Editorial: Maritime Delivers After Disasters
Defense Transportation Journal Editorial
BluSiren (formerly A.WordSmith)’s October 2018 article “Go Big. Go Fast. Go Smart. Maritime Delivers After Disasters” in the Defense Transportation Journal (DTJ) discusses how maritime logistics, exemplified by Crowley, play a critical role in disaster response. It argues that while air and land transport are important, the maritime sector brings unique strength: massive cargo capacity, resilience when roads are destroyed, and end-to-end supply-chain capability from sea to final mile. The piece uses case studies — Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, Hurricane Sandy in the U.S. Northeast, and Operation United Assistance (the U.S. Ebola response in West Africa) — to show how pre-positioned vessels, integrated marine/land/air assets, and pre-planned partnerships let maritime firms rapidly deliver aid, infrastructure materials and logistics support. Ultimately, the message is: in large-scale crises, agencies and governments need maritime capabilities ready to “go big, go fast and go smart.”
The DTJ is the official publication of the National Defense Transportation Association (NDTA), a non-political, non-profit educational association. DTJ serves as the authoritative voice by educating and encouraging meaningful dialogue among those who work in government, military and maritime industry logistics, transportation, travel, distribution, security, and related industries. Read the website version (not flipbook) here.
Crowley, based in Jacksonville, Fla., is on a mission to become the most sustainable and innovative maritime logistics company in the Americas. BluSiren’s founder Amelia Smith served as the company’s number 2 spokesperson and marketing-communications lead from 2010 through 2014. Later, when she started A.WordSmith, Crowley was one of her first clients.