Ninety percent of global trade moves by sea, yet the people and operations that make this possible remain largely invisible.

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I grew up in Portland near the river port, so maritime operations fascinated me early. I then spent 10 years in South Korea working in international trade and around the shipbuilding industry.

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What strikes me is how people take for granted the complexity of maritime commerce. Everything on our store shelves moves through ports like LA Harbor, but the process and the people behind it are invisible.

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LA Harbor is so complex that no single person understands the entire system. A tugboat captain might know the harbor channels perfectly, but once the vessel docks, she's an outsider watching longshoremen do their work. Everyone has deep expertise in their piece, but the full picture only emerges when you document all those pieces together.

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This project makes visible the skilled professionals and coordination that make global commerce work. From the outside, ports seem harsh and industrial. Up close, you see real people doing incredibly important, complex, beautiful work.

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Inspired by Rose George's Ninety Percent of Everything and Marc Levinson's The Box, this documentary series profiles the captains, engineers, longshoremen, and maritime professionals whose expertise keeps the global supply chain moving.

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Featured Operations: APM Terminals, Foss Maritime, BayDelta Maritime, with more on the calendar.

 

Participate in This Project
If your company operates in the maritime world, I want to hear from you.

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This is self-funded editorial work so there's no cost to participate. I work with your team to document operations safely and efficiently. All content is available for your marketing and communications use.

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Contact: aaron@aaronmckenzie.net | 949.241.4023

 

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