Message From Jeanne Grasso, - Wista

Women’s International Shipping & Trading Association USA 

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WISTA USA 

Inside This Issue: 

Message from the President 

Industry News 

Member News 

International Conferences 

Member Article 

Upcoming Events 

WISTA Annual Conference 

Early Bird Registration extended to 

August 14! 

WISTA USA Board 

President 

Jeanne Grasso 

grasso@blankrome.com 

Vice President 

Linda Higgins Turnbow 

ljt@oceanshipholdings.com 

Treasurer 

Kathleen Haines 

khaines@holbridge.com 

Membership Secretary 

Parker Harrison 

parker.harrison@american-club.com 

Recording Secretary 

Julie D. Kuchta 

jkuchta@bmbinc.com 

NWA Liaison 

Mary “Terry” Reilly 

mreilly@hillbetts.com 

The 

Watch 

Summer 2008 

Message From Jeanne Grasso, 

WISTA USA’s Newly Elected President 

Dear WISTA Members and Non-Members: 

At the Annual General Meeting (AGM) in New Orleans in May 2008, 

WISTA USA held its general election. I was elected President, an 

opportunity that I already find exciting, energizing, exhausting, and 

challenging. Our other elected Board Members are Vice President 

Linda Turnbow (Ocean Shipholdings, Inc., Houston); Treasurer 

Kathleen Haines (formerly of OMI Corporation, Stamford, CT); 

Membership Secretary Parker Harrison (American Steamship Owners 

Mutual Protection and Indemnity Association, Inc., New York); 

Recording Secretary Julie D. Kuchta (Bowen, Miclette & Britt, New 

Orleans); and National WISTA Association (NWA) Liaison to WISTA, 

Mary T. Reilly (Hill Betts & Nash, LLP, New York). 

As many of you know, 2008 is a very exciting year for WISTA USA, since we will be hosting the 

Annual Conference in New Orleans from October 15-17. We anticipate that the 2008 Conference will 

draw over 200 international and national delegates, with panel sessions covering the most pressing 

issues facing the industry today – from criminal enforcement of environmental laws, to port congestion, 

to issues confronting seafarers. This is only the second time in WISTA’s 35-year history that we have 

hosted the Annual Conference; last year’s conference was held in Copenhagen, and Singapore was the 

prior year’s venue. WISTA UK will host the 2009 Conference in London. 

Over the next three months, we’ve got an immense amount of work to do to make our 2008 Conference 

one of the best WISTA Annual Conferences ever. One of the key elements of success for any conference 

includes those who attend. We invite you to attend and get involved! WISTA USA’s membership has 

increased tremendously over the past year – we are up to more than 200 members in the US alone, with 

over 1,000 members worldwide. If you are not yet a member, it’s time to become one! To join, simply 

visit the WISTA website at www.wista.net, enter the USA portion of the site, and then click “Join Us.” 

For Conference information, including the program of events, online registration, and online hotel 

booking, please visit the Conferences page. We are also seeking sponsors for the Conference – there is 

still time and plenty of opportunity! Our list of sponsors is impressive. For more information, please 

contact wista2008@tbaglobal.com, Attention: Kathy Haines. 

We look forward to working with you to build WISTA USA over the next year and hope to see you in 

New Orleans in October! 

Jeanne M. Grasso 

President 

WISTA USA 

Meet the Women Who Manage 

the Maritime Industry

Kendra L. Martin, API’s Marine and Corporate 

Affairs Director, and WISTA member stands with 

Admiral Thad Allen, Commandant of the USCG 

Women played key roles as 200 experts from 

government, the private sector and academia met 

for two days in San Diego last month to discuss 

a variety of headwinds facing the tanker industry. 

Attending API’s Tanker Conference, the experts 

heard speakers and exchanged ideas around the 

meeting’s theme, Piloting the Seas of Change 

– Preparing for Tomorrow Today. 

“This year’s API Tanker Conference gave attendees 

an unparalleled opportunity to hear high-profile 

speakers addressing economic, operational and 

political issues for the maritime sector, while 

networking with senior executives in the industry,” 

said Kendra L. Martin, API’s Marine and Corporate 

Affairs Director, and WISTA member. 

