I sit on the board of directors for the New York-New Jersey Area Maritime Security Committee with representatives from all sectors of the maritime industry and law enforcement. Recently, I was invited by a local U.S. Coast Guard official to co-chair a dormant sub-committee specifically related to passenger vessel safety and security.
This initiative was set to emphasize the importance of port partners strategically working together. As we went through the stages of planning, it reminded me of how important and valuable it is to forge port partnerships with both regulators, such as the Coast Guard and law enforcement, but also with private and public operators in our shared waterways.
I believe that making our waterways the safest for everyone requires shared responsibilities and relationships built on strong communication and a reliable network of resources. These types of network resources provide unequivocal value to any vessel or operation in any port.
However, there still lives the contrary opinion held by some owners and operators across the industry. Usually, resistance comes down to a handful of similar concerns.
Instead of forging best practices and shared intel, they focus on their business interests or trade secrets. They prefer not to participate in joint opportunities to foil their competition or to remain under the radar to keep regulators away. In a discussion about building relationships with the Coast Guard, a brownwater operator once told me, “You don’t bring the fox into the henhouse.”
I disagree with that mindset. In my experience, I have found that the positives of strong port partnerships always outweigh the negatives. I have seen these relationships prove valuable to me and to others, and often in the most critical moments, such as responding to severe weather events, evacuations, mutual aid in emergencies, or building an intelligence network that helps prevent potential terror attacks. Not to mention the unexpected challenges that included operating a critical service during the Covid-19 pandemic.
My final piece of advice is this: if you’re invited to join a port partnership committee or have the chance to help form one, say yes. It’s always better to prepare now than to pay the price later.
