North Atlantic Ports Association

The North Atlantic Ports Association (NAPA) "is a membership organization founded in 1948 to represent the interests of the ports of the Northwest Atlantic lying between Maine and Virginia and more recently the Maritimes. The organization grew out of the Association of Marine Terminal Operators, members of which, according to the minutes of their meeting of March 4, 1949, "desired an organization in which they could talk over their common port and terminal problems". This new Association was then incorporated in the State of Delaware and elected were E.O. Jewell, President; Sherman L. Whipple, Jr., 1st Vice President; L.J. Coughlin, 2nd Vice President, and Waldo E. Clarke, Secretary-Treasurer. Ten Directors were also elected these being from Maine-New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Port of New York (2), Delaware River Ports (2), Maryland, and Virginia.

Issues and topics discussed at the Association's meetings were varied. Among these, for example, were the following: Dockage Charges and Practices (Sept. 1950); The Possibility of Expanding the Association's Membership (Oct. 1957); Customs Convention on International Transport of Goods Under TIR Carnets and Custom Convention of Containers (June 1968); the Need for a More Cooperative Effort Between the U.S. Port Industry and the Maritime Administration (Dec. 1972); the Difficulty in Obtaining Funds for Dredging Projects (June 1983); and the Outlook for the Ocean Liner Industry in the North Atlantic Ports (Dec. 1994).