Propeller Club of Northern California Presents New Maritime Wave 2026, Tuesday, November 10, 2026 via Zoom 0830 to 1430 (U.S. Pacific Time)

CONFERENCE AGENDA

0800 Call to Order
Stas Margaronis, Propeller Club of Northern California 

0815 Introductions
Kristi McKenney, Executive Director, Port of Oakland (Green Port Update)
Michael Martin, Executive Director, Port of San Francisco (Port Update)
Jennifer Cohen, Vice President Government Relations, Pacific Merchant Shipping Association (California Streamlined Permitting)
Alex Butler, U.S. West Coast Representative, American Maritime Officers (Recruiting Next Maritime Generation)

 0900 KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Eugene Seroka, Executive Director, Port of Los Angeles (V. Thomas Bridge Expansion & Green Shipping Corridors)

0930 International Speakers
Yarden Gross, Co-founder and CEO at Orca AI (Israel: Automated Ship Vision & Navigation Technology)
Koen Van Eig, Advisor, Zes Battery Systems (Netherlands: Battery Powered Inland Waterway Vessels)
Dr. Sinem Ogis, Vice President, Marsh (Energy) & Chair, Propeller Club of Oslo, Norway (United Nations: IMO Net Zero Emission Rules for Shipping) 

1000 California port reports
Heather Tomley, Managing Director of Planning and Environmental Affairs (Green Port Report)
Tony Zhong, Chief Information Security Officer, Port of Los Angeles (Port Cyber Security)
Justin Taschek, Senior Maritime Project Administrator, Port of Oakland (Turning Basins)

1030 Break

1045 California terminal upgrades
Ryan Lansden, Head of Sustainability, APM Terminals, Los Angeles (Electrification Of Terminal Operations)
Chris Lambert, Director of Operations, TraPac, Oakland (New Liebherr STS Cranes)

1115 Sponsor Updates

1200 Battery-powered maritime transportation
Martin Curtin, Chief Executive Officer, Curtin Maritime (Battery Powered Tugboats)
Matt Schrap, Chief Commercial Officer, Forum Mobility (Battery Powered Tesla Semis & Charging Stations)
Ed Carney, Marketing Manager, AYK Marine Energy (Battery-Powered Ferries)
Clay Sandidge, Senior Director Business Development & Sales, Capstone Energy (Turbines)

1300 New maritime developments
Kofi Asante, Founder & CEO, Bluecore Energy (Floating Nuclear Power for Ports & Cities) *
Charlie Papavizas, U.S. Maritime Attorney, Winston, Taylor (Ships Act)
Peter Dreyfuss, Chief Operating Officer, Watermaster North America (Single Operator Dredger)
Robert Bergstrom, CEO, OceanWell (Desalination Off California Coast)

1400 Conclusion
Stas Margaronis, Propeller Club of Northern California

*Invited not confirmed

REGISTRATION: $30 = 1 Person

SPONSORSHIPS = $300

PCNC WELCOMES JOHN MCCOWN, MCCOWN REPORT: JONES ACT WAIVERS & CONTAINER VOLUME PROSPECTS 2026, TUESDAY JULY 28^TH @ 1100 VIA ZOOM

McCown will discuss:

• U.S. port container volume projections for the remainder of 2026
• Jones Act Waivers: “Who Benefits & Who Doesn’t”

JOHN’S BIO:

John D. McCown is a Non-Resident Senior Fellow at the Center for Maritime Strategy, the Navy League’s think tank, where his writings and research are focused on sealift and other areas where maritime intersects with national security. He is also the author of The McCown Report, widely read and quoted reports on container volume and sector results. He is a recognized expert in container shipping with four decades of senior operating and investment experience in the sector, including CEO of a container shipping carrier and managing transport investments at a $20 billion hedge fund. Mr. McCown now also advises, lectures and writes about maritime issues. He holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and is also the holder of two patents, one related to container cargo handling and another related to vessel propulsion. Mr. McCown worked closely with transportation pioneer Malcom McLean, the inventor of container shipping, on a daily basis for twenty years.

WATCH THE VIDEO PRESENTATION

REGISTRATION IS $15

PCNC MARITIME DAY PRESENTATIONS TUESDAY MAY 12^TH @ 1030-1200 VIA ZOOM: 

ROBERT WILKINS, SEAFARERS’ MINISTRY OF THE GOLDEN GATE, TOREY PRESTI, NATIONAL SHIPPING, PETER OLNEY RETIRED ILWU ORGANIZING DIRECTOR, DARLENE PLUMTREE, SAN FRANCISCO MARITIME NATIONAL PARK ASSOCIATION,

SPEAKERS:  ROBERT WILKINS, SEAFARERS’ MINISTRY OF THE GOLDEN GATE, TOREY PRESTI, NATIONAL SHIPPING, PETER OLNEY RETIRED ILWU ORGANIZING DIRECTOR, DARLENE PLUMTREE, SAN FRANCISCO MARITIME NATIONAL PARK ASSOCIATION WILL DISCUSS

• JONES ACT SHIPPING ISSUES
• U.S. – JAPAN DOCKWORKER ELATIONS
• PUERTO RICO TRADES
• SEAFARERS RIGHTS & CHALLENGES
• SAN FRANCISCO MARITIME NATIONAL PARK ASSOCIATION

