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International Representatives EDITOR'S NOTE An important part of the equation w; f V 1/ \lhere is a strong undercurrent which is presently pulling all of the maritime industry, and a company's respect of this powerful force could ultimately deter-mine its long-term profitability — and even survivability. The force is the "human element," and while it is certainly not a new concept, it is one which has, nonetheless, picked up con- siderable strength and visibility in recent months. Whether a company operates inland tugs and barges, coastal support and supply vessels or oceangoing tankers and bulkers, recognition of the human equation in the successful operations of these vessels is paramount to long-term success. Focus on the human role in maritime operations is partially being force-fed via international, national and regional conventions, rules and regulations. In fact, it's increasingly rare for a speech from William A. O'Neil, Secretary General of the IMO, to not include several references to his organization's activities regard- ing humans and their role in safety at sea. But it's interesting to note that the tone is changing, as the IMO is increasingly stepping up its efforts to be forward-looking, aggressively seeking ways to ensure safety of life and ship, instead of allowing regula- tory policy to be dictated by events, i.e. disasters. In a speech to leaders at the recent Shipping '98 conference, Mr. O'Neil said, "...most of the work in the legislative field has now been taken care of. This means that we are, almost for the first time, in a position to deal with measures to prevent future disasters by taking pro-active rather than reactive action." Companies that adopt this tactic of aggressively searching for ways to improve without being prodded to action by legislation will surely gain an advantage over competitors who do not. Enter technology. Technology, which has become a blanket industry buzzword encompassing advanced development of vessel design, building and equipment outfitting, is surely a driving force in the creation of the mega-million dollar vessels of today and tomor- row. But technology alone, for all of its merits, is useless in the hands of an amateur. One of the most exciting technologies to enter the maritime fray in sometime — ECDIS — is featured in this edition, starting on page 58. In a short time, the final standards which a basic ECDIS system must meet to be considered compliant to international standards will be published, meaning that by early autumn, type- approvals for equipment should start flowing, and a vessel owner/operator can final- ly replace paper charts with an advanced electronics system, designed to enhance safety and operational efficiency. While the ECDIS system represents a break- through in maritime operations, it should be noted that the system will be rendered useless without a commitment by top management to ensure that users of the sys- tems are well trained and re-trained to guarantee that they are used to their full capacities. While some may see the cost of training as simply another expense, it is actually a prudent investment given the stakes — lives, ships and the environment — at hand. As Mr. O'Neil summarized in his recent speech: "Technology is com- plex. It has to be controlled by people who know what they are doing, not by well- meaning novices." INTERNATIONAL OPERATIONS CHARLES E. KEIL, Vice President 4400 N. Federal Highway, Ste. 