The October 7th Annual Membership Conference for members of American Maritime Safety, Inc., was not officially billed as a 23rd anniversary event. Nevertheless, the story of AMS, an organization established by a group of U.S. based vessel owners and operators, is worthy of special mention. Indeed, this New York based Maritime Consortium has rapidly expanded in scope since its founding in 1988. From humble beginnings in New York, AMS has grown to over 400 vessel owners and operators and is now recognized as the leading industry association on regulatory compliance in the U.S.