Sea Aggies Eye Containerless Careers at Breakbulk Americas
Dr. Cassia Bomer Galvao says Education Day Activities connect the next generation of maritime professionals with a wide range of industry opportunities.
Education Day includes guided tours of the showroom floor so students can see the connections between warehouses, trucking companies, ocean carriers, and others in the breakbulk industry. Credit: Breakbulk Americas Official Photography
Texas A&M University at Galveston (TAMUG) students raring to chart maritime career paths could find the coordinates and connections they need in Houston this week.
Credit: Breakbulk Americas Official Photography
Breakbulk Americas will bring thousands of supply chain professionals from more than 60 nations to Houston for a two-day annual trade event focused on cargo that doesn’t go into containers — lumber and wind turbine blades, for example.
“For students, the biggest benefit is exposure,” said Dr. Cassia Bomer Galvao, associate professor of Maritime Studies in the College of Marine Sciences & Maritime Studies. “They get to see how broad the maritime, logistics, and project cargo industries really are. You can see the moment when a student discovers a company, a career path, or an aspect of the industry they didn’t know excited.”
Scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday, Sept. 22 and 23, at the George R. Brown Convention Center, the conference draws cargo owners, shippers, and logistics providers from Canada south to Latin America and the Caribbean.
Students don’t need to be nearing graduation to benefit from the opportunities offered during NextWave Education Day on Wednesday, Sept. 23.
“They meet professionals, learn about career paths they may not have considered, and begin connecting what they learn in the classroom with real-world operations,” Galvao said. “And importantly, they have an opportunity to start building their professional networks before they graduate.”
Galvao, who spent years in the maritime industry before moving into academia, is co-chairing Education Day for the fourth year. The Aggie educator was recruited for the role by co-chair Margaret A. Kidd, Department Chair of Logistics & Supply Chain Management at San Jacinto College.
“One of the things I care deeply about is reducing the distance between what we teach in the classroom and what the maritime industry needs,” Galvao said. “Breakbulk Education Day creates exactly that kind of bridge, as it brings students, educators, and industry professionals together and allows students to see that maritime is not simply an industry of ships and cargo; it is an industry of people, ideas, technology, and opportunities.”
Education Day programming includes speakers, presentations, and professional development as well as opportunities to visit the showroom for introductions to warehouse companies, engineering firms, port authorities, third-party logistics companies, and software solution providers.
Students can also win prize money through a poster contest. Sea Aggies Hunter Newton ’25 and Swarna Rani Biswas were among those scoring honorable mentions in the contest last year.
“The conference provided a unique opportunity to showcase my research, engage with industry professionals, and gain valuable insights into the breakbulk and project cargo sector,” said Biswas, who expects to graduate with a Master of Maritime Business Administration and Logistics degree in May 2027.
“My favorite memory was connecting with professionals from different companies and learning how each of them approaches handling breakbulk cargo,” Biswas said. “In fact, the relationships I built through the event helped me secure a summer internship with CMA CGM America, making it one of the most memorable and rewarding parts of attending Education Day.”
Credit: Breakbulk Americas Official Photography
Newton doesn’t specifically work in the breakbulk sector of the shipping industry but is closely aligned to it as a maritime maintenance and logistics coordinator for Trident Consultants LLC in Lake Charles, Louisiana.
“I was down at the port (Sept. 17), and there was a lumber ship that our boat was up next to,” noted Newton, who manages corrective actions, requisitions, and critical tasks for Carlsen Mooring and Harbor Docking & Towing and serves as back-up dispatcher. “We are a harbor tug company, and we move breakbulk ships as well as others.”
Newton, who graduated with his Bachelor of Science in Maritime Business Administration and Master of Maritime Business Administration and Logistics in May, described attending Breakbulk as an annual rite of his time at TAMUG.
“Our professors encouraged us to go every year,” Newton said, adding that the free training and networking opportunities make attending the conference worth it. “Most of these other conferences cost a lot of money.”
The Sea Aggie enjoyed adding to his LinkedIn contacts and meeting students from other colleges.
Student interest in Breakbulk Americas is growing. Education Day has grown from drawing 200 college students annually a few years ago to more than 400 in 2025, and Galvao expects to break the record again this year.
Late last week, more than 60 TAMUG students had signed up. Registration wraps up today, Sept. 21. Visit here to do so.
“We are seeing broader participation, stronger connections with universities, more interaction between students and industry, and more opportunities for students to contribute rather than simply attend,” Galvao said. “There is also a cumulative effect: students talk to other students, faculty see the value of bringing their classes, companies become more engaged, and the program gets stronger each year.”
Credit: Breakbulk Americas Official Photography
