20 July 2011
The Port of Miami Terminal Operating Co. known as POMTOC named Charles J. Arocha as senior vice president and general manager, effective Aug. 1.
He succeeds John Ballestero, who is retiring and will leave the company Aug. 12.
Arocha has more than 30 years in the maritime industry and has been active with the port of Miami since 1977.
Since 2007, he has been vice president of terminal operations for Miami-based shipping company Seaboard Marine. he began his career at the port as terminal manager at Eller & Co. for three years, then was vice president of operations for SEL MADURO from 1980 to 1994 and served as senior vice president of Eller-Ito Stevedoring Co. from 1994 to 2007, POMTOC said.
A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis in Maryland, Arocha even was a partner in the formation of POMTOC in 1994, the company said.
Ballestero has been part of POMTOC's management team for more than nine years. He has provided "steady leadership, even going back for a short spell during the first year of the company," said Jorge Rovirosa, a top executive with Florida Stevedoring Inc. and POMTOC's senior manager.
POMTOC operates the only terminal at the Port of Miami that is not owned by a shipping company. Its terminal serves diverse carriers from around the world. The company began in 1994 as a consolidation of four independent stevedoring and terminal operating businesses, aiming to maximize limited space at the seaport and spur growth.
For more information on POMTOC, visit www.pomtoc.com.