background

In the early 1960’s a channel deepening project was completed on the Delaware River. At this time a

United States Steel plant

was

operating on the Upper Delaware at Fairless Hills, PA. This plant and

others desired to take advantage of the deeper river

to utilize

larger and deeper vessels for greater

economies.

The local pilots, entrusted by law and tradition with ensuring the safety of their vessels, were beginning

to feel that the ships

that

were arriving might be reaching the upper limits of size, given the condition of

channel, the uncertainties of weather and

the

prevailing technology of the day.

It was a result of these pressures, that a small group of pilots, the marine superintendent of a fleet of

bulk carriers and the

local

manager of a steamship operator/agency met in Philadelphia on the last day

of August 1964. It was with the

understanding and

mutual desire for both efficiency and safety that it was

agreed to form the Navigation Committee for the

Delaware Bay and River. The

stated purpose of the

committee was: “… to primarily concern itself with the safety of navigation

with particular regard to large

ocean going vessels. In this regard, it will recommend safe drafts on the basis of experience in

navigation and in the light of current

channel information as published by competent authorities.”

The Committee was a unique group of professionals from the very beginning. It was decided that in light

of the expertise that

was

needed to carry out the stated mission, membership would be limited to master

mariners, local pilots and representatives

of the U.S.

Coast Guard and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Since the Coast Guard and the Army Corps are governmental

agencies with their own

authorities, who

would be receiving and acting on the committees recommendations, it was later

decided to drop them

from the

official membership roles and add them as participating guest members.

As word of the committee spread, the membership expanded. Companies operating along the Delaware

were invited to send

representatives to participate at the meetings. In some cases a port captain or

master mariner was not available. The

committee

recognized that a broad range of participation was key

to any future success that they had hoped to achieve.

Therefore, in an attempt

to maintain the original

membership standards of expertise, without discouraging participation, a non-

voting associate

membership

was included.

The participants of the Committee would bring extensive knowledge and experience to the table, and

they were empowered to

make

decisions for their principals. The Committee would have no specific

authority, but voluntary compliance with their

recommendations

was almost assured because of the

wide scope and support of the membership.

With numerous members, associate members and interested parties, the ideal of efficiency and safety

prevails today. The

cooperative effort between industry friends and competitors is unparalleled. Here at

the MAC, we have found that maintaining

the

overall safe operation of the port community serves

everyone’s interest. We are proud of our past achievements, but look

forward to

the continued

cooperation within our port and many more successes in the future.