The Upper Mississippi Waterway Association (UMWA) has been ramping up efforts to make waves in member engagement, and that means bringing in key players that value the voice of the Upper Mississippi.

September’s virtual membership meeting featured speaker Christopher Smith, an assistant professor of economic development in the School of Finance at the University of Southern Mississippi. Smith is conducting research on the potential of port electrification at inland waterway ports, which is the targeted conversion of diesel-powered systems at ports to electric-powered systems.

“Port electrification really holds the promise of a simplified and accelerated pathway to emission reductions,” Smith said.

His research coincides with an ongoing effort by the shipping sector to make greener emissions a global priority.

“We know this is a topic that UMWA members are interested to know about and track,” said Gary Williams, UMWA executive director. “We all know these green initiatives are continually evolving and we all need to engage and understand where this leads.”

The research focuses on three key components of port electrification – technology, policy and management – and looks to address the potential financial, operational and political obstacles of implementation.

Dr. Chris Smith, Assistant Professor at the University of Southern Mississippi

“My data collection strategy is really centered around conducting interviews,” Smith said. “For the past several months, I’ve been reaching out to whoever is willing to talk to me to try to get a better sense of how port executives think about this issue. I’m coming from academia, I’m not so much grounded in the day-to-day experience at ports.”

In addition to interviews with port executives, Smith partnered with Waterways Journal to release a survey to gauge readers’ opinions of port electrification potential. One of the questions asked readers to select the top three factors from a list that will influence the adoption of emerging technologies in inland waterways.

“The ones selected most frequently were the status of existing port infrastructure, financial feasibility and government regulation,” Smith said. “From my standpoint it was an attempt to try to begin to ascertain what professionals in the industry are thinking about port electrification and the attitudes among responders were favorable to port electrification overall toward its viability and impact.”

Smith wrapped up his presentation with a request for members to voice their opinions on port electrification potential.

“I know there are some exciting cases happening in the Great Lakes region and the Upper Mississippi, so I would love to talk to anyone who is interested and has experience in port electrification,” Smith said. “I’m interested in talking to people with a negative opinion as much as I am interested in someone who is enthusiastic about it.”

Smith plans to produce a report summing up his port electrification research by the end of 2025.

We strongly encourage members to weigh in on their thoughts, opinions and interest on this and other related studies and projects,” Williams said. “This helps the Association determine what role in participation and being a voice in this industry  should look like.”

If you’re interested in sharing your opinion on port electrification with Smith, email cd.smith@usm.edu.