National Focus Areas
Applied research and collaboration through the Center for Ports and Waterways support planning, investment and coordination across the U.S. maritime network. The center’s work is organized around eight strategic focus areas that strengthen infrastructure alignment, industrial capacity, system reliability and national readiness.
Strengthening the U.S. Maritime System
Infrastructure and Investment Alignment
The center helps partners translate plans into actionable projects by combining applied research and economic analysis to identify infrastructure needs, develop benefit-cost justifications and guide funding strategies and investment sequencing across federal, state and regional programs that improve connectivity and freight mobility.
Maritime Industrial Base and Shipyard Capacity
Drawing on engineering and workforce expertise across Texas A&M, the center assesses and supports the shipbuilding, repair and supplier networks that form the foundation of the U.S. Maritime Industrial Base Program.
National Defense and Readiness
The center supports national readiness planning by analyzing how commercial ports and waterways interface with strategic mobility networks, helping partners evaluate access, capacity, redundancy and continuity needs essential to surge and deployment operations.
Waterway and System Reliability
Through applied research on navigation performance, maintenance needs and system resilience, the center helps quantify how inland and coastal waterways support economic activity and regional reliability, informing investment and policy decisions that keep goods moving.
Trade and Energy Dynamics
Working with Texas A&M economists and energy researchers, the center analyzes how global trade flows and emerging fuels, including liquefied natural gas and hydrogen, influence port capacity, industrial growth and regional competitiveness. This work also examines cross-border trade patterns linking U.S. ports and waterways to international markets.
Workforce and Innovation
In collaboration with the Texas A&M Maritime Academy, Texas Sea Grant and engineering partners, the center advances applied research on workforce development, training pathways and technology adoption, including automation impacts, data integration and cyber-physical system readiness.
Governance and Coordination
The center assists ports, transportation agencies and regional partners in improving governance and coordination structures, helping align policies, funding priorities and operational practices across jurisdictions.
Communication, Visualization and Stakeholder Engagement
Applied outreach, visualization and decision-support tools help partners communicate the importance of maritime infrastructure, making complex systems easier to understand and building shared support for investment and collaboration.