Features Breakbulk & Project Cargo
Education economics
Breakbulk professionals connecting maritime education with industry realities
By Autumn Cafiero Giusti
As retirements among a rapidly aging population erode breakbulk and project logistics’ highly specialized workforce, maritime education programs are working to fill that gap by embracing AI and employing working professionals to inject industry-specific training into curriculums and raise awareness about a sector some students may not know exists.
“ We continue to see that talent gap,” as older workers retire, said John Hark, director of North America chartering for Bertling Logistics Services and an adjunct professor at Texas A & M University at Galveston, citing a Pew Research Center report that found roughly 10,000 Baby Boomers would turn 65 each day between 2011 and 2030.
“ Some of the best professors we have here are also professionals in the industry.”
Cassia Bomer Galvao, associate professor of maritime studies at Texas A & M Galveston, told the Journal of Commerce it’ s becoming more difficult to hang onto the working professionals maritime and supply chain programs count on to teach their courses. Ironically, that’ s because of the ongoing labor shortage these programs have been working to address.
“ Some of the best professors we have here are also professionals in the industry. And when the industry got hot in terms of jobs, some of those professionals went back to work and are not doing education anymore,” she said.
Galvao said it’ s become challenging for programs to connect degrees to professions as they work to keep up with the fast pace of the industry, and as curriculum restraints force programs to cover more material in less time.
The proliferation of AI is one contributing factor. Galvao said 2026 marks the first year that the program’ s cohort of students have had access to ChatGPT throughout their entire college experience.
That makes it more challenging for employers to vet potential hires, especially given the complex nature of the breakbulk and project logistics sector.
Cassia Bomer Galvao Associate Professor of Maritime Studies, Texas A & M Galveston |
John Hark Director of North America Chartering, Bertling Logistics Services |
Errin Howard Executive Director, We Work the Waterways |
Madhav Pappu Clinical Associate Professor of International Logistics and Supply Chain Management, Texas A & M Galveston |
16 Journal of Commerce | September 2026 www. joc. com