16 December 2004

WORLD MARITIME TECHNOLOGY CONFERENCE 2006

In mid-January 2005, the IMarEST – the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology, will introduce details of the international World Maritime Technology Conference (WMTC 2006) being staged in London, in the Spring of 2006 to two key groups, one in the House of Lords; the other in the heart of the City of London.

With its theme ‘maritime innovation – delivering global solutions’ WMTC 2006 is set to give a wake-up call on the maritime challenges facing governments and decision makers across the world.

The plans for this important and ambitious conference will be explained on 18 January to the influential Parliamentary Maritime Group in the House of Lords; and, on the following day (19 January), the Institute will host one of the regular Maritime London Networking lunches attended by leading members of the capital’s maritime community.

Both events are aimed at introducing key opinion formers to the plans for this key event being held in partnership with 23 of the world’s leading maritime associations.

“These plans are well advanced,” explains IMarEST’s Director General, Keith Read CBE, who will address the Parliamentary Maritime Group on 18 January. “Designed to promote integrated solutions to industry-wide issues while assessing the impact on global economies now and in the future, WMTC 2006 takes place 6-10 March at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre in Westminster. Throughout 2005 significant milestones will be reached. Invitations are currently being sent to keynote speakers whom we are eager should address the conference; the exhibition will be launched to prospective exhibitors early in the new year; the Call for Papers for the ten conference streams closes at the end of March; and our committees for the 10 streams will be hard at work in subsequent months planning their programmes in detail. The major launch of the conference programme is scheduled for September 2005.”

Mr Read explains: “WMTC 2006 will draw in leading representatives across the full range of marine disciplines for a week of technical presentations, ideas exchange, networking and business promotion, culminating in the combined Conference and 103 rd IMarEST Annual Dinner on 10 March. There’s a very busy and exciting year ahead! We thought it important to get off to a flying new year start with our two London-based introductions to highly significant groups of people.”

During one week in March 2006, WMTC 2006 will feature over 180 presentations covering ten technical streams in six daily parallel sessions; an exhibition; innovation sessions and a full social programme. Some of the streams incorporate IMarEST events with long and distinguished track records such as MAREC and INEC; others explore elements of marine engineering, science and technology not yet covered in IMarEST conferences. ICMES 2006 – the 10th International Co-operation on Marine Engineering Systems will also be an important stream in Spring 2006.

WMTC is held every three years; the first event in the series was organised in San Francisco in October 2003 by The Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (SNAME) and attracted 1210 (787 conference delegates and 472 exhibition visitors) and over 170 exhibiting companies. WMTC 2006 will build on the 2003 WMTC in San Francisco and deliver a clear message on the importance of technology and the sea to world development and wealth creation. It is a unique opportunity for all those engaged in international maritime engineering, science and technology to get together to exchange ideas and information. By inviting IMarEST to host WMTC 2006, the WMTC International Steering Committee has given a vote of confidence in the Institute’s own aims and ambitions to deliver the ‘inclusive development of marine engineering, science and technology’ to a world wide audience.

Further information
Further information on all aspects of WMTC 2006 are available on the event’s dedicated website at www.wmtc2006.com; from events@imarest.org; Tel: +44 (0)20 7382 2655; Fax: +44 (0)20 7382 2667; or Events Department, IMarEST, 80 Coleman Street, London EC2R 5BJ.