Peter Malpas
IMSF Secretary
C/o Lloyd's Register - Fairplay Ltd
Lombard House, 3 Princess Way, Redhill, Surrey RH1 1UP, UK

TO: ALL MEMBERS, INTERNATIONAL MARITIME STATISTICS FORUM

Dear Member

MINUTES OF IMSF ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2005 & ADVANCE NOTICE OF 2006 CONFERENCE

Please find enclosed minutes of the Steering Group meeting and a list of papers delivered at the 2005 annual conference hosted by Wartsila Marine Power Division in Helsinki, and aboard MV Silja Opera, 1st - 3rd June. The Forum wishes to thank Wartsila for their support and invaluable assistance in making the event a success and in particular for the provision of an excellent venue.

The conference location on board a cruise vessel proved to be a great success according to the feedback received from delegates. A combination of high quality papers presented during a return voyage from Helsinki to St. Petersburg, and an all encompassing maritime environment, produced a memorable event.

In between conference sessions there was an opportunity for a short tour of St. Petersburg and a visit to the Winter Palace. The immensely impressive Hermitage Museum certainly added to the enjoyment of the event.

The Executive are now able to confirm that the 2006 meeting will be held in Valencia and hosted by Fundacion Valenciaport and the Valencian Port Authority. Exact dates have yet to be finalised although it is expected to be in May. Further details will be circulated as soon as possible.

From a personal perspective, it is my intention to relocate to Australia early next year which necessitates my resignation as Secretary of the Forum. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Chairman and Membership Secretary for their support during my time in office.

Yours faithfully

Peter Malpas, Secretary
International Maritime Statistics Forum

PRESENTATIONS & PAPERS AT THE IMSF ANNUAL CONFERENCE - 1st & 2nd JUNE 2005

Updates
Update Europe - Giuliano Amerini
Update America - Dave Pennick
Update port statistics/ESPO Statistics Committee - Miltiadis Arvanitidis

Policy review
Dutch manpower and fleet statistics - Renee Sondervan
Update UKTD data collection activities - Alan Brown
Manpower statistics in the UK - David Glen
Short sea shipping statistics in Europe - Frans Waals
Finnish shipping policy review - Markus Uomala

Market analysis
Market share viability in liner shipping - Mike Fusillo
Tanker market developments - Colin Cridland
Market analysis at MAN B&W - Jan Scheibel Andreasen

Statistics in maritime operations
Statistics to monitor maritime equipment performance - Albert Veenstra
Statistical analysis for servicing customers - Vesa-Pekka Virkki
Analysis of ship inspection records - Jakub Walenkiewicz
The use of weather data in ship routing - Rob Grin (presented by Albert Veenstra)

Trade flow and transport statistics
Spanish trade and transport flows - Eva Perez
GIS network generated US-world commodity ton miles David Pennick
Coastal tank barges - Ryan Olsen

Other papers
Standard ship measures - Christopher Palsson

MINUTES OF A MEETING OF THE IMSF STEERING GROUP HELD AT THE OFFICES OF Wartsila Marine Power Division, HELSINKI, JUNE 2005

ATTENDANCE
Mr J Dowden (Chair) - UK Chamber of Shipping
Mr P Malpas (Secretary) - Lloyd's Register - Fairplay Ltd
Mrs M Parker (Membership Secretary) - Lloyd's Register - Fairplay Ltd
Mr A Veenstra (European Representative) - Erasmus University
Mr D Pennick (American Representative) - US Army Corps of Engineers
Mr V-P Virkki (Host) - Wartsila
Mr C Cridland (Observer) - Braemar Seascope Ltd
Miss Eva Perez (Observer) - Fundacion Valaciaport

1.Minutes of the Previous Meeting
Minutes of the 2004 conference were agreed and duly signed by the Chairman.

