This month's Greenhouse Management is about shipping and logistics

Almost four years ago, the 224,000-ton cargo vessel Ever Given ran aground in the Suez Canal, blocking a route accommodating an estimated 12% of the world’s global trade. The ship, stuck across the canal, remained jammed for six days and kept more than 300 vessels idling in the Red Sea and Mediterranean Sea. The jammed traffic on either side of the Ever Given-blocked canal reportedly carried around $9.6 billion in trade goods.

The stuck ship became something of a news sensation at the time. It was memed mercilessly by a pandemic-weary world and became a pop cultural touchpoint. The ship was even referenced in the television vampire comedy “What We Do in the Shadows,” with one of the main characters reportedly coffin-bound somewhere in the bowels of the cargo vessel.

For many people, it was their first introduction to the world of global logistics. The accident highlighted a sprawling system of trade that must be precisely conducted like a monstrous symphony, lest a sour note cause discord and disaster. And while there were far-ranging consequences from the delayed ships, the attention it gave to how we move goods around the world was a positive outcome. Suddenly, people for whom the shipping of goods was a magical black box were coming to an understanding of what happened after they hit the “buy” button on the e-commerce page.

We’re learning another lesson about global trade as a new presidential administration focuses on the agreements the United States has made with partners both near and far. Unfortunately, given the politically charged nature of the moment, it does not feel as lighthearted as a big ship stuck in a tiny canal. Nevertheless, logistics will be in the spotlight again, and the public will be educated, for better or worse.

It’s fitting then that the core of this month’s issue is logistics. Back in December, I had the great pleasure of speaking with Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals President and CEO Mark Baxa. The conversation we had was far-reaching and deeply informative. His perspective on how the economy and the possibility of far-reaching tariffs would affect the movement of goods is one you’ll want to read in our Q&A.

In a nutshell, there is a possibility that growers will need to be both nimble and highly focused on the contracts they’ve already forged with suppliers. The year in logistics will be incredibly dynamic, requiring a close eye on everything from where your business inputs are being sourced to how happy your in-house freight drivers are.

We’re far away from the days of the Ever Given, which was a single point of blockage in the logistics stream. It’s a different world with different issues that make that big stuck ship feel very small indeed. But the good news is that we’re here, as always, to help you navigate the choppy waters.

Patrick Alan Coleman, Editor | pcoleman@gie.net

This article appeared in the February 2025 issue of Greenhouse Management magazine under the headline "Shipmates."