210-06, Boca Raton, FL 33431 Telephone: +561-368-1021; Fax: +561-368-1161 24-hr Tel/Fax: +561 -998-0313; Mobile Tel: +561 -716-0338 Australia ANNE MURRAY/YVONNE SANDFORD World Media Network Pty. Ltd. Suite 5, Level 1, 89 York St., Sydney, NSW 2000 Australia Tel: +61 2 9299 5677; Fax: +61 2 9299 6178 Argentina R. LESLIE RAMSAY Calle Pellegrini 173 Primer Piso, Departamento C 1009 Buenos Aires, Argentina Tel: +54 1 394 8821; Fax: +54 1 326 4377 Benelux PAULA TACQ Maritime Media ML Otweg 18 2771 VX Boskoop, Netherlands Tel: +31 172 230707; Fax: +31 172 230708 Brazil JOSE 0UARTE DOS SANTOS Multipla Agencial Martima, Ltda. Rua Carolino Rodrigues 28 Cuarto Andar, CEP-11055-070 Santos, Sao Paulo, Brazi Tel/Fax: +55 1 32 32 74 74 Central America EDUARDO F. LOPEZ/LUIS A. SANCLEMENTE Transmarine Media Service, P.O. Box 2071, Panama 1, Panama Tel: +507 264 8404/60; Fax: +507 223 8367 China WANG ZE/XU XIAO FENG Liaoning Foreign Trade Advertising Corp. 2 Zhongshan Square, Dalian, China 116002 Tel: +86 411 2801924; Fax: +86 411 2644606 Eastern Europe IVAN BERENYI/OLGAIVANOVA Pannonia Media Agency, 8630 Balatonboglar Radnoti Miklos u.14, Hungary Tel: +36 85 353 319; Fax:+36 85 353 442 Egypt CAPTAIN TARIQ M. 0SMAN Osman Marine Media Co. Algamhoria St., P.O. Box 1248, Alkleej Bldg., Port Said, Egypt Tel: +20 66 340988; Fax: +20 66 325705 France DANIEL SOLNICA Ediconsult Internazionale, 25 rue Saulnier 75009 Paris, France Tel: +33 1 4246 9571; Fax: +33 1 4246 8508 Germany/Switzerland HANSJ0RG BRANS Maritime Media Freiherr v. Stein Str. 24, D-63303 Dreieich, Germany Tel: +49 6103 697745; Fax: +49 6103 697743 Hong Kong/Taiwan DENNIS LO/JIMME KWAN Phantom International, Ltd. Room 208, Seaview Centre 139 Hoi Bun Rd., Kowloon East, Hong Kong Tel: +852 9179 9872; Fax: +852 2304 1232 Italy/Malta VITT0RI0 NEGR0NE Ediconsult Internazionale Piazza Fontane Marose, 3-16123 Genoa, Italy Tel: +39 10 583684; Fax: +39 10 566578 Japan AKIO ISH11 Ace Media Service Inc. 12-6,4-chome, Nishiike Adachi-ku, Tokyo 121, Japan Tel: +81 3 5691 3335; Fax: + 81 3 5691 3336 Korea JO, YOUNG SANG Business Communications, Inc. Kwangwhamun P.O. Box 1916, Seoul, Korea Tel: +82 2 739 7840; Fax: +82 2 732 3662 Peru WILLIAM FRY Trahites y Despachos S.A. Avenida Salaverry 3005, Lima 27, Peru Tel: +51 1 264 3225; Fax: +51 1 264 1974 Portugal/Gibraltar PAULO BREHM AZ Publiciadade Lda., Rua Almirante Barroso, 52-1 D,P-1000 Lisbon, Portugal Tel:+351 1 3142256; Fax: +351 1 3525157 Scandinavia STEPHAN R.G. 0RN/LE0N SCHULZ AB Stephan R.G. Orn, Box 184 S-271 24 Ystad, Sweden Tel: +46 411-184 00; Fax: +46 411 105 31 Singapore CATHERINE WONG The Euro-Asia Link, 391 A Orchard Road #12-01 Ngee Ann City Tower A, Singapore 238873 Tel: +65 337 4658; Fax: +65 456 4610 South Africa FINN KVAMSDAHL Finn's Enterprises, Media Marketing Division P.O. Box 99,2250, Blinkpan, Republic of South Africa Tel/Fax: +27 13 2953 023 South America/ Caribbean Basin DELIO R. AL0NS0 Multilink International 115 Calabria Ave., Ste. 12 Coral Gables, Fla. 33134 Tel: +305-445-6423; Fax: +305-445-1483 Spain JOSE LUIS SEVA Via Exdusiuas S.L. Modesto Lafuente, 4 28010, Madrid, Spain Tel: +341 448 7622; Fax: +341 446 0198 Turkey/Cyprus NIHAT BOYTUZUN/LALE ASMAZ0GLU Kamera Corp., Cumhurlyet Cad. 257/3, Harblye 80230, Istanbul, Turkey Tel: +90 212 241 73 72; Fax: +90 212 230 36 97 United Kingdom MICHAEL J. DAMSELL Euromedia Ltd., P.O. Box 122, Hayward's Heath,West Sussex RH161YF, England Tel: +44 1444 417360; Fax: +44 1444 410497 8 Maritime Reporter/Engineering News