The Waterfront Alliance is honored to recognize Michael Stamatis, a 40-year veteran of the shipping industry who went from unloading crates on the docks of Newark to managing a major maritime terminal, as a 2026 Hero of the Harbor. 

Stamatis currently serves as President and CEO of Red Hook Container Terminal, LLC (Red Hook Terminals) which oversees operations at terminals in Brooklyn and Port Newark. He shepherded the revitalization of both Red Hook Terminal and the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal (SBMT), ensuring they each remain vital hubs for industrial shipping activity. 

He currently sits on the Waterfront Alliance Board of Directors, and remains committed to creating stable jobs and advocating for sustainable practices within his industry.  

An Early Ally 

As a Terminal Operations Manager with Ecuadorian Line Inc. and then Senior Vice President of Pacific Fruit Inc., Stamatis had long been dealing with the Red Hook Container Terminal. In 2011, he was tapped to take over as its president. The experience began inauspiciously. 

“On my first day at the job, I remember a gentleman from the Port Authority looming over me while I was feeling out the space,” Stamatis says. “And he told me not to get too comfortable, because they were going to close the place. There was not a lot of optimism about the future of the port in Brooklyn.” 

 

But Stamatis soon found an ally in Waterfront Alliance’s then-president Roland Lewis. 

“He was encouraging not only to me, but waterfront workers in general,” Stamatis recalls. “He was an advocate for the port, and was instrumental in organizing some meetings at the terminal with local electeds. That was my invigorating introduction to Waterfront Alliance.” 

 

Storm Surge 

Stamatis faced a true trial by water just one year into his Terminal tenure when, in 2012, Hurricane Sandy descended upon the city. 

“I called my wife when it was approaching, telling her I’d be staying at the terminal,” he says. “During major storms, the power can go out, bridges might be closed, and I didn’t want to be unable to get back and assess any potential damage.” 

The night did not go as expected. 

“It wasn’t long before the water level cleared the top of the bulkhead, and the terminal was underwater. I was holed up in the warehouse, soaking wet, in the freezing dark all night long. Come sunrise, we could finally see what had happened. And it was just total devastation. Cranes were out of service; all of our equipment had been destroyed. The terminal had been hammered.” 

In his 20-odd years working at the port, Stamatis had never seen anything like it. It was beyond even his most catastrophic imaginings. 

“It really opened my eyes,” he admits. “If this was happening now, how might it get worse in the future? How will we protect ourselves and prevent this level of damage, when this inevitably reoccurs?” 

Once again, Stamatis found a kindred spirit in Waterfront Alliance. 

“They were one of the few—if not only—groups really talking about the issue,” he notes. “They were urging others to consider the implications of climate change and rising sea levels, talking about what needed to happen, and advocating for something to be done.” 

 

Port Importance 

Of course, Red Hook wasn’t the only waterfront brutalized by the storm. The entire New York/New Jersey shipping region had been rocked, severely disrupting the transportation of goods and services. 

“I got a call from Heineken, which was one of our main importers,” Stamatis remembers. “They were extremely concerned about Sandy, but also frantic over a major promotion for an upcoming James Bond movie. And their special Bond beer couldn’t come into Brooklyn, because the Coast Guard closed the port and rerouted the shipment to Philadelphia.” 

A desperate Heineken looked to Stamatis for a solution: 

“It so happened that we have a barge service that moves containers between New York and New Jersey, thus avoiding local roads and bridges. So we offered to extend that service to Philly, and bring back the beer for the big promotion. And they were ecstatic, right? So put aside the fact that we’re talking about beer; this is just one small example of innovating during a crisis. You can find ways to move food, or medicine… any number of things that are vital to sustaining a community.” 

 

Jersey Boy 

After graduating from high school in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Stamatis found himself somewhat adrift. 

“I was learning to be a chef, believe it or not,” he reflects. “I’m Greek, and we have a deep appreciation for diner culture.” 

He was working full-time in a kitchen, sweating it out 80 hours each week, when a girlfriend’s uncle regaled him with tales of the “Banana Pier” over Sunday dinners. 

“I would listen rapt, fascinated with the work he was describing…the ships, the port,” Stamatis says. “Eventually he mentions that they’re always hiring ‘banana handlers’—which basically meant non-union grunts who do whatever the union guys didn’t want to deal with. At the time, that sounded great to me. And on October 16th, I’ll celebrate 40 years working on the waterfront.” 

