“PEMA’s Safety and Environmental Committees have a crucial role to play in further establishing the Association's knowledge platforms both for our members and the wider industry community,” says PEMA President, Ottonel Popesco.

Hannu Oja, Director Port Technology for crane manufacturer Konecranes, has been selected to chair PEMA’s Safety Committee. Stephan Johansson, Director R&D Lift Trucks & Reachstackers for cargo handling solutions provider Cargotec, will chair the Environmental Committee.

PEMA provides a forum and public voice for the global port equipment and technology sectors, reflecting their critical role in enabling safe, secure, sustainable and productive ports and thereby supporting world maritime trade.

With more than 50 delegates attending, the two-day event was PEMA’s largest gathering to date, offering many opportunities for information exchange and informal networking. Guest speakers Henrik Kristensen, Senior Director Corporate Social Responsibility, and Morten Mortensen, Head of Procurement, for APM Terminals updated attendees on the terminal operator’s global approach to safety and the environment and the impact for port equipment suppliers. Fer van der Laar, Managing Director for the International Association of Ports & Harbors (IAPH), outlined latest developments in IAPH’s World Ports Climate Initiative (WPCI) and discussed how the equipment and technology sectors could contribute to the initiative.

Delegates also elected new Board members. Elisa Nuutinen, Director, Global Account Management Industrial & Terminal for Cargotec, Larry Lam, Chairman of port equipment  services group Portek and Martin Jahn, Senior Manager Marketing Analysis for Terex Cranes will all serve for the next three years.

The AGM highlighted PEMA’s rapid growth in the past year, with 10 new members joining in 2009, bringing the number of active members to 33, with others expressing interest to join or collaborate with the Association.

"I am most encouraged to see how PEMA is evolving; not only with manufacturing companies but also with growing interest from service and IT-based businesses active in the ports industry,” says Popesco.

New members joining so far in 2010 include Identec Solutions AG, provider of RFID asset visibility and control technologies to the marine, ports and intermodal industries, and SICK AG, supplier of intelligent laser sensor technology for position detection and collision avoidance on cranes.

The AGM was held in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, on February 11 and 12. The next PEMA gathering is scheduled on the sidelines of the TOC Europe Conference & Exhibition in Valencia, June.