In addition to Martin, the API contingent included 

Janice Raburn, Senior Counsel (also a WISTA 

member), and Tracy Wirth, a Lieutenant in the 

United States Coast Guard (USCG), and liaison to 

API through USCG’s industry training program. 

Women’s voices were also heard during the 

formal conference program. Holly Kranzmann, 

Vice President-Business Development of Tesoro, 

moderated the panel on global distribution. Polly 

Parks, who works at Southern Recycling LLC, was 

a speaker on the same panel. 

Other panels included sessions on improving 

maritime quality and performance, environmental 

challenges and human elements. A session on 

marine transportation issues, which focused on 

legislative and regulatory issues in Washington, 

was moderated by API President and CEO Red 

Cavaney. 

“I think that a close and productive relationship 

between government and the private sector is critical 

to meeting the needs of our customers,” Cavaney 

said in remarks prepared for the conference. 

Speakers noted the industry will have an increasingly 

WISTA USA 

challenging political environment at a time when the 

demand by the world economy for tanker-delivered 

energy is expected to keep expanding. Sean T. 

Connaughton, U.S. Maritime Administratior, noted 

that 22 percent of the nation’s gross domestic product 

comes from international trade. 

With such economic pressures driving the energy 

debate, marine issues are likely to have increasing 

visibility. API’s Martin points out that the tanker 

industry has a good story to tell, one that helps 

underscore that the oil and natural gas industry is a 

good steward of the oceans – an important point to 

note as the energy debate focuses on access to the 

Outer Continental Shelf. 

Everyday, Americans consume more than 20 million 

barrels of oil and petroleum products. Of that, Martin 

said 12 million barrels are imported with tankers, 

which make more than 20,000 port calls to the U.S. 

every year. She added that over the last decade, almost 

all of that oil has been delivered without a spill. 

“Our economy and our varied lifestyles are directly 

linked to reliable and readily available oil supplies, and 

the majority of that oil arrives here by tanker,” Martin 

said. In fact, she noted the API’s Tanker Conference 

encourages sound environmental practices by hosting 

the USCG’s presentation of its Benkert Award. 

“The presentation of the prestigious Benkert Award 

for Environmental Excellence adds an exciting 

element to the program as the industry’s safety and 

environmental record is recognized by the U.S. Coast 

Guard,” Martin said. 

Admiral Thad Allen, Commandant of the USCG, 

was on hand to present the awards and talk about the 

service’s progress in handling its array of missions. 

Looking ahead to November’s election, tanker 

executives also focused their attention on the certain 

changes that will come with a new presidential 

administration. 

“There is going to be a new team in the White House 

with no connection to the last eight years,” said 

Tom Allegretti, president of American Waterways 

Operators. Allegretti urged industry players to work 

together, through a marine-related trade coalition. 

He said such efforts are needed to offset efforts by 

critics to paint the industry as a source of risk to the 

environment. 

“We like to see ourselves as the eyes and ears of the 

waterways,” Allegretti said. “But now, we are being 

seen by the executive branch as a source of risk. We 


w w w. w i s t a u s a . c o m 

Industry News 

2008 API Tanker Conference 

“PILOTING THE SEAS OF CHANGE - Preparing for Tomorrow Today” 

need to redeploy ourselves … and get better and better 

at advocacy.” 

Article Written By: 

Kendra L. Martin 

API 

martink@api.org 

New Portal Simplifies 

Search for 

Federal Maritime Data 

The federal government compiles a wide range of 

data on America’s waterways, ports, and intermodal 

connections. In fact, since at least 12 federal agencies 

collect and compile such data, it is sometimes very 

difficult for an individual searcher to find something 

specific. 

The Committee on the Marine Transportation 

System (CMTS) is working to change that, and 

the CMTS has launched a searchable online data 

portal to make this information easier to find. The 

user-friendly search engine yields such information 

as a detailed summary of U.S. foreign imports and 

exports, by commodity, port, waterway system, 

or state, as compiled by the U.S. Army Corps of 

Engineers. Also available are North American cruise 

statistics, compiled by the Maritime Administration, 

and real-time information on tides and currents, 

provided by the National Oceanographic and 

Atmospheric Administration, as well as hundreds 

of other statistics and series, and more than 140 

publicly-available federal reports. 

