Thrive has joined Vanderbilt’s VECTOR research team to conduct a case study along the Tennessee River to support development of a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Port Resilience Guide.

The VECTOR team at Vanderbilt received a grant to conduct a case study on resilience strategies for navigable portions and infrastructure of the Cumberland/Tennessee River Couplet System. This project has received its funding from the DHS Coastal Resilience Center of Excellence, which is led by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and US Army Corps of Engineers, to create a national Port Resilience Guide. The first virtual stakeholder meeting took place at the end of September, and our team at Thrive is excited about participating in this study.

America’s “inland marine highways” include over 12,000 miles of commercially navigable channels that enable commerce to move between industrial and agricultural centers across 38 states. These marine highways also facilitate imports and exports at gateway ports. Historically, there have been delays in transportation along inland waterways due to linear topography and the lack of alternative options for moving cargo without shifting to other modes such as rail or trucks, which have limited capacity and are less efficient (while also being subject to disruptions as well).

The Port Resilience guide will include case studies from a variety of organizations, like VECTOR’s research on the Tennessee River. The analysis in the Guide will take into account the potential effects of hazards, ways the impact can be mitigated, and identify alternative solutions to the consequences of the hazards. 

The goal of this study is to focus on the reliability and resilience of supply chains throughout the region, as well as the potential impact of flood, drought, or earthquakes. A prominent example is the  supply chain of petroleum products to the region via waterways and pipelines. The key research questions this study will strive to answer are:

• How will the inland waterway’s ability to move commodities to and from the Middle Tennessee region be impacted by natural disasters? 

• What are the key ports along the Tennessee or Cumberland River that have the potential to provide import or export for commodities? Also, are these currently being used with other potentially redundant modes of transportation?

• Specific to the supply chain for petroleum products, how can the inland waterway system be used during a disruption of the Colonial Pipeline?

In addition to case studies, the Port Resilience Guide will include maps, potential disruption scenarios, and resiliency strategies for our nation’s inland waterways. Thrive looks forward to partnering with Vanderbilt’s VECTOR program to make the waterways and ports that affect our tri-state region stronger.