Our Oceans Committee Meeting – Thurs., Oct. 24, 2024 1:00 – 2:30p.m. LT – MLA Fall 2024

Our Oceans Committee Members,

I look forward to seeing many of you at the MLA Fall Meeting in NOLA next week.  Our committee will be meeting jointly with the Marine Pollution and Maritime Crimes Committee, and the Cruise Lines and Passenger Ships Committee, from 1:00 – 2:30 p.m. Central on Thursday, October 24, 2024 at the offices of Jones Walker LLP, 201 St. Charles Ave., Suite 5100.

While we hope to see you in person, remote attendees are encouraged to pre-register for the joint meeting via this link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86037448644?pwd=eOQa1jQNLxK0xujjarlYUB5zowyPpd.1.  Once registered, you will receive a confirmation email containing the Zoom login details.

Attached is the joint meeting agenda, which includes a presentation on vessel pollution in the Arctic, specifically the international regulatory framework governing the Arctic’s most stubborn pollutants, recent legal steps taken by the IMO to protect the Arctic, and practical recommendations to regulate and limit further pollution in the Arctic.  Additional presentations will address pollution enforcement trends/issues in the Arctic and alternative fuels pollution concerns from the U.S. Coast Guard perspective, as well as environmental pollution risks, human health exposure risks, and response tactics for alternative fuels.  We also will hear the story behind world’s first entirely hydrogen-powered commercial passenger ferry, which is running routes in SF Bay, including why they chose hydrogen, what other sources of energy were considered, the regulatory and infrastructure issues they encountered, and what its future may be in the passenger ship industry.

If you have questions or if I can provide additional information, please do not hesitate to let me know. Thank you for your participation in the MLA’s Our Oceans Committee. I look forward to seeing you next week.

Sincerely,
Sean Houseal, Chair