With Martin & Ottaway celebrating its 150th anniversary this year, we are bonding with other local players in the same age group.
One player is just two years older than Martin & Ottaway and continues to be as relevant today as it was back in the 1873. In its quiet and persistent way, The Maritime Association of the Port of New Jersey and New York (I flip it every now and then for DEI) continues to promote this Great Port and provides intelligence, support and information to its members.
Central to this is their monthly newsletter that condenses the type of things that a player in the Port wants to know about, whether it is vessel arrival data, available public contracts, navigation concerns, or just local port news.
I keep up with global info through various media outlets, but my go-to local Port info source is the monthly MAPONYNJ newsletter. It reminds me of the old Journal of Commerce, or the old maritime column in the Star Ledger. But this is better because I don’t need daily news, I need a monthly summary to make sure I did not miss anything.
What I really like about MAPONYNJ is that it does not push anything except cooperative use of the Port and that extends from chemical terminals to recreational use of the port.
Where membership in the organization really shines is its access to the kind of people that most maritime types do not effectively communicate with; politicians and regulators.
When I think about it, maritime types are able to communicate with just about anybody all over the world but rarely communicate with politicians. My father used to say that mariners are at their best hanging out with shipmates, bar tenders, ladies of the night and accordion players. He never mentioned politicians.
However, it is very important that the Port is represented in government policy discussions, and particularly in the past couple of years the Maritime Association has been actively addressing the needs of the port community. From personal experience I can positively state that MAPONJNY’s executives have vitally assisted me in a recent maritime community project.
MAPONYNJ’s success relies on its membership. Big membership, big power. Our port is huge and deserves huge attention, but that only happens when there is proper representation in regulatory and government affairs.
Membership in MAPONYNJ is not expensive. Individual membership is $350 per year and company membership is $3,500 per year, but only a fraction of NJ/NY associated companies and maritime individuals are members and that is a shame and harms us all in the Port.
Remember, you can’t win if you don’t play, and if you don’t stand for something, you will fall for anything.
Stand for your port; join the Maritime Association of New York and New Jersey.
