Pacific Merchant Shipping Association

What Pacific Merchant Shipping Association does

The Pacific Merchant Shipping Association (PMSA) is an independent, not-for-profit trade association founded in 1919, headquartered in Oakland, California, with additional offices in Long Beach and Seattle. The organization represents marine terminal operators, ocean carriers, and vessel owners and operators doing business at US West Coast ports, and operates with a staff of approximately 12 employees. Its functional mandate is advocacy and information services on behalf of members, not the production of goods or technology products.

PMSA's core activities span three areas: (i) legislative and regulatory advocacy in California and Washington state, including formal support for bills such as AB 1250, SB 298, and SB 263 related to alternative maritime fuels, decarbonization, and tariff impacts; (ii) community and government affairs engagement with air districts, port authorities, and other regulators (e.g., the Cooperative Agreement between the South Coast Air District and the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach); and (iii) information services delivered through the Maritime Insights blog, an email newsletter, Facts & Figures pages (including Port Volumes, Dwell Times, and Reports/Studies), and annual State of the Port luncheon events that draw 640+ attendees. There is no proprietary technology platform; member-facing outputs are standard content and event programs.

The business model is subscription-style membership dues from a vertical-specific member base: marine terminal operators, ocean carriers, and vessel owners/operators at US West Coast ports. Key member-affiliated entities include the Ports of Los Angeles (10.3M TEUs in 2024), Long Beach (9.6M TEUs), Oakland (2.3M TEUs), and the Northwest Seaport Alliance (3.3M TEUs). PMSA generates no product revenue, has no public financials, and is governed by its members rather than external investors. The San Pedro Bay ports PMSA primarily serves account for approximately 40% of US imports and 30% of US exports, anchoring both the strategic importance and the political sensitivity of PMSA's advocacy work.

Name

Pacific Merchant Shipping Association

Legal name

Pacific Merchant Shipping Association

Website

https://pmsaship.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Pacific Merchant Shipping Association (PMSA) is an independent, Oakland-based non-profit trade association founded in 1919 that advocates on behalf of marine terminal operators, ocean carriers, and vessel operators at US West Coast ports, delivering legislative and regulatory advocacy plus information services across California and Washington state.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Oakland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues and Fees: PMSA is an independent, not-for-profit trade association. The organization generates revenue through membership dues and fees from marine terminal operators, ocean carriers, and vessel operators that it represents.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

PMSA is an independent, not-for-profit trade association that advocates on behalf of marine terminal operators, ocean carriers, and vessel owners/operators doing business at US West Coast ports. The association engages in community affairs and legislative and regulatory affairs in California and Washington state, and provides members with information services including regular updates on matters of interest to the shipping industry, port volume statistics, dwell-time data, reports, and the annual State of the Port luncheon events.

Product overview

Pacific Merchant Shipping Association (PMSA) is an independent, not-for-profit trade association focused on global trade. Rather than offering a unified software product or platform, PMSA provides information services including the Maritime Insights Blog (featuring industry news, commentary, and advocacy pieces), Facts & Figures (containing port volume statistics, dwell time data, and reports), and organizes events such as the annual State of the Port luncheons. The association also engages in legislative and regulatory affairs advocacy on behalf of marine terminal operators, ocean carriers, and maritime stakeholders in California and Washington state.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Trade Association Membership (Marine Terminal Operators, Ocean Carriers, Vessel Operators) Annual paid membership in the Pacific Merchant Shipping Association providing member companies with representation in California and Washington state legislative and regulatory affairs, access to community affairs engagement, and information services on matters of interest to the shipping industry. Designed for marine terminal operators, ocean carriers, and vessel owners/operators doing business at US West Coast ports.
• Annual State of the Port Luncheon Events Paid ticketed industry luncheon events co-hosted with member ports (Los Angeles, Long Beach, Oakland), featuring keynote addresses from port executive directors and industry leaders, focused on port performance, trade policy, and maritime issues. Proceeds are donated to charitable causes such as EXP and the International Seafarers Center.

Quantifiable outcome

• PMSA hosts events that have raised over $300,000 for maritime charity over 10 years
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• EXPminorOthersEXP is an educational non-profit that supports supply chain workforce development. PMSA donates proceeds from the annual State of the Port luncheon to EXP.
• International Seafarers Center of LA/LBminorOthersThe International Seafarers Center provides support to mariners serving on vessels in the harbors of Los Angeles and Long Beach. PMSA donates proceeds from the annual State of the Port luncheon to this organization.
• Women in Logistics of Northern CaliforniaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPMSA partners with Women in Logistics of Northern California (WIL) to co-host the annual State of the Port of Oakland event, which has contributed to WIL's scholarship fund of over $116,000 awarded to 52 recipients.
• Port of Los AngelescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPMSA collaborates with the Port of Los Angeles to host the annual State of the Port luncheon event, with proceeds donated to charitable causes. Executive Director Gene Seroka delivers the keynote address at this signature industry event.
• California Chamber of CommerceminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBoth organizations share perspectives on trade policy, with CalChamber emphasizing free trade and PMSA focusing on maritime industry impacts. PMSA references CalChamber's trade priorities and concerns for federal officials.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Chamber of Shipping of America: National trade association for US-based shipowners and operators. Comparable to PMSA as a maritime industry advocacy body, though its focus is on the vessel-owning side rather than terminal operators, and it operates nationally.
• National Association of Waterfront Employers: Trade association representing waterfront employers on the US East and Gulf Coasts. Directly comparable to PMSA as a peer maritime-employer advocacy organization, with a complementary geographic footprint.
• American Association of Port Authorities: National trade association representing public port authorities across the US. Directly comparable to PMSA as a port-industry advocacy body, though AAPA operates at a national scope and focuses on port authorities rather than terminal operators and ocean carriers.

Regional players

• Washington Public Ports Association: Trade association for public port authorities in Washington state. Comparable to PMSA's Washington-state advocacy work, though it represents the public port authority side rather than private terminal operators and ocean carriers.
• Pacific Maritime Association: West Coast maritime association primarily representing longshore workers and Pacific coast employers in labor negotiations. Comparable to PMSA in its West Coast maritime focus, but represents labor rather than operators and carriers.
• Marine Exchange of Puget Sound: Pacific Northwest maritime information and advocacy organization. Comparable to PMSA's regional information-services role, though it focuses on vessel traffic services and Puget Sound specifically.

Broad incumbents

• American Waterways Operators: National trade association for the US tugboat, towboat, and barge industry. Comparable to PMSA as a US maritime trade association, though it focuses on the inland waterway segment rather than ocean terminal operators.
• California Chamber of Commerce: Large statewide business advocacy organization that PMSA partners with on trade policy. Comparable as a California business advocacy body, though it represents the broad business community rather than maritime specifically.
• National Industrial Transportation League: National trade association for shippers and transportation users. Comparable to PMSA as a trade association working on transportation policy, though it focuses on shipper interests at a national level rather than terminal operators regionally.

Others

• Intermodal Association of North America: Trade association promoting the development of intermodal freight transportation. Comparable to PMSA as an adjacent transportation industry association addressing overlapping constituencies (carriers, ports, shippers), though not a direct maritime-operations peer.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pacific-merchant-shipping-association

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Pacific Merchant Shipping Association