The COVID-19 pandemic was the industry’s “black swan” moment, and it brought the world an understanding of both the fragility and importance of the supply chain. In that moment, the Port of Virginia committed to focusing on those things within its control: maintaining port fluidity, overall safety, continuous communication, collaboration, taking advantage of down time, and planning for the rebound.
As the pandemic began driving down volumes, we focused on the moment while implementing our continuity of operations plan and preparing for the future. Pandemic or not, it was important that we did not alter our forward trajectory or change the way we do business.
Regardless of the decline in volume, maintaining operational efficiency remained a priority. The port continued its capital investment strategy and used the time to better understand the capabilities of the port’s two primary container terminals, which had recently completed an $800 million modernization project.
Each year, the port authority brings people from across the organization and stakeholders in the Norfolk Harbor together and throws a “black swan” scenario at them — a cyberattack, a collision in the ship channel, a direct hit by a hurricane, or another highly disruptive event to operations. The goal is to better understand what we do well, identify the areas needing improvement, and drive collaboration among those around the table. The practice is taken seriously, often resulting in the development of processes for responding and resuming operations during a disruption. Those efforts have proven invaluable during the pandemic.
No one was “ready” for the onset of a pandemic and its long-term disruption to the freight transportation industry. The moment taught us the value of practice and preparedness. Panic is not an option, and maintaining focus in the most difficult moments holds value for all supply chain stakeholders.