Page 38 - Port of Baltimore Magazine March/April 2011

[38] The Port of Baltimore ■ March/April 2011 To subscribe or renew, visitwww.marylandports.com
He’s in his 11th year as president of the Association of Maryland Pilots. The
United States Coast Guard (USCG) has licensed him to command ships
of any size, on any ocean. He’s permitted by the State of Maryland (and
USCG) to pilot vessels on the Chesapeake Bay and C&D Canal, and for many
years he has guided some of the world’s largest ships along these waterways.
By MERRILL WITTY | Photography By Kathy Bergren Smith
Environment & Education
Nielsen has long been a proponent of
environmental initiatives. With the BPA,
his intent is to continue the strong support
that his predecessor, former BPA Chairman
Rupert Denney, provided regarding the
environmental committee’s influence on
BPA priorities.
“The challenges we face as an industry
— such as emerging regulations to reduce
nutrient pollution and sediment to the
Chesapeake Bay, and new expectations
for reduced emissions through cleaner
fuels — can be better met when the Port
community works together,” said Nielsen.
Initiatives pursued by the MPA and the BPA
Environmental Committee include the Port’s
Clean Diesel Program and the establishment
of a series of compliance assistance
workshops.
Nielsen also points to the work of the
BPA Education Outreach Committee, which
has set new benchmarks for educational
partnerships with local schools, increased
awareness of Maryland’s deepwater
seaport and helped to establish a new
BPA website. The outreach committee
maintains partnerships with institutions
of higher education (Johns Hopkins
School of Education, Community College
of Baltimore County-Dundalk and Anne
Arundel Community College), a pair of
Baltimore County high schools (Sollers Point
Tech and Eastern Tech) and three Baltimore
City-based schools (the Maritime Industries
Academy, St. Ignatius Loyola Academy and
Living Classrooms Foundation).
Educational initiatives similar to those
of the BPA are also pursued by Pride
of Baltimore, Inc., a private, non-profit
organization that owns Pride II , an authentic
reproduction of a 19th-century Baltimore
clipper topsail schooner.
Pilot Priorities
As president of the Association of Maryland
Pilots, Nielsen is not only concerned with
the safe, efficient movement of vessels
through local navigation channels, but
is also responsible for ensuring that the
protection of the environment remains
paramount. “The very essence of the state
pilotage system demands environmentally
sensitive pilotage transits,” Nielsen said.
Additionally, pilots provide each
shipmaster with a copy of Maryland’s
pollution regulations and report any
PORTperson
Yet, Capt. Eric Nielsen does not currently
maintain a slot on the Association’s working
list. He is, after all, quite busy at the helm of
three organizations.
Nielsen’s mission these days is look-
ing for ways to make the Port of Baltimore
more attractive to cargo shippers — by pro-
viding a safe, reliable and efficient pilotage
service; by working with the Maryland Port
Administration (MPA) and the U.S Army
Corps of Engineers to ensure a world-class
navigational channel system; by effectively
communicating with Port industry members
and their constituents; and by fostering an
ever-stronger environmental ethic within
Baltimore’s Port community.
All of this is part of his work at the
Association and as chairman of both the
Baltimore Port Alliance (BPA) and Pride of
Baltimore, Inc.
A Life on the Sea
Born and raised in Maryland, Nielsen gradu-
ated as valedictorian in 1981 from the United
States Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA)
in Kings Point, N.Y., and was also commis-
sioned as an ensign in the U.S. Naval Reserve.
By the time Nielsen applied to become a
Maryland pilot, he had earned his U.S. Coast
Guard Master’s license qualifying him to com-
mand ships of any size on any ocean.
He joined the Association of Maryland
Pilots in 1989 and became the Association’s
president in December 2000.
Nielsen and his wife, Jacquie, met while
both were attending the USMMA. Daughter
Kate works in Washington, D.C., at the
National Center for Public Policy Research,
and son Alex — following his parents’
course — is a midshipman at the USMMA.
CAPT. ERIC NIELSEN
President of Maryland Pilots Promotes Effective
Communication and Strong Environmental Ethic