SMEA graduate students Megan Desillier, Seth Sivinski, and Nicole White recently completed a year long capstone project in which they worked with the International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation (ITOPF) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Office of Response and Restoration to understand how the world’s shipping dynamic has changed in recent years and how these emerging challenges in marine transportation will affect that dynamic. The ITOPF, NOAA, and the marine industry can consider these emerging risks in marine transportation as they plan for the future. Their study concludes that response organizations will need to emphasize new contingency planning and condition monitoring and assessment in response to changes such as climate, patterns of trade, and developing technologies in the marine transportation system. Along with ITOPF and NOAA, students worked with faculty advisors Tom Leschine and Bob Pavia. To read more about the project, visit NOAA’s Response and Restoration Blog.