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Editor’s Note

It was in early May when the Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP) spon- sored a press tour of the commonwealth’s rapidly expanding maritime supply chain. The three-day event was an eye-opener on many levels, but none more so than visits to several

Building big name distribution centers situated in close proximity to key supply chain intermodal connections. I suppose that was very much the point: the supply chain itself is only as strong

Better or as weak as its connections to each and every part of that process.

As a maritime editor, ?rst and foremost, I admit to being not too thrilled at the news that

Ports we would see not one, but three big box – one million square feet each – distribution centers in close sequence. I wanted to see the ports; inland and deep water. But, as I soon found out, if you’ve seen one distribution center, well, you’ve seen just one distribution center. What they all had in common, however, was their commitment to making sure the best people were an integral part of making it all work. More often than not, that involves hiring U.S. military veterans.

It turns out that the military’s supply chain, in many respects, is second to none. It is also a massive undertaking. It is global, it supports millions of personnel and their dependents, and like the world’s underappreciated merchant marine that transports virtually 95% of ev- erything we depend on for our very existence, it operates quietly in the background, hidden behind the noise of bigger headlines. And while one goal in logistics is to provide material and services in a stable and predictable fashion, that goal sometimes runs counter to the unpredictable nature of military operations. In this edition, Edward Lundquist’s look into the fascinating world of U.S. Navy logistics gives another view into how the supply chain works – and works well. The story begins on page 24.

Separately, and closer to home, the much anticipated arrival of shortsea shipping is ?nally upon us, along with focused dredging operations all along the U.S. East Coast. From Long g

Island Sound all the way down to Hampton Roads and beyond, the two seemingly ond, the two seemingly nd, the two seemingly ing g in concert to bring disconnected efforts, each as important as the other, are working in concert to bring e is that as the deep h d i th tt ere i th t th d new ef?ciencies to the intermodal supply chain. The lesson here is that as the deep ity y, the inland path to water ports expand their depth, footprint and throughput capacity, the inland path to the hinterlands and that all-important ‘last-mile’ also has to grow. Inside this edition, w.. Inside this edition, that much becomes painfully obvious.

As you read this, our latest edition of MLPro, midyear and the Summer solstice d t the Summer solstice have both come and gone. But, unlike those annual timestamps, nothing is certain mp ps, nothing is certain about what will come next for the global waterfront. Logistics involves more inv volves more than just boats and docks. A global trade war, an increasingly unsettled un nsettled

Middle East situation and the tsunami of post-Panamax tonnage will age will all eventually arrive on the pier in North America, whether we like it e li ike it or not. Count on MLPro to cover those events, as they unfold.

Joseph Keefe, Editor | [email protected] 8 Maritime Logistics Professional May/June 2019 | |