ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA. The U.S. Section of PIANC proudly welcomed over 760 attendees to the 33rd PIANC World Congress in the beautiful city of San Francisco, California. The Congress is held every four years in one of PIANC’s member countries in order to present and discuss topics relevant to the waterborne transport infrastructure sector. Since 2014 marks the centennial of the Panama Canal, it was very timely to have Mr. Jorge Quijano, Administrator, Panama Canal Authority, as the headliner for the event.
Hosting a PIANC Congress is nearly a ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ event, and the last time the U.S. had this honor was in 1961, Baltimore, Maryland. Jumping forward more than 50 years, the setting was San Francisco, a bustling city with a population exceeding 4 million and plenty of ‘navigation-related’ to see and do in the Bay Area. This year’s Congress attendees hailed from forty-six countries, and included more than 160 Young Professionals (YPs) and students.
The Congress Co-Chairs, The Honorable Jo-Ellen Darcy, Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works) & Chair of PIANC USA, and Mr. John Headland, Moffatt & Nichol & PIANC International Vice President for the Western Hemisphere, welcomed attendees during the opening plenary session on the first morning of the Congress. Mr. Jorge Quijano’s keynote speech was entitled “Panama Canal: Past, Present, and Future”. His presentation was fascinating and well received by the international audience. Other plenary speakers during the week included Mr. Dan Mecklenborg, Senior Vice President, Ingram Barge Company, “Climate Change and Inland Waterways Transport: When and How to Adapt –the U.S. Experience”; Mr. Kurt Nagle, President & CEO, American Association of Port Authorities, “Seaports: How is the Big Picture Changing in the New Millennium”.
One of the strength’s of this year’s Congress included the first-rate technical program, with 260 papers from 26 nations presented on a range of topics from port engineering and infrastructure, inland ports and waterways to climate change impacts and adaptations, and more! The six optional pre-Congress technical workshops were well attended, and included: Lessons from Coastal Disasters; Innovation in Lock and Gate Design; Marina Designers Training Program: Modern City Marinas; Working with Nature in Navigating the New Millennium; Value of Inland Waterways; and Berthing Velocities and Fender Design. All of the power point presentations and papers from the Congress are posted and fully downloadable from the Congress website.
The optional post-Congress tours were very popular, allowing the attendees to venture out to see the local Bay area. The nearby Ports of San Francisco and Oakland organized a nice Boat Tour around the central bay area; whereas the south bay tour visited the Port of Redwood City and Bair Island/Don Edwards National Wildlife Refuge, Bair Island, and South Bay Salt Ponds Restoration. The final tour to the north bay area gave visitors a chance to see the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers’ (USACE) Bay Model in Sausalito, Hamilton Army Airfield, and Sonoma Baylands Wetland Restoration. All were treated to the typical San Francisco weather - sunny but windy and a bit chilly!
The Congress organized many parallel events to encourage networking and exchange of information. The Opening Reception and official “kick-off” of the Congress was held in the exhibit hall, where attendees mingled amongst more than sixty industry exhibits. The Congress Closing Banquet was a dinner cruise held on the beautiful San Francisco Belle. Attendees enjoyed dinner and jazz while taking in the sights of San Francisco Bay including the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz Island (when the fog was not present, that is!).
The US Section of PIANC wants to sincerely thank everyone who was involved in the Congress planning, as well as the speakers and attendees for contributing their time and expertise! We were delighted to host a successful week of scintillating international technical exchange and collaboration on such a wide range of waterborne transport infrastructure topics. See you at the next PIANC World Congress in 2018 - in Panama!
2014 PIANC Resolution: During the PIANC Annual General Assembly (AGA), held just prior to the World Congress, more than one hundred delegates from PIANC member countries attended to discuss the society’s business matters. An important outcome of the AGA is the adoption of the 2014 PIANC Resolutionon the “State and Perspectives of Waterborne Transport Infrastructure Worldwide.” The goal is to create a worldwide inventory of the needs and their funding for the waterborne transport infrastructure in the coming years for the benefit and protection of society.
Learn More
For more information, visit www.iwr.usace.army.mil & www.pianc.us.
Congress website: http://2014congress.pianc.us/
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PIANC USA was organized in 1902 with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) serving as the Secretariat. Membership is comprised of engineers, scientists, economists, planners, dredgers, port operators, regulators, and marina and vessel owners. The Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works) and the USACE Deputy Commanding General for Civil and Emergency Operations serve as liaisons to the U.S. National Commission.