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Suez Canal Incident Shines Light on Alaska Shipping Logistics

March 30, 2021

The cargo ship that has blocked the Suez Canal for the last week is finally free. While the trade lanes affected by the blockage do not directly affect Alaska, the situation is a stark reminder of choke points and single ports of entry along supply chains, says Darren Prokop, Professor of Logistics in the Department of Management, Marketing, Logistics and Business Analytics.

鈥淔or ocean vessel activity, the most important entry point to Alaska by far is the Port of Alaska,鈥� said Prokop. 鈥淭he problem is that it has many vulnerabilities and, like the Suez Canal, if it is impacted in any way, a lot of deliveries to store shelves, fuel tanks, etc. will not happen.鈥�

Prokop鈥檚 students in undergraduate and graduate global supply chain management study these kinds of vulnerabilities to prepare for such challenges. In the case of the Suez Canal, shipping companies were able to resolve the situation within a week. 鈥淯nfortunately for Alaska, there is no real Plan B if the Port of Alaska were shut down.鈥�

Prokop has been writing regular articles about issues like the Suez Canal blockage for the trade magazine Freightwaves since 2019. Read his article about the , the , .

Find out more about our undergraduate Global Logistics/Supply Chain Management degree and our Masters in Global Supply Chain Management, where students develop their skills in the nation鈥檚 largest logistics laboratory - Alaska.

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