The Journal of Commerce Announces Seventh Annual North American Marine Highways & Logistics Conference

NEWARK, N.J., Jan 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Sustainability is a watchword for the new decade, and it's a major theme of the seventh annual Journal of Commerce North American Marine Highways & Logistics Conference April 6 and 7, 2010 at the Conference Center of the Maritime Institute near Baltimore, Md.

Marine highways are about taking freight that's traditionally carried by road or rail and moving it instead by water -- along East and West coasts, the Gulf of Mexico, the inland waterways and the Great Lakes. The marine highways can offer shippers an alternative to congested highways, but even more important, marine transportation is green transportation.

"Shippers are not aware of the benefits that marine highways offer," said Peter M. Tirschwell, senior vice president of UBM Global Trade, the JOC's parent company. "At a time when the government is beginning to press for environmental protection, the marine highway can become an important link in a sustainable supply chain for shippers who want to save energy and reduce their carbon footprint."

The conference will feature a roundtable discussion to give shippers the knowledge they need to build a green supply chain using the marine highways. Other roundtables highlight some of the most important issues of the day:
-- Leaders from Congress and the administration will discuss future policy directions for marine highways.
-- Top Washington policy-makers will debate what the proper role of the government should be in the development of the marine highways.
-- Senior executives of operating companies and their port partners will discuss the real-life challenges of providing marine highway service across the Gulf and on the James River in Virginia.
-- Executives and officials will talk about new developments in Canada and Mexico.
-- State transportation officials will discuss how they are looking to marine highways to reduce congestion, promote industrial growth and create jobs for their citizens.
-- New vessel technology: A group of the U.S. Navy's top designers will discuss a project for dual-use roll-on, roll-off vessels for commercial and military applications.

The JOC Marine Highways & Logistics Conference is the premier meeting place for nearly all parties involved in this new transportation mode: vessel operators, builders, ports, finance people, shippers and even truckers, who see the marine highway as a link in their own transportation routes.