ShipCrunch

Announcing Portfire 1:40 - The Banksy of shipping?

The person deemed most worthy of inclusion in the Portfire40 is a man (or woman) of mystery.

By Ryan Skinner (email)

After a considerable nominations process and then voting, the first winner of Portfire40 was selected! Months ago, in fact.

Unfortunately, this first honoree is a shy man. Months of attempts to get him to talk manifestly failed. Finally, Peter Mello of Sea-Fever proposed we consider him as a little like the Banksy of shipping - a mysterious, influential figure.

You see, he calls himself HAUS. He seems to be a seafarer. And he edits Wikipedia articles.

That's it.

Some of you may ask: "How does this qualify him for inclusion in Portfire40, which is about people who are having a lasting impact on the industry by the novelty and vigor of their thinking, the strength of their passion for improvement and the impact they have on the community?"

Do YOU know someone with Portfire40 material?

Nominations are coming in. You can nominate someone for Portfire40 too. Know a hidden treasure?

By Ryan Skinner (email)

It's been three weeks since Portfire40 was launched to give all of us, and not just editors of trade journals, a voice in deciding the most powerful figures of shipping. Unlike TradeWinds' Power100 and the like, this is not a sales stunt. A dozen maritime bloggers and e-publishers back Portfire40 as a campaign to reward shipping's unsung heroes, idea-men and -women and champions.

Anyone and everyone can submit a candidate for consideration for inclusion in the Portfire40. Simply send an email to me, or any one of the other backers. Many worthy nominations have already come in, but I know that you know of someone who belongs on this list. Why don't you tell us a little about him or her, and maybe that person will get well-deserved industry-wide recognition? If your candidate is selected for Portfire40, we'll even quote you, if you want.

For a more full description of the kind of people who will be the Portfire40, see my first post on the topic. The first Portfire40 "inductee" will be named early in October.

Meet the Portfire40!

 Acknowledge those who make change in the maritime business!

By Ryan Skinner (email)

This summer TradeWinds published a list of the 100 individuals and/or teams that they find most powerful or influential in shipping. They called it the Power 100.

Shipowners and scions topped the list. Even if TradeWinds ran away from the idea, the Power 100 parallels the Shipping Wealth 100. Wealth may be equivalent to power or influence, as these can be bought. What's to admire about that? Lloyd's List has already announced more or less the same thing.

Some power and influence cannot be bought; it stems from great ideas and the courage to follow them, based on a desire to enrich society - not just oneself. The marine industry is full of people like this, though few will appear on the Power 100.

So here is the Portfire40. Here are 40 personalities who are having a lasting impact on the industry by the novelty and vigor of their thinking, the strength of their passion for improvement and the impact they have on colleagues and partners.

This is an open and growing list, based on a list of submitted candidates and adjudicated by a board consisting of nine members of what I call shipping's alternative press: John Konrad of gCaptain, James Tweed of Coracle Online, the ClayMaitland.com team, Ken E. Beck, Peter Mello, Bob Couttie, Humphrey Hill, Sam Ignarski and Ben Strong - all Portfire40 backers.

Do you know someone who fits the Portfire40 description? Send an email describing why.

With the Portfire40, we're looking for people and stories. Share those that move you. This is your chance to draw attention to that person you admire - if he or she is selected for the Portfire40, we'll quote you!

For those who want to know where the term "portfire" comes in, check out the word's derivation. Basically, it is a slow-acting fuse used in military and mining contexts. And that's the value of the Portfire40; they burn slowly and silently, but to shattering effect.

Credit for the inspiration for Portfire40 goes to Steven Jones, who - in Shiptalk Recruitment's newsletter Gangway - shared his take on the Power 100 and the need for something better. Read that essay here.

The Portfire40 is a list of those shipping personalities who haven't inherited a shipping empire but rather carved out significant change in the industry with passion and pride. Contribute today! Send an email with your candidate's name, employer and why you think he/she belongs among the Portfire40. The more eloquent you are, the more likely you will convince the jury.

For a podcast produced by James Tweed of Coracle Online/Shipping Podcasts in which we discuss the Portfire40 concept, follow this link.

Here is AMVER's Ben Strong presenting the Portfire40 concept in video!

To read Bob Couttie of the Maritime Accident Casebook talking about Portfire40, under the catchy slogan "Enough of the same suits", click here.

Here's ShipTalk presenting Portfire40 and their role inspiring and supporting this initiative: Their story.

Kennebec Captain launched Portfire40 to his readers. Here's his piece.

[Note: No one, neither you as a contributor nor the person you suggest, will be contacted in any commercial context. It shouldn't be necessary to say this, but in this day and age it is worth repeating. This list has no commercial value.]