Page 36 - Port of Baltimore Magazine Jan/Feb 2013
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The Port of Baltimore
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January/February 2013
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Moss Marine USA
w.mossmarineusa.com
(410)542-8775
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Ship Agents And Brokers
Baltimore
“your HOST on the waterfront since 1923”
2200 Broening Highway, Suite 102
Baltimore, Maryland 21224
Telephone: (410) 633-4666
Fax: (410) 633-2993
Telex: 6734714 HOSTMD
e-mail:
Website:
Philadelphia
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Baltimore
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Wilmington, DE
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Richmond
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Hampton Roads
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Morehead City
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Savannah
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Fernandina
Serving the U.S. East and Gulf Coasts
Beyond those orders loom 40,000
square feet of warehouse space, includ-
ing a minus-10-degree freezer the size of
a great room and an equally cavernous
refrigerated space. Shelves are stacked
to the ceiling with everything from mops
and cleaning supplies to large jars of
spices and cases of Coca-Cola.
Anything a ship — and her crew —
might need, R.S. Stern supplies it at any
time. (In a 24/7 business such as his,
Kotz jokes that the S.S. before a ship’s
name stands for “Saturday and Sunday.”)
“There’s a new challenge every day,”
he noted. “You never know when that
funny situation comes up and you have
to do your part to help make that ship
leave.”
In late December, after learning that
a ship snapped its mooring lines, Kotz
instructed his administrative assistant,
Pam Keller, to contact the ship’s agent
and find out if anything was needed. The
relieved agent, who was just about to
call R.S. Stern, needed six new mooring
lines. Kotz quickly dispatched a truck to
the manufacturer in New Jersey and had
all six to the ship by 8 p.m., enabling it to
depart on schedule.
The company once had a saying: “At
R.S. Stern, we never say no.” Thus, it’s
not surprising that the company’s 15
o unusual
all for a
section of real turf to
make a potty spot for a dog on board a
passenger ship. Keller has been asked
to shop for birthday gifts for captains’
wives and recently fielded a request from
another captain who wanted live plants
for his office.
At the same time that one of Kotz’s
employees was looking to sell his small
pickup truck, a large car carrier was
looking for a work vehicle to travel
among the decks. Kotz sold them the
pickup and then returned to the ware-
house to tell the employee.
While the unique requests make for
humorous stories, most of the day’s work
is spent stocking and delivering basic
supplies.
“We inventory about 6,000 different
products,” Kotz said. “We know what
basic products will move.” The food
stores reflect the international flavor of
the business, with Weetabix cereal for
British crews, and Filipino and Indian
foods. Coke is more popular than Pepsi,
except with Russian crews, but everyone
