Continuing Education: Transiting the Panama Canal

Supply Chain Management cannot be learned by phone and email alone. One must experience the massive size of the vessels and the great distances they cover to even begin to understand the scale involved in international logistics.

In order to provide that insight to our newer operators, Hudson places them on a Hudson vessel for a short voyage, the latest of which was transiting the Panama Canal. The operator gets to experience life as a crewman on a vessel, and gleans knowledge and insight from veteran captains and accomplished officers. The operator observes all the workings of the vessel, gaining appreciation of how the vessel interacts with suppliers, customers and operators at the bedrock level.

On these introductory voyages operators begin to comprehend that administering a voyage is not just about numbers, but about guiding these tremendous vessels across vast oceans and through narrow canals. They understand that each voyage involves hundreds of moving parts, people from dozens of different countries, and thousands of tons of steel, oil and materiel. Hudson is proud to offer this program to our operators, and this hands on understanding of international trade is part of what sets Hudson apart in the supply chain management industry.