Patrick Gray has dedicated his career to serving the maritime industry. Beginning as an apprentice for a ship owner/agency, he learned all aspects of vessel management, operations, maintenance and repair, and even clocked some sailing hours at sea. Fully rounding out his skill set, Patrick also worked as a purchasing agent, ship line manager, and even ran his own vessel cleaning business for five years. Having lived and breathed the maritime industry for his entire professional life, there was still one aspect that had eluded him – stevedoring.

“When the opportunity presented itself in 1986,” Patrick recalled, “I finally stepped into the stevedoring business.”

In 1998, after more than a decade in the field, he joined Cooper/T. Smith in Houston, Texas, as a Ship Superintendent. Eventually, in 2016, the operation merged its Houston-area breakbulk services with Ports America to form the joint-venture Cooper/Ports America (C/PA).

Now working as a General Superintendent for C/PA, Patrick oversees labor and rigging during loading and unloading of project cargo, which can range from military equipment and oil rigs to steel and chemical plant equipment. He values the bonds that have formed among his colleagues, and believes that the combined experience and support of the C/PA team is one of the company’s greatest strengths.

Patrick commented, “I love the challenges that my job presents. Unloading the different commodities safely and efficiently… it’s very satisfying to complete each vessel.”