Puerto Rico, centrally located at the crossroads of the Caribbean, is the location of Maritime Security 2015 Caribbean currently underway in in the busy port city of San Juan.
The keynote addresses were delivered by Ingrid Colberg-Rodriguez, executive director of the Puerto Rico Ports Authority, and Capt. Michael Zamperini, deputy commander of Coast Guard Sector San Juan. Attendees included representatives from federal agencies, including the Coast Guard, Customs and Border Protection, the Transportation Security Agency, the FBI, FEMA, the Drug Enforcement Agency, and the National Joint Terrorism Task Force. Participants from the shipping industry included the Caribbean Shipping Association and the Puerto Rico South Coast and South Coast Harbor Safety and Security committees. Speakers also included represented local utilities and first-responders.
The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Heriberto Hernandez salutes the official party of the cutter’s commissioning ceremony at Coast Guard Sector San Juan, Puerto Rico, Oct. 16, 2015. The cutter Hernandez is the Coast Guard’s 14th commissioned 154-foot Fast Response Cutter. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Jon-Paul Rios
The consensus among the presenters was that cooperation and collaboration are the key to successful maritime safety and security, and efficient port operations.
Captain Zamperini said there are many different layers involved in creating a strong mesh for maritime domain awareness and security, based on close operational partnerships. Zamperini also discussed how the Coast Guard’s new Fast Response Cutters, which are replacing the older 110-foot patrol boats, are now entering service in Sector San Juan and are already making a positive impact.
The Gold sponsor for the event was Terma North America. Terma’s Geoff Leighton explained Terma’s “fee-for-service” model that enables users to acquire state-of-the-art sensor data without having to purchase or maintain them.
Peter Besio, senior sales manager with L-3 Henschel, said the conference has been a useful opportunity to meet with prospective clients. “These Maritime Security Outlook conferences are valuable to us because they take place around the country and attract the people from the different ports and waterways. We provide AIS systems for port and harbor security, and these are the people we need to meet.”