 

Wind Won 

Stamatis has been heavily involved in the Empire Wind 1 offshore wind project, which will house support infrastructure at SBMT. The project, developed by Norwegian energy company Equinor, had faced several stops and starts thanks to the notoriously wind-resistant Trump administration, but is set to resume construction this year. (It had already reached 60% completion when the federal government tried to halt work through a series of questionable suspensions that included the citing of “national security risks.”) 

“I watch golf to unwind, and one day I pop on a tournament, and it’s being played at Aberdeenshire, Trump’s golf club in Scotland,” Stamatis recalls. “Iin the background over the ocean were these three spinning windmills, which apparently make the president seethe. And it seems pretty silly, right? Because we’ve already invested so much in offshore wind in the United States, and we desperately need the energy.” 

Stamatis would frequently drive by an unused port space in Sunset Park en route to Red Hook. Eventually he partnered with the ownership behind Industry City to lease and develop it as an offshore wind port, entering into a sublease agreement with Equinor to support Empire Wind 1. 

“Everything on this project is incredibly impressive,” Stamatis says. “I started out handling banana boxes, and now we’re unloading the world’s largest offshore wind components, right? We have 50 – 60 members of the International Longshoremen’s Association unloading these ships, and it’s a first for them, a first for me, and a first time these components have been imported to the US.” 

According to Stamatis, at some point next year, 816 megawatts of clean offshore wind power will come directly into the terminal via a substation constructed by Equinor. 

“It took more than ten years to get to where we are,” he notes. “But this project has been met with overwhelming support by the city, state and community. We are incredibly proud of this accomplishment.” 

 

Fleet Footed 

Red Hook Terminals also operates out of Port Newark, in Newark, New Jersey, where they’re currently experimenting with electric vehicles to aid their efforts. 

“Around 2019, as part of our commitment to help mitigate climate change, we applied for a grant through the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection,” Stamatis notes. “And we successfully received $2.5 million to purchase ten zero-emission trucks in 2020. We were the first terminal operator in the port of New York/New Jersey—and possibly even the country—to deploy a fleet of zero emission electric trucks on a maritime port facility.” 

In 2021, Stamatis made an ambitious commitment to electrify that entire facility by 2025. 

“Unfortunately, we failed to meet that goal—but not for lack of trying,” he confesses. “The technology is still catching up, but I met with some suppliers recently, and we’ll be doing some demos on new versions of electric trucks from two different companies. We hope to not only replenish our fleet in Newark when that becomes necessary, but to also convert our fleet in Brooklyn with as many as 30 new zero-emission trucks.” 

Hit Me with Your Best Shot 

For years, Stamatis would unwind from the high-stakes world of industrial shipping by shredding on cherished classics from the 70s and 80s, as guitarist of renowned Pat Benatar tribute band All Fired Up. 

“We actually played at Waterfront Alliance’s Heroes of the Harbor gala at City Winery a few years ago,” he recalls. “It was a great time!” 

Stamatis has a twin brother who plays drums professionally, so having friends over to “the loudest house on the street” for an impromptu jam sesh was a routine occurence. Eventually, they fell in with a singer who had an uncanny ability to channel Ms. Benatar, and a powerhouse unit was formed. 

“At first, we were just planning to do a one-off gig,” Stamatis notes. “But we had some early success, and [our singer] loved doing it, so we just kept performing.” 

And while they didn’t play it on stage, Stamatis has a personal affinity for the laid-back vibe of Benatar’s ”I’m Gonna Follow You.“  

“When I’m practicing, that’s how I get into the zone,” he says. 

 

Open for Business 

Looking back upon two successful decades at Red Hook Terminals, it’s worth remembering that Stamatis was handed the keys to what was widely considered at the time to be a doomed enterprise. 

“Things were pretty darn gloomy when I took over as president in 2011,” Stamatis notes. “People were very uncertain about their futures.” 

So it gives him great satisfaction to have helped provide security to so many laborers with reliable union jobs. 

“We’re busier than ever,” he observes. “We’re supporting container operations, break bulk operations, offshore wind operations – so many different activities. It’s been an incredible turnaround.” 

The terminal recently received a new ship-to-shore crane courtesy of the NYC Economic Development Corporation and the City of New York, has a lease commitment from the EDC, and plans to both revitalize and install new infrastructure. 

“We’re going to see all of these investments and commitments from the city and state come to fruition in the near future,” Stamatis says. “There seems to be a newfound realization that the container port, cruise port, offshore wind port—all of these are vital economic engines for the city. I really don’t think that anyone can genuinely worry whether there’s going to be a viable port in Brooklyn anymore.” 

 

Join Waterfront Alliance for Heroes of the Harbor on October 14, a special evening to celebrate Michael Stamatis for his incredible achievements and lasting impact on our shared harbor.