News Release
FOR RELEASE - November 18, 2008
Contact: Aaron Ellis, aellis@aapa-ports.org
703-706-4714

American Association of Port Authorities
Phone: (202) 792-4033
www.aapa-ports.org

AAPA Program In Tampa To Focus On Global Trade Shifts

Top Name Presenters Offer Insights On Future Shipping Needs, Challenges

Alexandria, VA (Nov. 18, 2008) - What do the administrator of the Panama Canal Authority, the U.S. Maritime Administrator, the planning and research director for the Suez Canal Authority and at least a half dozen port authority chief executives have in common? They, together with other "C-suite" shipping line, rail, marine terminal operator, financial and property development executives are among the luminaries who will be leading discussions at the American Association of Port Authorities' (AAPA) Shifting International Trade Routes workshop in Tampa, Fla., Jan. 15-16, 2009.

Cosponsored by Maritime Administration and hosted by the Tampa Port Authority, this 1½ -day program will examine changing global trade patterns, impacts of improving "all water" shipping routes, anticipated waterside and marine terminal development needs, increased road and rail capacity requirements and infrastructure financing challenges needed in the coming decade, particularly in light of the $5.25 billion expansion of the Panama Canal due for completion in 2014.

"From cruise ships to container ships and bulk carriers to vessels that transport automobiles, the Panama Canal for the past century has played an increasingly vital role for moving people and cargo from one side of the globe to the other," said Jean Godwin, AAPA's executive vice president. "Expanding this crucial trans-ocean shipping lane to accommodate more and larger vessels will certainly change the status quo, resulting in increased trade opportunities for seaports in the Western Hemisphere, while making it necessary to make major investments in water- and land-side transportation infrastructure. With a blue ribbon roster of presenters, our Shifting International Trade Routes program will set the tone for the entire goods movement industry."

WHO:	American Association of Port Authorities, cosponsored by the U.S. Maritime Administration
WHAT:	Workshop covering changes in global trade patterns and the infrastructure development implications resulting from an expanded Panama Canal
WHEN:	Jan. 15-16, 2009 (Day 1, 8:30am-5 pm; Day 2, 8:30am-noon)
WHERE:	Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay, 2900 Bayport Drive, Tampa, FL 33607; (813) 874-1234
INFO:	More information about AAPA's Shifting International Trade Routes workshop is available at www.aapa-ports.org (click on the "Programs & Events" tab) or by calling AAPA's Ed O'Connell at (703) 684-5700.