Ochs, John R

John is responsible for Labor Relations and Governmental Affairs on the U.S. West Coast.

Representing both Maersk Line and APM Terminals within the Pacific Maritime Association, John is the Chairman of the Coast Steering committee. This 10-member entity represents the interests of the seventy-five PMA member companies.  The annual cost to administer the West Coast longshore labor agreements exceeds $3 billion.

John is also the Chairman of APMT’s joint-venture enterprise, PMI, performing equipment maintenance services for marine terminals.  

Representing Maersk and APMT, he serves on the Board of Directors of the National Association of Waterfront Employers, the Pacific Merchant Steamship Association, the West Coast Marine Terminal Operators Association and the Harbor Employers Association.  John is currently the president of the National Maritime Safety Association. 

The Federal Maritime Commission selected John to serve on their Port Optimization working group in Washington, D.C.  John is an adjunct professor at the Center for International Trade & Transportation at CAL State Long Beach.

Previous assignments with APM Terminals include serving as the Managing Director of Los Angeles - Pier 400, the largest proprietary container terminal in North America. 

Prior to joining APM Terminals, John served as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Coast Guard for 20 years.  He was assigned to sea duty for the majority of his career and enjoyed the privilege of serving as the Commanding Officer aboard two vessels.

John is a graduate of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy.  He completed the Program on Labor Negotiation at Harvard Law School, and the Executive Program at the Institute for Management Development in Lausanne, Switzerland.