This commentary appeared in the print edition of the Jan. 6, 2020, Journal of Commerce Annual Review and Outlook.
The challenges facing the Port of Virginia now and in 2020 are no different than the ones that our peers and customers are considering — and there are many. We look at the market, collaborate with our customers and partners, analyze the emerging trends to see how they will affect us, and then look for ways to improve our service in advance.
Our challenge is innovating in an ever-changing market and industry and making sure our decisions and solutions will help the ocean carriers, cargo owners, and port users make the best use of our new and growing infrastructure.
To continue our growth and meet these challenges, we must be vigilant of the evolution of our industry and continually communicate with all of our port users to understand and anticipate their needs. The most important step in addressing any challenge is to identify those things we can control that will provide the greatest benefit to our customers.
The solution is not to react, but rather to prepare. We build data-driven, transparent solutions that capitalize on our strengths: expanding capacity, twenty-first century cargo conveyance systems, deep water, ongoing strategic investment, a mix of container and multi-use terminals, and a diversifying cargo mix. We are always working to better understand our operation and use its capabilities to drive efficiency and reliability today and six months from now. We must do all of this regardless of the outside forces that are beyond our control.
The cargo flowing through the Port of Virginia is valuable to its owners, important to the end users, and vital to our state and national economies. The challenge is to continue to look for those opportunities for improvement and always be mindful of who The Port of Virginia serves.