Representatives of the Navies of Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, and Trinidad and Tobago, as well as the U.S. Coast Guard and Defense Department, will meet during Offshore Patrols Vessels Latin America, a conference aimed at discussing security issues common to these and other countries of Central and South America and the Caribbean.
The event will take place at the Rio de Janeiro Stock Market Convention Center from May 21 to 23, 2012, and will be led by Rear Admiral Francisco Deiana, the Brazilian Navy’s director of naval engineering. Other attendees from Brazil will be Vice Admiral Rodolfo Henrique de Saboia, the coordinator of the Brazilian fleet’s renovation program; Rear Admiral Carlos Afonso Pierantoni Gamboa, the president of the Brazilian Association of Defense Matíriel and Security Industries; and Vice Admiral Macelio Carmo de Castro Pereira, the president of Empresa Gerencial de Projetos Navais, a naval contractor.
From other countries, confirmed attendees include the commandant-general of the Colombian National Navy, Vice Admiral Roberto García Mí¡rquez; the commandant-general of the Ecuadorean Navy, Vice Admiral Jorge Luis Gross Albornoz; and the director of the research and development program of the Chilean Navy, Rear Admiral Giancarlo Stagno.
With the rapid rise in defense budgets in Central and South America and the Caribbean, as well as the revitalization of the naval construction market in Brazil, due in part to an extensive program of naval renovation, the region has rapidly become a source of attraction for international companies.
The event aims to bring together regional and international leaders in order to obtain a better understanding of the regional defense market. Through this platform for exchange among decision-makers on issues of naval and maritime security, the participants will learn about opportunities in the Latin American market, cutting-edge designs, use of new materials, and adoption of the latest technologies.
The event organizer, IQPC International, based in London, England, is accepting registrations online at http://www.opvlatinamerica.com, by email at opv@iqpc.co.uk, or by phone at 44-20 7368-9300. Registration is free for general officers.