Massport Board Votes to Approve Port Director

Morris has extensive experience in the global shipping industry

BOSTON –The Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) Board of Directors voted today to approve the appointment of Joseph Morris as the Authority’s Port Director, overseeing all Maritime business areas. Morris joined Massport in 2020 as Deputy Port Director of Operations, and has served as Acting Port Director since February 2022.

The Port of Boston is a vital economic asset for the Commonwealth, connecting more than 2,500 businesses to the global economy and supporting 9,000 direct jobs. Keeping the Port competitive to generate additional economic impact and grow jobs is an essential part of the Authority’s mission. As Port Director, Morris will lead all business planning and development, strategic initiatives, financial management, and the safety and security and day-to-day oversight of Massport’s Maritime division.

“Joe brings global maritime experience to the role of Port Director. Since joining Massport, he has played a key role in the Port’s pandemic recovery by increasing safety efforts, instilling fiscal discipline and preparing for the resumption of activity, including new services connecting the Port of Boston to South East Asia” said Massport CEO Lisa Wieland. “I am confident in Joe’s ability to continue Maritime’s success and I am proud to have him on my leadership team.”

Before joining Massport, Morris served as Chief Operations Officer at APM Terminals in Moín, Costa Rica, working to engage future customers and drive business development opportunities in preparation of the opening of a new container terminal. Morris previously served as the Director of Operations Strategy at APM Terminals in Los Angeles, one of the nation’s largest ports. He has also served as General Manager for Terminal Partnering at APM Terminals Management B.V., driving productivity and efficiency initiatives in seven facilities across Europe and the Middle East.

As Port Director, Morris will continue to lead the modernization of Conley Container Terminal, the only full-service container terminal in New England. Nearly $850M of infrastructure improvements are underway or complete, including the Boston Harbor Dredging Project, a new 50-foot deep berth and three larger cranes, expanded container storage, new gate facilities, and the Butler Freight Corridor.

At Flynn Cruiseport, Morris spearheaded pandemic recovery efforts towards the safe resumption of cruise operations in Boston by collaborating with customers, vendors, health officials and stakeholders at city, state and federal levels. In 2022, Massport anticipates serving 125 vessels from 19 cruise lines, and reaching near pre-pandemic levels on passenger volumes as the cruise industry sees high levels of pent-up demand. During the 2019 cruise season, the Cruiseport welcomed over 402,000 visitors to Boston.

Morris graduated from the University of Phoenix with a bachelor’s degree in Business Management. He also holds a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Certification and successfully completed the MAGNUM and MAGNET accelerated leadership training programs through APM Terminals.

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The Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) owns and operates Boston Logan International Airport, public terminals in the Port of Boston, Hanscom Field and Worcester Regional Airport. For more information, please visit massport.com.