The data portal is one of the first products of the 

CMTS, a cabinet-level inter-agency organization 

chaired by the Secretary of Transportation and 

comprised of 18 different federal entities, all of 

which have some responsibility for, or stakeholder 

interest in, the Marine Transportation System which 

includes America’s waterways, ports, and intermodal 

connections. This public data portal is currently 

available on the CMTS site, www.cmts.gov. 

2

Patricia Adams 

O’Brien Oil Pollution Service, Inc. 

Deborah T. Busby 

Mahtook & LaFleur 

Patricia Barbulla 

Brazilship/Scanbrasil Comercio 

Maritimo Ltda. 

Joan M. Bondareff 

Blank Rome, LLP 

Catherine Borowski 

Future Care, Inc. 

Sarah Burroughs 

Global Diving & Salvage, Inc. 

Rachel de Cordova 

Royston Rayzor Vickery & 

Williams LLP 

Gina Crawford 

Instone (USA) International 

Agneta Dahl 

US Coast Guard 

Lauren Davies 

Tisdale Law Offices 

Elaine Dearmon 

Inchcape Shipping Services 

Shirley Del Valle 

MarineLog 

Elizabeth Detsis 

LizaWorld, Inc./Liza Enterprises 

Consuelo Donohue 

Military Sealift Command 

Rebecca Dye 

Federal Maritime Commission 

Boriana Farrar 

Hill Betts & Nash, LLP 

Andrea Flynn 

Instone International 

Julie Flynn 

General Dynamics, American 

Overseas Marine 

WISTA USA 

Welcome to New Members 

Susan Geiger 

K&L Gates, LLP 

Joann Giglia 

McAllister Towing & Transportation 

Shelley Grahmann 


Williams LLP 

Kelly Haas 


Williams LLP 

Meredith Kirby 

International Registries, Inc. 

Kristin Kruse 


Williams LLP 

Donna Kuemmer 

Vane Brothers 

Jessica Langlois 


Williams LLP 

Andrea LaVorgna 

PortVision 

Wendy Lindstrom 

Wilson Elser 

Tammy Lobaugh 

Texas A&M University at Galveston 

Elizabeth McCoy 

Hill Betts & Nash, LLP 

Elizabeth Megginson 

US Department of Transportation, 

Maritime Administration 

Josie Mock 

Inchcape Shipping Services 

Erin Moore 

TradeWinds 

Diane Nelson 

APL 

Trinity Ng-Yeung 

Global Diving & Salvage, Inc. 

Della Nugier 

Offshore Consultants, Inc. 

Charmagne Padua 

AIG Domestic Claims, Inc. 

Rowena Pagoulatos 

Alaris Companies, LLC 

Beth Quitadamo 

CSL International 

Trish Ryan 

Ryan Marine, Inc. 

Rebecca Semsel 

Clipper Bulk (USA) Inc. 

Janice Smith 

Overseas Shipholding Group, Inc. 

Rachel Smith 

Tradewinds Towing, LLC 

Misty Sonnier 

Offshore Consultants, Inc. 

Jessica Stanfield 

Kirby Corporation 

Jennifer Stein 


Williams LLP 

Robin Tesei 

Clipper Tankers USA 

Dena Wilson 

Kirby Inland Marine 

Dana Woodruff 

Marine Engineers’ Beneficial 

Association 

Lauren Wygant 


Williams LLP 

Linda Young 

Kirby Inland Marine 



Member News 

Member Updates 

Julie Nelson 

Congratulations to Julie Nelson 

(former U.S. Deputy Maritime 

Administrator) on her recent move 

to Houston. She has taken a position 

with BG Group in their Global LNG 

Shipping Department. Julie will be 

the Director of Chartering and Fleet 

Optimization for BG’s LNG fleet. Her new email address 

is: Julie.Nelson@bg-group.com 

Beth Wilson-Jordan 

For those of you who have seen Beth 

at Shipping 2008, and past CMA 

events, here is a short review of her 

education, accomplishments and 

CMA involvement. 

Beth has been an active member of 

CMA for the past 15 years. She served on the Board 

of Governors as Communications Chair and Education 

Chair where her initiative and “can do” spirit actively 

took our scholarship and internship programs to a new 

and higher level. Her successors in that slot continue 

to consult with her as they maintain and grow those 

programs. Since then she served as Vice President while 

also initiating our Book Club Author Dinners. 

