FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Mobile, Ala. - Maritime Organizations from Panama City, Fla. to New Orleans, La. joined together Wednesday, April 30, 2008 for the first ever Maritime Forum – 2008. The forum, held at the Aircraft Pavilion at Battleship Park in Mobile, Ala., served as a networking opportunity for individuals and organizations from all sectors of the maritime industry. Jack Edwards, former Congressman 1st District of Alabama, provided opening remarks followed by a presentation on the Littoral Combat Ship given by Bill Pfister, vice president of government programs with Austal USA. Bill Tunnel, director of the USS Alabama Battleship Commission, provided an update on the recovery of the USS Alabama and Battleship Park following Hurricane Katrina. The program concluded with a presentation given by Tony Zodrow, Executive Director of the National Maritime Museum of the Gulf of Mexico, on the Maritime Museum project. “For the first ever of this kind of event, it was a major success,” said Edwards. “This was a very worthwhile endeavor that should be continued in the years to come.” Hosts of Maritime Forum 2008 included The American Society of Naval Engineers-Gulf, The Propeller Club-Port of Mobile and The Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers-Gulf. Organizers hope to continue the event on an annual basis in the future. Proceeds from this year’s forum will support the National Maritime Museum of the Gulf of Mexico and the USS Alabama Battleship Commission. Cash sponsors included ABS Mobile, Alabama State Port Authority, America Society of Naval Engineers-Pascagoula, Atlantic Marine, Bender Shipbuilding, Green Marine & Industrial Equipment, Gulf States Office Products, Hand Arendall, Hiller Systems, Keep Mobile Moving, Propeller Club-Port of Mobile, Quantic Engineering and Logistics Corporation, Rolls-Royce Commercial and Naval Marine, Sabine Surveyors, Seabulk Towing, Textron, Thompson CAT and Thompson Engineering. In-kind sponsors included the City of Mobile, National Maritime Museum of the Gulf of Mexico, The Plot Shop, Roussos Seafood Restaurant and Catering, Schrider and Associates and the USS Alabama Battleship Commission. |