WHD – A Day for Action
On 21 June 2012, on World Hydrographic Day, a Scientific - Practical conference ‘Hydrography in Russia at the beginning of the 21st century: research, innovations, technologies, problems and prospects’ took place in St. Petersburg at the Department of Navigation and Oceanography (DNO) under the HSR initiative.

More than 60 experts, managers and employees of naval and civil, state and private, scientific, industrial, and educational establishments and companies, HSR members, veteran hydrographers, and mass media representatives took part in the Conference.

Sponsors of the Conference were the Joint-Stock Company Marine Bridge and Navigating Systems (JSC ‘MNS’), the State Research Institute of Navigation and Hydrography (SRINH), the Federal State Establishment Hydrographic Enterprise (FSEHE) , and the Russian sea navigation-geodetic company Romona.

The presentation included 10 reports and also a presentation on the results of the 18th International hydrographic conference. The reports focused on modern hydrographic research on lines of the Northern seaways and in the Pacific, the use of new means and methods to perform research, processing of materials and development of traditional and electronic cartography, and also the preparation of young hydrographers. Reports were presented by: N.N. Neronov (HSR president), V.V. Suvorov (S HO), A.M. Sharkov and A.A. Kovalev (SRINH), A.J. Melnikov (Fertoing Ltd.), R.A. Andrejuk (JSC MNS), V.I. Kovalionok (DNO Cartography division), K.G. Rukhovets (St. Petersburg Naval Academy), A.O. Stankevich (FSEHE) and A.M. Kornoukhov (Romona).

Participants considered the conference to be successful and fruitful and expressed gratitude to its organisers and sponsors.

Participants ascertained, in particular, that the value of hydrography has increased considerably at the beginning of the 21st century and at the same time in Russia there is a steady circle of organisations and enterprises with a hydrographic profile that are capable of performing work meeting modern standards levels, however, their corporate consolidation is absent.

Companies with a hydrographic profile were offered support by Fertoing Company in the formation of an ‘Associations of the hydrographic enterprises’ for their consolidation and protection of their interests in relation to government bodies and partners.
The hope was also expressed that such conferences will in future also be held.

As customary, the Conference on WHD came to an end with a celebratory buffet at which participants could once again exchange opinions on developments of hydrography in Russia.