She earned a B.S. in Marine Transportation in 1987 

from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy and a M.S. 

in Transportation Management in 2001 from S.U.N.Y 

Maritime’s Graduate School where she later taught as an 

adjunct professor for 3 years. 

Her maritime experience includes 8 years with Trans- 

Tec Services in marine fuels and lubricants, 2 years 

supervising barge, rail and truck operations for Allied 

Signal (now Honeywell), 2 years of maritime consulting 

to port authorities and shipping companies for Booz Allen 

and Hamilton and 3 years of defense contracting support 

to the Ready Reserve Fleet. Beth is a WISTA member 

and consultant to PetroMar International. 

Continued on Page 6 

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WISTA USA at 

Posidonia 2008 

WISTA USA was well represented at 

Posidonia in June. Every two years the 

shipping community gathers in Athens, 

Greece for what has become a two-week 

round of exhibitions, meetings, parties 

and deal making. WISTA Hellas hosted an 

afternoon cocktail party sponsored by Easy 

Cruise on Thursday, June 5 at Coquillage, 

a restaurant at a seaside marina. The 

attendees from WISTA USA were Terry 

Reilly, Kathy Haines, Carleen Lyden-Kluss, 

Lindsay Malen, Meredith Kirby and Alison 

Yurovchak. Vivi Kolliopoulou, who just 

moved back to Athens from New York, was 

also at the reception. 

As a special surprise, Carleen invited 

representatives from the ports of New 

Orleans and from Louisiana. Not only did 

they attend, they also brought some very 

festive Mardi Gras beads which were given 

to all the guests to remind them to come 

to the Big Easy for the WISTA Annual 

Conference this fall. A special thanks 

goes to International Registries, Inc.’s 

Laura Sherman (who had to stay behind 

to tend to her baby to be born shortly) and 

Melissa Muñoz who worked hard to get the 

brochures for the conference printed and 

shipped to Piraeus so none of us members 

had to schlep pounds of paper with us. 

After all, the airlines are getting strict with 

luggage weight and we needed room for our 

high heels and party frocks! 

WISTA Hellas hosts an afternoon cocktail party 

at Posidonia 2008 

WISTA USA 

International Conferences 

WMU Conference on Empowering 

Women in the Maritime World 

In April 2008, the World Maritime University held 

a groundbreaking conference on “Empowering 

Women in the Maritime World.” This conference 

sought not only to highlight the school’s success 

rate in educating and encouraging the incorporation 

of women into the shipping sector but also to seek 

discussion on the full and equal participation of 

women in all maritime functions. 

To set the stage, the conference began with 

a reading of a keynote speech by Efthimios 

Mitropoulos, the Secretary General of the 

International Maritime Organization (IMO). His 

speech reiterated that the “integration of women 

into all levels of political, economic and social 

development has been a major objective within the 

United Nations system for more than a decade.” 

He reminded us of some of the successes that have 

occurred in other business sectors and that the 

maritime industry must “break the cycle” starting 

with proper training and improving accessibility 

for women. 

Her Excellency, Dr. Lindiwe Mabuza, South 

African High Commissioner, also keynoted and 

inspired the women in the audience to challenge 

social norms when it is necessary. Dr. Mabuza’s 

career has included furthering the African National 

Congress during the times of apartheid, being 

the Chief Representative of the African National 

Congress to the US and as a member of the first 

democratic Parliament in South Africa. 

Nancy Karigithu (Director General of the Kenya 

Maritime Authority), Julie Nelson (former Deputy 

Administrator of the US Maritime Administration) 

and Neera Malhotra (Additional Commissioner of 

Income Tax, India) then presented more discrete 

issues of maritime ports and terminals, seagoing 

positions and maritime economics. 

The conference continued with workshops on 

Maritime Safety and Security, Ports and Shipping 

policy issues, environmental protection policy, 

best employment practice, mentoring and 

networking and education. Each of these sessions 

included graduates of WMU highlighting their 

contributions to the maritime industry as well as 

discussions of the pertinent issues. 



The conference concluded with a declaration 

commending WMU’s success rate in raising the 

participation of women at the school from 6% 

to 30%, that it is important to continue efforts 

through education and recognizing that the IMO 

member governments, IMO bodies and the donor 

community needs to continue to strengthen their 

support in order to provide increased opportunities 

for professional women. Conference presentations 

and photographs are available on WMU’s website 

at http://www.wmu.ed/Conferences/. 

