Conference Review
International Marine and
Offshore Coatings
Conference
Key topics at this three-day event included discussions on avoiding
coatings failures and the latest environmental issues.
The National Paint and Coatings
Association (NPCA) held its
International Marine and
Offshore Coatings Conference June 7-
9 at the Hilton Virginia Beach
Oceanfront, Virginia Beach, VA. With
the Atlantic Ocean as its backdrop,
more than 60 people attended this
three-day event which featured presentations on all aspects of the marine
and offshore coatings industry.
CLOUDS CLEARING
The conference commenced with
keynote speaker Franklin W. Losey,
general counsel for the American
Shipbuilding Association and his
keynote address, “Status of U.S.
Shipbuilding Industry.” According to
Losey, the U.S. shipbuilding industry
has been in decline since the 1980s.
“In previous talks I’ve described
the ship industry as cloudy, I’ve even
said these were dark clouds,” Losey
commented. “But actually there are
some signs that it is clearing up.”
BY KERRY PIANOFORTE
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Losey sees reason for optimism
despite the fact that U.S. fleet size
has continued to fall from the 1980s,
while the Chinese navy continues to
grow. “By 2015, if the U.S. continues
to build only six ships a year, the
Chinese fleet will be bigger than this
country’s,” said Losey.
This startling prediction was the
catalyst for the ship building industry to bring about a lobbying effort in
Congress to address the need to
rebuild and reconstitute the U.S.
naval fleet. These budget requests
for new ship building have not gone
unheard. Losey quoted Admiral Mike
Mullen, chief of naval operations who
said “the fleet today stands at around
280 ships, not enough in my view to
deliver the joint warfighting capabilities combatant commanders will
need over the course of this long war.
Nor does the current rate of shipbuilding provide the stability this
country must possess to preserve its
vital industrial base. Our long range
Attendees of the conference toured
the Mariner’s Museum in nearby
Newport News, VA. A highlight of the
trip was the opportunity to preview
the soon-to-be-opened USS Monitor
Center, which features the recently-restored legendary Civil War ship.
