West Gulf Maritime Association is a Texas nonprofit corporation, was organized in early 1968 to succeed the former local maritime associations in Houston, Galveston and Brownsville, Texas and to embrace within the membership of one Association the steamship owners, operators, agents along with stevedoring and/or terminal companies located in all Texas ports and the Port of Lake Charles, Louisiana. Acting through its committees appointed from the membership, the Association negotiates and administers various labor agreements with the International Longshoremen's Association in West Gulf ports. The Association provides a forum for discussions and exchanges of information between the member companies concerning a wide variety of industry challenges of mutual interest and concern.