Editorial
We look back at the success of our host Marinha do Brasil for the excellence of their performance in Rio three months ago. Without doubt the twentieth IALA Conference was impressive in all respects and now with a President elected from Brazil and a Vice-President from India the organization is set fair on course to achieve its aims to 2027.
No less than 579 delegates plus partners from 72 nations attended. The General Assembly saw record high participation and the new Council, comprising 24 National members, was elected for the four-year span. The Industrial Members’ General Assembly was another success.
I was inspired by the brilliant presentations throughout the Conference and the conclusions created out of 120 papers. These will guide the effort of our Committees during the next work period and are listed here:
https://www.iala.int/20th-iala-conference-conclusions/
And view the conference highlights movie here:
20th IALA Conference 2023 (iala-brazil2023.rio.br)
Our new Council is expected to take extra tasks on board as they will probably be the transition Council for the new IALA when the Convention on the International Organization for Marine Aids to Navigation enters into force, with optimism, in 2024.
On 25 July 1823 at Cordouan Lighthouse on the French Atlantic coast at the entry to the Gironde river’s approaches to Bordeaux, Augustin Fresnel tested for the first time a step lens that revolutionized coastwise lighting the world over.
On 25 July this year a webinar joined by more than ninety participants introduced the topic of Fresnel’s optical research with contributions from Vincent Guigueno and many of our friends across the globe reminding us of exemplary light stations in Japan, Brazil, Morocco, France and elsewhere.
A further webinar was conducted on 29 August the subject being: Current uses, developments and original applications of Fresnel lenses in the 21st century. One more webinar is due to be held on 19 September covering: Evolution of Fresnel glass to the present day.
Following ENG 17 scheduled from 16 to 20 October committee members have been invited to take part in a seminar devoted to Fresnel and his work at Le Verdon-sur-Mer, the municipality in which Cordouan is situated, from 21 to 25 October. This will provide an opportunity for the experts who come to IALA to address the theme of maritime aids to navigation heritage from various disciplines: technical, historical and sociological.
For more information on this event readers are invited to see here: www.pharesdefrance.fr
Or contact: contact@pharesdefrance.fr
On other events as part of the IALA World-Wide Academy we organised in-person training from 24 to 28 July 2023 at IALA HQ to introduce the IALA Risk Management Toolbox as a means of conducting maritime risk assessments through the five tools: IWRAP, PAWSA MK II, SIRA, IRMAS and Simulation.
This residential course targeted those involved in the safe and efficient movement of vessels, including VTS and AtoN providers, port authorities and others and was well- attended.
With regard to this medium, the e-Bulletin, I am once again most grateful to the valuable contributions from our worldwide membership and long may this continue. Potential authors are invited to contact Audrey Guinault the editor at audrey.guinault@iala-aism.org with ideas for consideration as forthcoming articles.
I send you good wishes, fair winds and a following sea.
Francis Zachariae
