IMX Session To Focus On Waterway Action Plans, Port Readiness And Cybersecurity

With the war in Ukraine and global supply chain and logistics issues, the connectedness of the world is on full display today. And that connectivity—and vulnerability—extends all the way down to the waterways of the United States, the ports and terminals located along them and the operators that move cargoes on them.

This year’s Inland Marine Expo (IMX), set for May 23–25 in St. Louis, will feature an education session focused on that interconnectivity, namely the coordination and technology needed to make waterways resilient and dependable. The session, titled “Improving System Resiliency: Waterway Action Plans, Port Readiness and Cybersecurity,” will take place May 24 at 11:15 a.m. on the trade show floor.

The session will feature a presentation on Waterway Action Plans (WAP) by Brian Tetreault, navigation systems specialist for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; Dave Lewald, program analyst-navigation systems for the U.S. Coast Guard; and Joe Celano, director of business development for Trabus Technologies. That trio will discuss and demonstrate a new predictive modeling system that draws on historical and live data, vessel traffic movements, vessel operating reports and geospatial data to inform the development of Waterway Action Plans. Using that historical and real-time data and technology, waterway managers and stakeholders will be able to reduce vessel traffic congestion and improve voyage planning along the inland waterways.

In addition to the WAP demo, this session will also feature Jim Kearns, special counsel for Jones Walker’s Maritime Practice Group, who is involved in developing a system resiliency and cybersecurity report for Inland Rivers, Ports & Terminals Inc. Recent cyber attacks have disrupted food suppliers and pipelines in the United States, and companies are taking their cyber resiliency more seriously. This presentation will look at those issues in the context of the inland waterways and maritime logistics system.

For more information on this or the other seven education sessions, or for registration details, go to www.inlandmarineexpo.com.