11 Summer 2025 Proceedings stakeholders and viewpoints make these groups stronger. Other entities within the port are also critical to ensuring the safety, security, and environmental protec- tion of the port, as well as its reliability and resiliency. These include the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Maritime Administration, along with various state agencies. Within the Port of New York and New Jersey, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is vital to the operations of many of the port’s most essential facilities. The Port Authority provides knowledge, advice, infor- mation, and a critical boots-on-the-ground law enforce- ment presence across the port’s numerous facilities that are vital to the regional and national economy. Likewise, the New York Police Department Harbor Unit, Fire Department of New York Marine Division, New Jersey State Police Marine Services Bureau, New Jersey Fire Boat Task Force members, and many other partners are criti- cal to port operations. They provide on-water response and prevention capabilities and invaluable knowledge to the operations of the harbor through HOPS, the AMSC, Area Committee, or other regular interagency meetings. These partners, efforts, and tools help the captain of the port identify and assess risk, but the steps do not require a formal process. Harbor-deepening projects have occurred throughout the nation over the past two decades to allow SULCVs to call on various ports, and the risks within each port are different. Because of this, despite the work conducted at the enterprise level, cap- tains of the port ultimately must assess local risks and rely on local knowledge. The captain of the port Sector New York, in conjunction with port partners, did exactly that as the harbor was being deepened and the Bayonne Bridge was being raised. Just as port stakeholders came together during those significant efforts and continue coordinating on them, the Coast Guard will continue to rely on port partners to take ownership of the MTS. These partners not only identify and quantify concerns, but they also mitigate them while continually evaluat- ing the effectiveness of those mitigations for the ever- evolving MTS. Into the Future While the harbor safety committees, AMSC, and Area Committee are three distinct groups, there is consider- able overlap between each, as well as other entities that Sector New York works with on a regular basis that serve as invaluable force multipliers. Partnerships are key to everything the Coast Guard does and will continue to be crucial moving forward. Given the emerging chal- lenges we are facing throughout the MTS, there must be an effort to better coordinate among these groups to be even more effective in addressing any challenge in the MTS. For example, by regulation, salvage and marine firefighting is currently addressed by the Area Committee. However, a vessel fire in a port could very well cause numerous safety concerns that a harbor safety committee would be best postured to address. Further, vessel traffic management during the initial incident and subsequent recovery of the MTS would likely follow the MTS Recovery Plan. This plan was developed as part of the Area Maritime Security Plan in consultation with the AMSC. Emerging challenges require new ways to think and act. New York Harbor’s significance as a global maritime hub and complex and dynamic environment under- scores the importance of collaboration and effective risk management. While the size and scale of the Nation’s Most Consequential Port is different than many other ports throughout the country and around the world, they all have one thing in common: While the captain of the port is charged with ensuring the safety, security, and environmental protection of the port, identifying and managing risks at the port level is best addressed by all stakeholders working in concert, no matter the challenges. About the author: CDR Dan McQuate has more than 25 years of Coast Guard service. He has supported the Coast Guard’s strategic missions of marine safety, port, waterways, and coastal security, and environmental protection since 2005 in Louisiana, Kentucky, Washington, D.C., and North Caro- lina. Since June 2022, he has served as the prevention department head at Sector New York. Endnotes: 1. International Maritime Organization. N.D. Marine Environment. https:// www.imo.org/en/ourwork/environment/Pages/Default.aspx 2. Port of New York & New Jersey. 2022. 2022 At a Glance. ($271 billion at Port Authority facilities.) Retrieved from https://www.panynj.gov/content/dam/ port/our-port/PONYNJ_AtAGlance2022.pdf. 3. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. 2022 September. New York – New Jersey Harbor and Tributaries Coastal Storm Risk Management Feasibility Study: Economic Appendix NED Damage & Benefits Analysis, pp. 79, 84. nan.usace. army.mil/Portals/37/Appendix D_Economics_HATS.pdf. 4. New York City government. N.C. Ferries. https://www.nyc.gov/assets/ planning/download/pdf/plans-studies/comprehensive-waterfront-plan/ nyc_comprehensive_waterfront_plan_ferries.pdf 5. Port Authority of New York & New Jersey. N.D. Capital of Commerce. https:// www.panynj.gov/content/dam/port/customer-library-pdfs/port-capabili- ties.pdf 6. Port Authority of New York & New Jersey. N.D. Harbor Deepening. https:// www.panynj.gov/port/en/our-port/port-development/harbor-deepening. html 7. HDR, Inc. N.D. Bayonne Bridge Navigational Clearance Project. https://www. hdrinc.com/portfolio/bayonne-bridge-navigational-clearance-project 8. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. December 23, 2024. FACT SHEET - New York and New Jersey Harbor Deepening and Channel Improvements Preconstruction, Engineering and Design. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York District. FACT SHEET - New York and New Jersey Harbor Deepening and Channel Improvements Preconstruction, Engineering and Design > New York District > Fact Sheet Article View (army.mil) 9. New York City Fire Department. N.D. Lithium-Ion Battery Safety. https:// www.nyc.gov/site/fdny/codes/reference/lithium-ion-battery-safety.page