2. Issues Pertaining to 2005 Conference
An assessment was made of the preparation and lead up to the first IMSF conference to be heldafloat. The consensus was that this was a venue generating a great deal of interest and enthusiasm amongst attendees. It was acknowledged that attendance by the more �casual� delegate category was lower than in previous years. The administrative requirement in the build up to the conference was higher than normal, primarily due to issues surrounding the requirement for visas for the St. Petersburg visit. However the level of anticipation and expectation was higher than at any previous conference and therefore the additional work, especially by the Membership Secretary, was deemed to be worthwhile. The Chairman and all members of the Steering Group took the opportunity to thank Michelle for her efforts and to thank Vesa-Pekka for the tremendous support Wartsila have provided to this conference.

3. Archiving IMSF Papers
Members may recall reference in previous minutes to Albert Veenstra's idea that the significant achievements of the IMSF over the last 30 years should be documented and published as a record of fact as an archive. Albert took the opportunity to update the Steering Group of any developments but he reported that due to work commitments he had been unable to devote any further significant time to advance the project. It was therefore agreed that the project should be divided into small manageable tasks. The first task agreed was to centralise all previous papers and presentations into one single physical location. The objective would be to complete this in time for the next conference.

4. IMSF Website
The contribution made by MARAD to create and maintain the website was acknowledged by the Steering Group. However there were a number of problems experienced with the management of the site, especially the speed at which information was updated and how the site was presented as a sub directory of MARAD's own website. It was felt that the change in representative provides an opportunity to review these issues and these would be discussed with the new MARAD representative, Ryan Olsen, during the conference.

5. Asia Representative Situation
Concern was once again expressed at the vacant position for the Far East Regional Representative. Eva Perez stated that she is working with a number of organisations in Hong Kong and Shanghai which may provide suitable contacts. Albert Veenstra mentioned that he was due to spend 2 months in Shanghai during the second half of 2005 on an exchange programme and this also may provide some useful contacts. Albert also mentioned the possibility that he may move to Shanghai permanently at some point in the near future and therefore he may be in a position to fill this vacancy. Peter Malpas is exploring the feasibility of undertaking this role with his new employer in Australia.

6. 2006 Conference Update
The kind offer to host the 2006 conference in Valencia from Eva Perez, representing the Fundacion Valenciaport, was re-iterated. The Executive gratefully accepted this offer. No dates have been finalised but advice given suggests it would be advisable to avoid events surrounding the Americas Cup due to pressure on hotel availability, etc. Specific dates will be published towards the end of this year.

7.2007 Conference Situation
The Chairman proposed New Orleans as a possible venue and Dave Pennick was very receptive to this idea and had already started to investigate the possibilities of his organisation hosting such an event. April was suggested as an appropriate month for climatic reasons. The recent devastation to New Orleans caused by Hurricane Katrina may affect this choice of location for 2007.

8. Regional Secretaries
The opportunity was taken to clarify the role and objectives of the Regional Secretaries. These were stated as the promotion of, and recruitment to, the IMSF. The website however would continue to be the main vehicle in achieving these objectives. Albert was asked to focus on these objectives for Asia and Dave was requested to promote the Forum at the next North American Transport Statistics Interchange meeting.

9.IMSF Promotion
A round up of other promotional suggestions/opportunities was invited. Colin Cridland stated that due to his position on the Intertanko PR Committee, he would encourage Intertanko to send a representative to the next conference. The Chairman offered to host a meeting in London with Sally Woulfe (Intertanko) and Colin Cridland to advance this idea. The Secretary also suggested that all members of the Steering Group should hold copies of IMSF promotional material for distribution to key organisations.Other specific organisations deemed to be appropriate for an individual approach for their participation at IMSF include IMO and BIMCO.

10. Programme Co-ordinator
Albert Veenstra announced that due to the intensity of his work commitments, he was no longer in a position to undertake the additional role of Programme Co-ordinator at future conferences. The Chairman accepted Albert's resignation and thanked him for his exceptional efforts and dedication to the role over previous years. The Steering Group also acknowledged that his involvement had been the main factor towards creating a series of superb programmes at recent conferences. Discussion turned towards a replacement. The Chairman suggested that Chris Palsson would be a highly suited person for this role. Eva Perez was asked to assist Chris with the programme for the 2006 conference in order to enhance local content.

Peter Malpas
IMSF Secretary
October 2005