship concepts. That includes the certification scheme for: boats < 24 meter, mega yachts, High Speed Craft, double ended ferries, RoRo and Ropax ferries, and large passenger ships including the cruise segment. He is well known for his participation and leadership in the development of the IMO HSC code, the IMO ISPS code for ship security, the probabilistic damage stability for passenger ships and the Safe Return to Port regulations in IMO. His main concern is the poor safety records for ferries in domestic operation and is a strong supporter of Interferry as the voice of the international ferry industry.

Susana Wong – Macao Maritime Administration, MacaO Susana Wong joined the Macao Maritime Administration in 1990. She worked in the Maritime Training School as course coordinator and Director until 1996 and then she spent several years in the licensing department. She was appointed as Director of the Administration in 1999. Susana holds a Bachelor degree in Electronic Engineering from Zhongshan University in Guangzhou, China, and a Masters degree in Maritime Safety Administration from the World Maritime University in Malmo, Sweden.

Nelson Yu – RINA and IMarEST, Hong Kong Dr Nelson Yu is the Chairman of the Hong Kong Joint Branch of Royal Institution of Naval Architects and The Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology. He obtained his doctoral and master degrees in management and his bachelor degree in engineering. He is a fellow of various engineering institutions and The Chartered Institute of Management. Dr Yu is a professional chartered engineer with more than 25 years practical working experience in engineering & management in various large organizations including World-wide Shipping Agency Ltd., Denholm Ship Management Ltd., China Light & Power Co. Ltd., Carlsberg Brewery (HK) Ltd. and Meyer Aluminium Ltd. He is a Government Authorized Marine Surveyor and Appointed Boiler Inspector. Presently, he is the managing director of Associated Professional Engineers Ltd which has been providing inspection and consultancy services to the maritime industry, construction and manufacturing companies since 1993.