2026 Agendas

0730: Blue Sky Maritime Coalition Breakfast: Register Here

0830: Welcome – Carleen Lyden Walker, Chief Evolution Officer, SHIPPINGInsight

Run of show – Conference Chairman, Darren Shelton of Moran Shipping

0845: Congressional Views on Revitalizing the US Maritime Industry – Congressman Randy Weber TX -14

State of Play for US Maritime Keynote– US Maritime Deputy Administrator, Mark Johnson

Industry’s Role in Achieving National Maritime Goals – David Walker, Vice President, ABS

Ports’ Goals and Challenges in Revitalizing the US Maritime Industry – Sang Yi, President and CEO American Association of Port Authorities 

1000 – Coffee Break

1030 – Revitalization Pillar Panel Discussions:

Cargo, Ports and Fuels Rule– Creating demand for US flag shipping- led by Dr. Beatriz Canamary

• Fleets are built against cargo, and the United States already has the cargo. This panel brings together a producer, a midstream terminal operator, a containment technology provider and a gas carrier owner to examine how energy export volumes and future marine fuel demand can anchor U.S.-flag shipping. It will identify the commitments and infrastructure investments needed to turn that demand into ship orders. 
  • Vincent DiCosimo, SVP, Targa Resources
  • Patrice Brossard, General Manager, GTT North America
  • Randy Giveans, Executive Vice President, Navigator Gas
  • Rey Trevino III,  Director of Operations, Pecos Country Operating

Growing the US flag fleet– Shipbuilding and more- led by Darren Shelton, Moran Shipping Agencies

• A stronger U.S.-flag fleet requires more than simply “building ships”. It requires a sustainable commercial ecosystem that makes those vessels competitive, financeable and viable for the long term. This panel will examine the shipbuilding capacity, financing, policy, technology and commercial partnerships needed to grow the U.S.-flag fleet. The discussion will focus on moving from ambition to execution and identifying what must happen now to put more US -built, US-flagged vessels on the water.
  • Charles Salmon, Chief Operating Officer, Hanwha Shipping
  • Rafael Riva, Vice President, Business Development, ABS 
  • Brett Milutin, Executive Deputy Port Director & COO, Port Galveston
  • Ryan Cook, Chief Operating Officer, Valstad Shipworks Inc.

Maritime Prosperity Zones- Building the ecosystem- led by RADM James Watson, USCG (ret.)

• Proposed legislation seeks to establish Maritime Prosperity Zones, modelled on Opportunity Zones, that incentivize public-private investments where the maritime industrial base can thrive. This panel will explore ongoing initiatives and pathways for appropriate communities to leverage MPZs in 2027. 
  • Geir Eilif Kalhagen, Director, Maritime Divison, TEXDOT
  • Nicholas Primrose, Special Counsel, Jones Walker LLP
  • Stephen Hollingshead, Managing Director, Candor LLC

No Seafarers, No Shipping, No Shopping– Recruiting, training and retaining our workforce- led by Rachel McCloskey, NAMEPA

• As the United States works to expand its maritime industrial base and U.S.-flag fleet, the industry must simultaneously build the workforce needed to operate, maintain and support it. This panel will examine how industry, labor and maritime education can work together to recruit the next generation, strengthen training pathways, and retain mariners throughout their careers. The discussion will identify practical actions needed now to ensure workforce capacity keeps pace with America’s maritime ambitions. 
  • William Barrere, American Maritime Officers (AMO)
  • John Stauffer, Associate Vice Chancellor, San Jacinto College
  • Jacquie Young, Workforce Development Program Manager, Port Houston
  • Sarah Larsen, Director Coast Guard License Program, Texas A&M Maritime Academy 

Invisible no more– Raising the profile and communicating the value proposition of shipping- Led by Jonathan Chia, MTI Network

• Maritime revitalization matters to trade, security and the economy, but the public isn’t hearing the story. This session builds the playbook: the narratives that land, the channels that deliver, who funds the campaign and what can be earned rather than bought, so that public support turns into votes, policy and capital.
  • Ben Pinnington, Polaris Media
  • Arathy Somasekhar, Reuters

1300 – Lunch

1400 – US Leaders in Innovation- Moderated by: Carleen Lyden Walker, CEO, SHIPPINGInsight

• David Walker, Vice President, American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) and Executive Director for the Secretariat running MARAD’s US Center for Maritime Innovation 

• Wade Pinder, Founder, Product Houston

• David Levy- Ripple Operations 

• Rich Byrnes, President, Blue Sky Maritime Coalition

1430 – Investors in Revitalization and Innovation – Led by Han Deng, Partner at Reed Smith

• Nate Sauder, Mare Liberum
• Ryan Lynch, Managing Partner, OIC LLC

1500 – Coffee Break

1530 – SHIPPINGInsight’s SHARK TANK

• SHARKS: 
  • Ryan Lynch, Managing Partner, OIC LLC
  • David Walker, ABS and USCMI
  • Nate Sauder, Mare Liberum
  • Jonathan Chia, MTI Network
  • Wade Pinder, Founder, Product Houston

• CHUM
  • Nuclear Maritime, Caleb Grall
  • Philyron, Heon Lee
  • Sidonia, Matthew Riley
  • Customs Genius, Cyrus Lee
  • Deployable Energy, Richard Gaut

Closing Remarks

Reception