Portfire 40 Launches! Who would you nominate?

The Portfire 40, a new shipping industry list of the most influential and alternative thinkers and thought provokers, is in the works. An open and growing list, based on submitted candidates and decided by a board of judges, the Portfire 40 is here to recognize those wielding a different kind of power in the maritime industry.

Created as an alternative to the Tradewinds Power 100 list released this summer, where the focus repeatedly falls on big money, ship owners, and corporations, the Portfire 40 is designed to focus on the other side of influence, where the emphasis lies in new ideas, creativity, and improvement of the overall maritime industry.

From shipping podcasts to blogs, the names and notions represented in the Portfire 40 will vary, branching out to evoke the true nature of how vast the maritime world is. These 40 names will include the personalities believed to be making the biggest impact on the industry and their colleagues, through change and new thought, media and alternative press. In as much, the Portfire 40 is to be a list not recognizing those who are currently involved in the status quo, but rather will be a list encompassing the individuals of the future of the maritime industry. Here the significance lies on leadership, innovation, personality, or the ways in which some are enriching society.

One of the judges, Ryan Skinner, of 5956N, was quoted as saying, “The Portfire 40 is a list of those shipping personalities who haven’t inherited a shipping empire but rather carved out a significant change in the industry with passion and pride.”

The list will be determined by votes and a panel of judges, with those involved in the maritime industry nominating and submitting names to make the list.

Backers for the Portfire40 include John Konrad of gCaptain, Ryan Skinner of 5956N, James Tweed of Coracle Online, the ClayMaitland.com team, Peter Mello of Sea-fever, Bob Coutie of Maritime Accident Casebook, Humphrey Hill and Sam Ignarski of After Office Hours, Steven Jones of Shiptalk, Ken E. Beck of Kennebeck Captain. and Ben Strong from Amver.

Stay tuned in the coming weeks as the list begins to take shape and to hear what others are saying about it, check out the links above.

Do you have a recomendation for the list? Let us know! Leave a comment below or send an email with your candidate’s name, employer and why you think he/she belongs among the Portfire40.