WISTA members are encouraged to look at the 

WMU website. WMU is very supportive of 

the goals and objectives of WISTA and many 

international WISTA members, especially in 

developing countries, are graduates of the school. 

Additional information can also be found at www. 

friendswmu.org, a US organization that supports 

WMU. 


Julie Nelson 

BG Global LNG Shipping 

Julie.Nelson@bg-group.com 

WMU’s April 2008 Conference in Sweden 

Empowers Women in the Maritime World 

4

Althea Rollins 

Maritime Program Director, Health Systems International 

Althea Rollins is a WISTA member. She is the Maritime 

Program Director for Health Systems International 

(HSI). HSI is a leading provider of outsourced 

medical cost management solutions to healthcare 

payors and provider networks throughout the world. 

Through their technology, partnerships and skilled 

staff they offer access to the markets broadest selection 

of medical discount solutions designed to ease 

administrative burden and achieve the lowest possible 

cost of medical care. 

In addition to rising cost of healthcare, the Maritime 

Industry has added vulnerability to higher 

medical costs with the current rise in companies 

known as “Medical Service Agencies.” For the 

simplicity of this article, we’ll refer to them as 

Advertising Space 

In the next edition of The Watch, we will be selling 

advertising space! You and/or your company may 

advertise for the following prices: 

Ad Size 

WISTA USA 

One Time 

Ad 

Annual Ad 

(4 issues) 

Business Card $50 $100 

Quarter Page $75 $150 

Half Page $100 $200 

If you are interested or need additional 

information, please contact Jeanne Grasso at: 


“MSAs.” These MSAs are generally contacted at 

first notice of a crewmember’s injury or illness. 

These “agents” make arrangements with local doctors 

and hospitals to treat the injured seaman and 

return them to the ship. In these circumstances, the 

MSAs act as “guarantors” on behalf of the ship 

owner in order to secure the healthcare services. 

Once the medical services have been rendered to 

the crewmember, the MSAs gather the medical 

costs and request payment of the medical expenses. 

Sometimes, these “agents” may make the payment 

on behalf of the ship owner and seek reimbursements 

for these expenses. On the face of this scenario, 

this is a very convenient service for the ship 

owner, port agent, and crewmembers. However, 

the inner workings for these “agencies” bear closer 

review. These MSAs usually hold contracts with 

the local medical providers that provide discounts 

as high as 50-65% in exchange for directing crewmembers 

to their facilities or practices. In turn, the 

MSAs usually allow the ship owner or port agent 

a discount of 10%-20% in exchange for prompt 

payment. In addition, the contracts generally have 

a clause that allows the MSAs specific rights of collection 

on their behalf. These “rights” grant these 

MSAs the legal right to collection up to and including 

“arrest” of your vessel at the next port arrival, 

if payment is not made. Higher medical cost may 

ultimately mean higher P & I premiums! 

Before you utilize these types of services, here are 

some things to consider: 

• Did your crewmember receive the appropriate 

medical care? CAT Scan for a crewmember 

that reported a sinus infection or a general surgeon 

consult for a toothache. 

• Are the medical charges verifiable and accompanied 

by an original invoice from the 

provider? Without this proof, your medical expenses 

may be inflated by 50-70%! 

• Are the billing codes and medical charges 

appropriate for the services rendered? This 

is important because you may be billed for services 

not required or services that are outside of 

the usual and customary billing structure. 



Member Article 

Convenience may not be so 

convenient after all 

• What is the true cost of this service? You 

would calculate by taking the MSAs contractual 

discount less the MSAs discount offer to you. 

In a time of worldwide economic crisis, there are 

some costs that you can’t control (i.e., higher fuel 

costs, higher salaries aimed at crew acquisition and 

retention, and higher cost of ship repairs). However, 

you can control how much you are spending 

on crew health care costs. Here are some things 

you can do: 

• Hire a Medical Cost Management company 

to review all of your medical expenses. There 

are companies that can schedule your crew medical 

appointments with the appropriate medical 

providers. I encourage you to speak to your P&I 

Club. They may be able to recommend a service 

to you. Watch out for hidden fees here as 

well! (i.e., appointment charges, start-up fees, 

and “per vessel” fees!) Make sure all fees are 

upfront and in writing. 

