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Bipartisan Legislation Introduced to Revitalize the Maritime Industry in the United States
The U.S. currently has eighty ongoing commercial vessels. Ten years ago, there were over two hundred. Lawmakers claim “decades of neglect” is the reasoning for this continual decline. To aid in resuscitating the U.S.’s position in the international maritime industry, bipartisan legislation was introduced into congress last December. This legislation, the Shipbuilding and Harbor Infrastructure for Prosperity and Security (SHIPS) for America Act, is sponsored by Rep. John Garamendi (D-CA), Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Sen. Todd Young (R-IN), and Rep. Trent Kelly (R-MS). According to its sponsors, “this historic bipartisan proposal would restore American leadership across the oceans by establishing national oversight and consistent funding for U.S. maritime policy, incentivizing domestic shipbuilding, enabling U.S.-flagged vessels to better compete in international commerce, rebuilding the U.S. shipyard industrial base, and expanding the mariner and shipyard workforce.”
In 2022, the U.S. had five new commercial ships built and in comparison, China built 1,794 that same year. If passed, the SHIPS Act would require 250 ships to be built within 10 years through the creation of the Strategic Commercial Fleet Program. This program would develop a fleet of domestically built, commercially operated, and American-crewed vessels.
“We’ve always been a maritime nation, but the truth is we’ve lost ground to China, who now dominates international shipping and can build merchant and military ships much more quickly than we can,” said Kelly. Rep. Mike Waltz, current U.S. National Security Advisor for Trump’s Administration claims that the “strength of the [U.S.] Navy will be underlined by the strength of our maritime industry.” “…The Chinese navy is growing, doing it on the back of its commercial shipbuilding industry,” Waltz added.
China currently boasts a fleet of 5,500 vessels: two-hundred times more than U.S. shipbuilding capacity according to U.S. naval intelligence. Another requirement of the act is that at least 10% of China’s imports move on U.S.-built and registered ships that are crewed by U.S. citizens. This act has garnered support from leaders within the U.S. Navy. The former Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro explained during a speech at the American Society of Naval Engineers conference: “The Ships Act codifies much of what the Navy is trying to do with its Maritime Statecraft initiative, which focuses on expanding shipbuilding capacity by strengthening the government’s relationships with industry and boosting commercial shipbuilders.”
The SHIPS for America’s act will have to be reintroduced into the new congress to be reviewed within the relevant committees. With former co-sponsor Mike Waltz holding office as U.S. National Security Advisor and Bipartisan sponsors in both chambers of Congress, advocates are optimistic for its likelihood of being passed into law. For a section-by-section summary of the bill click here.
Contributor: Makenzie Leftridge
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References
https://natlawreview.com/article/ships-america-act-launched-congress
https://www.waterwaysjournal.net/2025/01/03/what-to-expect-from-the-ships-for-america-act/