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 The National Paint and Coatings Association – International Marine and Offshore Coatings Conference: Virginia Beach, VA. June 5 to June 7, 2000Small Industry Group Scores with Big Players
If companies are trying to determine where to send their employees for good information, count on an industry group to recognize the critical issues and make them known to their members. This June 5th to June 7
th, the National Paint and Coatings Association (NPCA), a small industry group, put together an extremely impressive array of presenters in Virginia Beach. These included speakers from industry experts
and scientists to government specialists from NAVSEA, Naval Surface Warfare Center and even the head of the International Maritime Organization's working groups on
antifoulants. Attendees were very pleased with the information obtained and recommended the meeting to all groups in shipping. NPCA is a group that "keeps us out of trouble" said John Tanner of Ameron Protective
Coatings Group. They keep up with regulators and legislative information for their members, mostly paint and marine coatings manufacturers and consultants.  However, many associated with shipping would have benefited from the sessions. In particular, ship owners
and shipyard managers were able to get up to date and accurate information on decisions they will be facing in the near future. CQD Journal for the Maritime Environment Industry covered the final day's session on June 7
th and posts reports from three great speakers below:
Negotiation of Global Anti-fouling Treaty – Bryan Wood-Thomas, Senior Advisor on Marine Policy – USEPA, Chair – IMO Working Group on the Harmful Effects of the use of Antifouling Paints for Ships
An Overview of New Antifouling Technology – Dr. Geoff Swain, Florida Institute of Technology
Development of a Technology to Remove TBT (tributyltin) from Shipyard Wastewater – Thomas Fox, CASRM
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