• Establish a protocol which encourages partnership 

between the Port Agent and your 

Medical Cost Management company. This 

step is critical to the whole process! It is important 

that all are involved in the plan and implementation 

of the protocol. Also make sure your 

protocol is well documented. 

• Keep track of your yearly experience. Your 

Cost Containment Vendor should be able to supply 

you both with monthly as well as end of the 

year reports. These reports are good to help you 

review the efficiencies of your Pre-Employment 

Medical Exams (PEMEs), shipboard safety programs, 

and Crew Management Programs. 

The best experience is a healthy crew! However 

if there is a need for medical care, make sure that 

you and your crew are well protected and covered. 

Excellent service should not cost you “an arm and 

a leg!” 


Althea Rollins 

Health Systems International 

arollins@us-hsi.com 

5

Member Updates 

Continued From Page 3 

Lois Zabrocky 

On June 11, 2008, Overseas 

Shipholding Group, Inc. 

(NYSE: OSG), a market 

leader in providing energy 

transportation services, 

announced that Lois K. 

Zabrocky was promoted to 

Senior Vice President of OSG. Since 2005, Ms. 

Zabrocky, 38, has led OSG’s growing products 

business, which includes coated Panamaxes, or 

LR1s, and medium range Handysize tankers that 

transport petroleum products and vegetable oils 

worldwide. 

Morten Arntzen, OSG’s President and CEO 

said, “Lois has transformed OSG’s international 

flag product tanker business into a world class 

business. She has positioned the unit to take 

advantage of the accelerated growth in the long 

haul products trade and, in the process, made it 

a critical leg of OSG’s balanced growth strategy. 

She is a natural leader, a tireless worker, a savvy 

risk taker and a real shipping entrepreneur.” 

Ms. Zabrocky was named Head of OSG’s 

International Product Carrier strategic business 

unit in 2005. Under her leadership, the products 

fleet has expanded from 35 to 51 owned, operated 

and newbuild vessels. Most recently she helped 

form OSG’s Clean Products International 

commercial pool with Ultragas, increasing 

OSG’s presence in South America. 

Upon joining OSG in 1992, Ms. Zabrocky was 

responsible for spot chartering across all sectors 

including the Aframax International fleet in the 

Caribbean, North Sea and Mediterranean. As 

the commercial officer directly responsible for 

Aframax International, a pool of 35 Aframax 

crude oil tankers, Ms. Zabrocky was credited 

for significantly improving the profitability of 

the pool. 

Ms. Zabrocky began her maritime career sailing 

as third mate aboard a U.S. flag chemical tanker. 

She holds a bachelor of science degree from the 

United States Merchant Marine Academy and 

holds a third mate’s license. 

5 August 

WISTA USA-Houston Chapter Happy Hour 

Las Alamedas Restaurant (5:00 pm) 

Houston, TX 

7 August 

WISTA USA-New Orleans Chapter Happy Hour 

The Foundation Room at the 

House of Blues (5:30 pm) 

New Orleans, Louisiana 

7 August 

WISTA USA-NY,/NJ/CT Chapter Happy Hour 

Battery Park Gardens (6:00 pm) 

