{"id":20957,"date":"2025-10-15T13:40:45","date_gmt":"2025-10-15T17:40:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/?p=20957"},"modified":"2025-10-15T13:40:45","modified_gmt":"2025-10-15T17:40:45","slug":"port-of-providence-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/news\/port-of-providence-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"Exploring Maritime Logistics at the Port of Providence"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Students in URI\u2019s Shipping and Ports <\/em>class recently visited the Port of Providence, connecting academic concepts with a firsthand look into the real-world operations of cargo operations, supply chains, and regional economics in a dynamic port environment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of only two deep water ports in New England, the Port of Providence is located at the convergence of Narragansett Bay and the Providence River and serves as a hub for international trade and domestic distribution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe fast-paced, real-world environment of the port makes maritime logistics come alive, linking classroom learning to Rhode Island\u2019s and New England\u2019s maritime economy,\u201d says Professor Simona Trandafir<\/a>, who holds a joint appointment in URI\u2019s Departments of Marine Affairs <\/a>and Environmental and Natural Resource Economics<\/a>. \u201cSeeing how cargo flows through a regional port helps students connect theory to practice and appreciate the critical role maritime infrastructure plays in both the local and global economy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While on site, students observed cement being unloaded from Turkey, learned about the growing offshore wind industry and its specialized cable logistics, and saw how high-value equipment such multi-million-dollar cranes support port efficiency. They also explored the roles of stevedores and longshoremen, and discovered how scrap vehicles are exported to markets in Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe learned that the port strives to operate in an environmentally responsible way, minimizing emissions and maintaining clean operations in an urban waterfront setting,\u201d adds Trandafir. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maria Crivac, a public relations major from Hudson, NH, with minors in marine affairs and psychology, described the visit as both eye-opening and engaging. \u201cExploring a port was something I had never done before,\u201d she says. \u201cIt was exciting to experience something totally new.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe learned that speed is really important for port success,\u201d Crivac adds, \u201cLoading and unloading cargo fast keeps customers happy so they do not have to pay extra money for having the ship there longer.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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Student participants note that the incredible scale of operation is something that can only be appreciated when seen firsthand. \u201cComing from Cranston, I have driven past the Port hundreds of times but have never truly understood its scale and importance,\u201d says Kalliana Marek, a double major in sustainable agriculture and marine affairs. \u201cIn our fast-paced, highly globalized world, there is so much movement and economic activity happening around us that we aren’t even aware of. This field trip gave a glimpse into the mountain-moving that is going on behind the scenes!\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A highlight for many students was the guided tour by John Gustus, Director of Operations at Waterson Terminal, the company that manages the Port of Providence, and a seasoned stevedore who brought the port\u2019s operations to life for the students. \u201cHe was extremely knowledgeable and explained everything in a way we could understand,\u201d Crivac notes. \u201cHis approachable style made it easy to stay engaged and learn.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn class, we\u2019ve studied automation in container shipping,\u201d Crivac adds. The Port of Providence is very different because much of the work is still done by hand. \u201cFor example, we learned that longshoremen manually wind extremely heavy cable by hand,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Port of Providence served as an ideal learning environment, bridging classroom theory with practical application in Rhode Island\u2019s maritime sector and highlighting the port\u2019s critical role in both the local and global economy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A recent visit to the bustling Port of Providence gave URI students studying \u201cShipping and Ports\u201d a behind-the-scenes look at the complexity of maritime operations, from offshore wind logistics to international cargo handling.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1089,"featured_media":20958,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20957","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20957","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1089"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20957"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20957\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20960,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20957\/revisions\/20960"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20958"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20957"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20957"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20957"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}