Navigating trade uncertainty: How ports adapt to shifting tariff policies
Maria Lehman examines how ports are balancing long-term infrastructure investments with rapidly changing trade policies in Maritime Reporter and Engineering News. As Executive Advisor for US Infrastructure at GHD and Interim Executive Director of the American Society of Civil Engineers, she explores the fundamental challenge ports face: infrastructure designed for 30- to 50-year timelines operating in an environment of unprecedented policy volatility.
The article highlights how ports are responding through flexible terminal designs, diversified cargo strategies and innovative domestic transportation solutions. Maria discusses the shift from north-south to east-west trade corridors, the resurgence of domestic ports like New York City's Blue Highways initiative and how onshoring manufacturing creates new opportunities for maritime infrastructure.
She also addresses the risks of policy-driven stranded assets, noting how the cancellation of $679 million for offshore wind projects left small and medium ports with completed infrastructure facing uncertain futures. The solution lies in multi-use terminals that remain resilient regardless of changing policies and investment priorities.
GHD maintains robust client relationships to workshop these challenges, providing ports with scenarios to inform capital decisions in an environment where trade patterns shift faster than infrastructure can adapt.
Read the full article in Maritime Reporter and Engineering News: Navigating trade uncertainty: How ports adapt to shifting tariff policies
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GHD es una empresa líder en servicios profesionales que opera en los mercados mundiales de agua, energía y recursos, medio ambiente, infraestructura y edificaciones, y transporte. Comprometidos con la visión de garantizar que el agua, la energía y las comunidades sean sostenibles para las futuras generaciones, GHD ofrece soluciones en consultoría, servicios digitales, ingeniería, arquitectura, medio ambiente y construcción a clientes del sector público y privado. Fundada en 1928 y propiedad de sus trabajadores, GHD cuenta con una red de más de 12.000 profesionales en más de 165 oficinas en cinco continentes.