Port conference focuses on low cost solutions

THE FIFTH international
conference on Coastal and Port Engineering in Developing Countries (COPEDEC V) held in Cape Town last month drew over 330 delegates from 57 countries. reflecting the increasing importance of planned control over the maintenance, development and protection of the coastal environment in
developing countries.
Eighty South Africans attended COPEDEC V, with significant
participation from developing
countries.
Papers presented covered a wide field, with the emphasis on translating the theory of coastal development into practical applications. This focus on the practical resulted in a record attendance of engineers involved in the actual design of
projects.
In addition, a number of new trends and fields of interest emerged from the conference, with special focus on the areas of ports and
shipping structures, coastal behaviour, modelling techniques, data acquisition and, of particular value to most delegates, low cost solutions.