The Backbone of the Global Economy: The Marine Transportation System | American Blue Economy Podcast

May 21, 2021

The Marine Transport System: Revamped.

In this month's episode of the American Blue Economy Podcast, we explore the Marine Transportation System (MTS) and how to make it more sustainable, productive, and efficient. Our guests include Coast Guard Rear Admiral Richard Timme, Chair of the Coordinating Board for the US Committee on the MTS, Helen Brohl who is the Executive Director of that committee, Cary Davis of the American Association of Port Authorities, and Julie Thomas of the Southern California Coastal and Ocean Observing System. We'll talk technology, shipping, ports, charts, and the weather and ocean information that ships depend upon to safely sustain the free flow of maritime commerce. We'll begin with an assessment of the grounding of the M/V Evergiven in the Suez Canal in March and how the event highlighted that marine transportation is the lifeblood of the American Blue Economy.

Show Transcription
This transcription was generated by a computer. Please excuse any errors.
Adm. Tim Gallaudet

Rear Admiral Gallaudet, PhD, USN (ret) is the CEO of Ocean STL Consulting. From 2017-2021, he served as the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere / Deputy NOAA Administrator, and from 2017-2019 he also served as the Acting Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere / NOAA Administrator. As Acting Administrator, he led the agency comprised of 20,000 federal employees and contractors managing the nation’s fisheries, coastal resources and waterways, weather satellites, weather services, and environmental research, overseeing a $6B annual budget and daily operations of 18 environmental satellites, 16 oceanographic ships, 9 aircraft, 450 boats, and 400 technical divers, 6 supercomputers, over a dozen laboratories, and several hundred field sites across the country. As the Deputy Administrator, he led NOAA’s Blue Economy activities that advance marine transportation, sustainable seafood, ocean exploration and mapping, marine tourism and recreation, and coastal resilience. Prior to NOAA, Rear Admiral Gallaudet served for 32 years in the US Navy, completing his career as the Oceanographer of the Navy. He has a Bachelor’s degree from the US Naval Academy, and Master’s and Doctoral degrees from Scripps Institution of Oceanography, all in oceanography.