Posted on March 11, 2025
Long Beach, CA (March) – The National Association of Waterfront Employers (NAWE) is proud to announce the launch of the Marine Terminal and Port Operations 2040: A Roadmap to the Future (MTPO 2040) at an industry roundtable held at the Long Beach Container Terminal. This gathering brought together top industry leaders to shape the future of marine terminal and port operations.
NAWE President Carl Bentzel opened the event with remarks on the MTPO 2040 Road Map, outlining key priorities and advocacy strategies aimed at positioning the industry for long-term success in handling the substantial growth in trade projected by 2040.
“We will use the MTPO 2040 platform as a roadmap to the future. Terminals are the hub and spoke that drive the nation’s supply chain. We are the connection between ocean carriers, longshore labor, trucking, rail, warehousing and logistics, intermodal service providers, NVOCC’s and BCO’s,” said NAWE President Carl Bentzel.
MTPO 2040’s focus areas will include:
- Infrastructure Funding
- Trade Policy / Tariffs
- Health and Safety
- Environment & Energy
- Security
- Grant Program Reforms
- U.S. Industrial Base / Domestic Manufacturing
- Demurrage and Detention
The event featured a robust discussion moderated by Bentzel, with participation from a distinguished panel of industry leaders, including:
- Anthony Otto, CEO Long Beach Container Terminal (LBCT)
- Nicolas Gauthier, President – Global Container Division, SSA Marine
- Charlie Jenkins, CEO, Port Houston
- Matthew Leech, President & CEO, Ports America
- Dave Morgan, President & CEO, Cooper/Ports America
- Jon Poelma, Managing Director, APM Terminals
NAWE President Carl Bentzel continued, “I would like to thank the NAWE marine terminal leaders that participated in the roundtable, I believe that they are among the best in the world, and one of the many reasons I feel that NAWE is the nation’s leading voice on maritime policy. I still believe that we have work to do to educate the public on the critical necessity that our industry plays in the health of the nation’s economy.”
The roundtable set the foundation for the upcoming annual conference, which will focus on critical topics such as infrastructure funding, trade policies, health and safety, environmental sustainability, intermodal shipping, security, and federal support for the U.S. maritime industrial base. The conference is expected to be the premier platform for shaping policies that will define the future of the marine terminal industry.
For more information on future events or to get involved with NAWE’s initiatives, please visit www.nawe.us.