WATCH THE VIDEO

(Registration is $15)

PCNC: CALCHAMBER’S JENNIFER BARRERA: BUILDING AN AFFORDABLE CALIFORNIA ACT & PMSA’S MIKE JACOB AS MODERATOR! TUESDAY APRIL 7, 2026 @ SCOTT’S SEAFOOD, OAKLAND 1130-1330 HRS

BARRERA WILL DISCUSS:

• BUILDING AN AFFORDABLE CALIFORNIA ACT (BACA): The California Chamber of Commerce ballot measure to streamline and modernize the construction of essential projects could result in a multibillion-dollar boost to the state’s economy and, in turn, add new jobs and revenues to help pay for vital government programs.
• The “measure would establish strict deadlines for environmental review and judicial proceedings under CEQA. Public agencies must determine whether an application is complete within 30 days of receipt, or the application is automatically deemed complete. Once complete, the lead agency must decide within 30 days which type of environmental document to prepare. The ballot measure would impose firm timelines for completing CEQA review,” according to the law firm Best, Best & Kreiger.
• Review by the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO)  found evidence of  economic benefits of BACA.
• “ Our state has so much potential that’s being locked up by well-intended but outmoded processes, and the Building an Affordable California Act will be a catalyst toward making the state a more affordable place to live and work,” Barerra explained.

BIO

Jennifer Barrera took over as president and chief executive officer of the California Chamber of Commerce on October 1, 2021. She has been part of the CalChamber team since 2010 and stepped into the top position after serving as CalChamber executive vice president, overseeing the development and implementation of policy and strategy for the organization, as well as representing the CalChamber on legal reform issues. Barrera is well-known for her success rate with the CalChamber’s annual list of job killer legislation, efforts to reform the Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) and leadership working with employers on critical issues, including most recently those arising from the COVID-19 pandemic.

In addition, she advises the business compliance activities of the CalChamber on interpreting changes in employment law. She led CalChamber advocacy on labor and employment and taxation from September 2010 through the end of 2017. As senior policy advocate in 2017, Barrera worked with the executive vice president in developing policy strategy. She was named senior vice president, policy, for 2018 and promoted to executive vice president on January 1, 2019.

LUNCH IS $65

REGISTRATION FOR LUNCH IS $65 

REGISTRATION FOR A GROUP OF FIVE IS $300

REGISTRATION FOR A TABLE OF TEN IS $550

JENSEN WILL DISCUSS:

• CONTAINER SHIPPING: MARKET TRENDS FOR 2026
• AG EXPORT PROSPECTS
• COSCO’S NEW SHIP INVESTMENTS
• OCEAN FREIGHT RATES IN 2026
• U.S. WEST COAST PROSPECTS
• NEW TARIFFS ON ASIAN IMPORTS TO MEXICO: IMPACT ON CALIFORNIA PORTS
• SUEZ CANAL REOPENING PROJECTIONS
• ARCTIC SHIPPING PROSPECTS

WATCH THE VIDEO

PLEASE REGISTER HERE:

(Registration is $15)

REGISTER NOW!!!!

The Propeller Club of Northern California & Society of American Military Engineers (S.F. Post) present:

STORMS, FLOODING & SEA LEVEL DEFENSE 2025 CONFERENCE VIA ZOOM

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19^TH, 2025 

Speakers include:

• Kristi McKenney, Executive Director, Port of Oakland
• Mike Jacob, President, Pacific Merchant Shipping Association
• Joel Whitehead, Rear Admiral (USCG Ret), Executive Vice President, International Propeller Club
• Joost de Nooijer, Port Resilience Director, Port of Rotterdam
• Kristine Zortman, Executive Director, Port of Redwood City
• Brad Benson, Waterfront Resilience Program Director, Port of San Francisco
• Colleen Liang, Environmental Programs and Planning, Port of Oakland
• Adrienne Newbold, Assistant Chief Harbor Engineer, Port of Los Angeles
• Debra Calhoun, Senior Vice President, Waterways Council Inc
• Emily Parker, Senior Route Analyst, Storm Geo
• Sean M. Duffy, Sr., Executive Director, Big River Coalition
• Summer Bundy, Director of Project Management, San Mateo County Sea Level Rise and Resiliency District,  OneShoreline
• Jessica Fain, Director of Planning Bay Conservation Development Commission (BCDC)
• Dr. Noel Hacegaba, Chief Operating Officer, Port of Long Beach
• Colleen Corrigan, Sustainability and Resilience Policy Manager, San Francisco Bay Area Planning & Urban Research Association (SPUR)
• Scott Humphrey, Executive Director, Marine Exchange of the San Francisco Bay Region
• Matthijs Bos, Leading Professional Flood Risk International at Haskoning
• Megan Brotherton, Mitigation and Resilience Planner, Black & Veatch
• Emma Koeze,  Director, Coastal Quest

AGENDA

VIDEO PRESENTATIONS

REGISTRATION

$30 (cost for one person)

SPONSORSHIPS

$250 (cost includes sponsor and up to four guests)

QUESTIONS

ap**********@***il.com

SPONSORS: