Van Tol Honored for 30 Years of Service

Arie Van Tol, a veteran Port Authority employee who currently manages the New York Marine Terminals, has been honored for more than 30 years of distinguished service to the bistate agency and the maritime community, Port Commerce Director Richard M. Larrabee announced today. Larrabee presented Van Tol, a Montville, N.J., resident, with the Lillian C. Borrone Award, given to individuals who render unusually effective service to the port community. The award is named for Lillian C. Borrone, a longtime director of the Port Authority’s Port Commerce Department who retired in 2001. “Arie is the consummate maritime industry professional who cares deeply about the Port Authority’s maritime terminal facilities and its tenants,” Mr. Larrabee said. “He handles everything from complicated business deals with terminal operators to major redevelopment projects with tenacity and diplomacy.” Van Tol was instrumental in the reopening of the Howland Hook Marine Terminal in Staten Island in 1996, and in negotiating leases with the operators of that facility and the Red Hook Container Terminal in Brooklyn. He also has played a critical role in the $350 million redevelopment initiatives under way at Howland Hook, including the purchase of the Procter & Gamble site in December 2000. That property will serve as the site of a new on-dock rail facility. Van Tol began his maritime career in 1962, sailing with U.S. Lines, Prudential Lines and Grace Lines, where he achieved the rank of chief officer. He sailed on vessels that called on the Port of New York and New Jersey, including the piers along the Brooklyn waterfront that he now oversees as Manager of New York Marine Terminals. A 1962 graduate of the State University of New York Maritime, Mr. Van Tol earned a bachelor’s degree in Vessel Operations and began his Port Authority career in 1971. He was initially assigned to the Port Director’s Office and handled facility management and operational issues. He received a master’s degree from the State University of New York Maritime in 1976. Van Tol took on positions of increasing responsibility throughout his Port Authority career. In May 1991, he was promoted to Business and Operations Manager for the New York Marine Terminals. Four years later, he was named manager of the New York Marine Terminals. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey operates some of the busiest and most important transportation links in the region. They include John F. Kennedy International, Newark Liberty International, LaGuardia and Teterboro airports; the George Washington Bridge; the Lincoln and Holland tunnels; the three bridges between Staten Island and New Jersey; the PATH rapid-transit system; the Downtown Manhattan Heliport; Port Newark; the Elizabeth-Port Authority Marine Terminal; the Howland Hook Marine Terminal on Staten Island; the Brooklyn Piers/Red Hook Container Terminal; and the Port Authority Bus Terminal in midtown Manhattan. The agency also owns the 16-acre World Trade Center site in Lower Manhattan. The Port Authority is financially self-supporting and receives no tax revenue from either state.