New York, New York 

TBD 

WISTA USA-Metro Chapter Happy Hour 

Washington, DC 

3-4 September 

IBC Energy Shipping 2008 

Singapore, Republic of Singapore 

10-15 September 

Cannes Boat Show 

Cannes, France 


MarineLog Global Greenship 

Washington Marriott Hotel 

Washington, DC 

22 September 

Ship Finance Forum 2008 

Hamburg Messe 

Hamburg, Germany 


Monaco International Super Yacht Show 

Monaco 

25 September 

World Maritime Day 2008 

IMO Headquarters 

London, UK 


Italian Energy Summit 2008 

Auditorium Il Sole 

Milan, Italy 

30 September – 1 October 

India Shipping Summit 2008 

Grand Hyatt 

Mumbai, India 

2-3 October 

Lloyd’s Ship Management Conference 

Grand Resort 

Limassol, Cyprus 

7-9 October 

Ukrainian Energy Forum 

Premier Palace Hotel 

Kyiv, Ukraine 

Upcoming Events 

9 October 

Marine Money 10th Annual Greece Ship Finance 

Forum 

Athens Ledra Marriott 

Athens, Greece 

14-15 October 

7th Annual Marine Money Asia Week 

St. Regis Hotel 

Singapore, Republic of Singapore 

15-17 October 

WISTA Annual Conference 

Royal Sonesta Hotel 

New Orleans, Louisiana 

16 October 

28th Annual Salute to the US Coast Guard 


16 October 

9th Annual Marine Finance Forum-Americas 

Harvard Club 


20-21 October 

Lloyd’s Arctic Shipping Conference 

Center Mt. Royal 

Montreal, Canada 

23-25 October 

Seatrade All Asia Cruise Convention 

Shanghai Port International Cruise Terminal 

Shanghai, People’s Republic of China 

30 October-3 November 

Ft. Lauderdale International Boat Show 

Ft. Lauderdale, Florida 

6-8 November 

Women on the Water 

Galveston, Texas 

If you would like to include additional 

upcoming events, please contact: 

Laura Sherman 

NWA Press Representative 

lsherman@register-iri.com 

Please send any comments about this 

newsletter or recommendations 

for future newsletters to: 

Jeanne Grasso 

President, WISTA USA 


WISTA USA Women’s International Shipping & Trading Association USA 

6 


ò

WISTA Annual 

Conference 

Raising the Profile 

Reducing the Footprint 

WISTA USA 

Silver Sponsors: 

2008 

S p o n s o r s I n c l u d e : 

Diamond Sponsors: 

Gold Sponsors: 

Bronze Sponsors: 

N e w 

O r l e a n s 

c 

1 5 - 1 7 

O c t o b e r 

2 0 0 8 

Alaris Companies, LLC • API • Baldwin Haspel Burke and Mayer, L.L.C. 

Bender Shipbuilding and Repair Co., L.L.C. • Bollinger Shipyards, Inc. • Donjon-Smit 

Hill Rivkins & Hayden LLP • Houston Pilots • Inchcape Shipping Services 

Lloyd’s Register Americas, Inc. • Port of Houston Authority 

Platinum Media Sponsors: 



Conference Agenda 

c 

7:30 am 

8:30 am-11:45 pm 

12:30 pm 

2:00 pm-5:00 pm 

6:00 pm-8:30 pm 

8:00 am 

9:00 am 

10:30 am-12:00 pm 

12:15 pm 

1:30 pm 

6:30 pm-9:30 pm 

9:00 am 

9:30 am-11:45 pm 

12:00 pm 

1:45 pm 

7:00 pm-11:00 pm 

Wednesday, 15 October 

Registration 

Annual General Meeting 

(National WISTA Association (NWA) Delegates) 

Welcome Luncheon (NWA Delegates) 

General Assembly (All Delegates) 

Welcome Reception Aboard the CREOLE QUEEN 

Narrated tour from the Mississippi River aboard the 

CREOLE QUEEN 

Thursday, 16 October 

Registration 

Welcome Speeches & Keynote Address 

Admiral Vivien Crea 

Vice Commandant of the United States Coast Guard and 

Admiral Mary Landry 

Plenary Session 

Criminal Enforcement of Environmental Laws and the 

Marine Industry – Policies, Priorities, Cases, and 

Controversies 

Luncheon 

Speaker, Bill Gallagher 

President, International Registries, Inc. / The Marshall 

Islands Registry 

Parallel Sessions 

Regulatory / Legislative Developments 

Foreign Investment in the US 

Seafarer Issues 

Supply Chain 

Networking Reception & Dinner: House of Blues 

Sponsored by The Marshall Islands Registry 

Friday, 17 October 

Welcome and Announcements 

Plenary Sessions 

Case Studies – Raising Capital 

Raising the Profile 

Myth Busters! Misconceptions (or not) About Trading with 

the US 

Luncheon And Closing Session 

Parallel Activities & Tours 

French Quarter Historical Walking Tour 

Now You're Cookin'! 

Southern Journey 

Swamp Romp 

Uptown on the Avenue 

Gala Dinner: Mardi Gras World 

Women’s International Shiiping and Trading Association 

w w w. w i s ta . n e t 

For information, registration details or sponsorship opportunities 

7

Message From Jeanne Grasso, - Wista

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?