As Connecticut begins the process to improve the economic viability of its ports, the state maritime industry is preparing for its premier event.
More than 2,500 industry attendees from Asia, Europe, and Connecticut will descend upon Stamford from March 18-20 for Shipping 2013, an annual conference addressing the complexities of international trade.
“The real attraction is this is where the money is,” said Don Frost, founder of the Connecticut Maritime Association, which has put on the event for the past 26 years. “The center of the shipping industry in the United States is in Fairfield County.”
Maritime finance companies such as RBS in Stamford and Louis Dreyfus Global in Wilton mean the owners and builders of the world’s largest ships want to be in Connecticut every year, Frost said.
“There is a lot of reason to come here,” Frost said.
The event adds an estimated $4 million to the local economy in hotel rooms, restaurant meals, and other spending that comes from 2,500 people traveling to Connecticut, said Frost.
Along with the typical wheeling-and-dealing that comes with an industry gathering, the three-day conference will focus on the economic and regulatory environment for the shipping industry, technological breakthroughs for shippers, and coming issues, such as the impact clean water ballasts have on invasive species.
“Most of the issues in the industry today are driven by the environment,” Frost said.
As the owners, operators, and managers of 8,000 of the world’s largest ships, the Shipping 2013 attendees aren’t terribly interested in Connecticut’s port improvements, Frost said. The state has to dredge deeper to get them even thinking about seeing the state as a viable shipping local.
“A lot of the ships don’t come to Connecticut or can’t because they won’t fit in Connecticut ports,” Frost said.
