President Donald Trump and I recognize that U.S. maritime power is now more important than ever. Novel seaways are opening new trade routes in the Arctic, and new canals are connecting distant places. Innovation in waterway technology is unlocking new development opportunities and potential conflicts.
That’s why the president signed an executive order Wednesday to revive our maritime industry from a decades-long decline. The Department of Transportation will carry out this order by facilitating overdue investments in our ports, boosting domestic production of both commercial and defense vessels, and expanding the fleet of mariners to command this new armada effectively, safeguarding the freedom of the seas.
In 2022, U.S. shipyards produced just five large commercial vessels. Across the Pacific, China built nearly 1,800, with Beijing dominating more than half the global market. Our national security depends on Trump’s order to reverse this dangerous trend, with the Transportation Department’s Maritime Administration on the front line of the president’s rescue plan.
There used to be more than 300 U.S. shipyards just half a century ago that regularly released hundreds of big, beautiful American-flagged ships out to sea. Today, roughly 20 public and private shipyards remain, with major production sites shut down from coast to coast.
New York’s Brooklyn Naval Shipyard launched some of the military’s most powerful warships, employing 70,000 at its peak during World War II. The shipyard was decommissioned, however, in a wave of closures that paralyzed American shipbuilders. The jobs went the way of the steel mills: forgotten and abroad.
But low boat production is only half the problem. Even if U.S. shipyards produced the same number of ocean-faring ships they used to, America lacks enough mariners to sail them. Today’s mariner workforce is just a fraction of the 243,000 who served during WWII, and the United States Merchant Marine Academy only graduates around 200 every year. Americans need more jobs, and America needs more mariners.
Recently, I got an up-close look at the Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, New York. Since WWII, this institution has operated as a critical training ground to prepare mariners today for the rough waters of tomorrow. But I saw a dilapidated campus where first-rate students are trained under second-class conditions. Mold contaminates dorms and classrooms. Tar drips from the ceilings. Water damage is everywhere. The academy has become a disturbing reflection of our maritime industry after decades of neglect.
The Department of Transportation is eager to lead this once-in-a-generation chance to build back now. The president’s order has specifically tasked our department’s Maritime Administration to spearhead six key initiatives to usher in this Trump-era maritime renaissance.
First, the Maritime Administration will establish a shipbuilding financial incentives program to catalyze investment in commercial vessels. Second, the administration will create maritime opportunity zones to bring foreign and domestic capital to America’s shipyards. Third, the Maritime Administration will develop plans with other agencies to establish demand for U.S. shipping. Fourth, we will equip our merchant marine academies with the resources to train the next generation of sailors. Fifth, we will improve procurement efficiency. And finally, the Maritime Administration will work to proliferate the number of commercial vessels released from American shipyards.
The president directed the Maritime Administration to lead these initiatives for good reason. While nearly every ship from the military is delivered late and over budget, the Maritime Administration has consistently completed projects on schedule and within means since WWII. Every vessel ordered from the Maritime Administration has been delivered on time and under budget since April 2020, offering a model for the military to produce ships more efficiently. The Maritime Administration is the only federal agency with a holistic view of the entire industry and is best positioned to coordinate such a herculean effort.
While the U.S. decommissioned wartime shipyards throughout the 20th century, Beijing accelerated the development of its industrial base. Make no mistake, the U.S. is in a sea race with the Chinese in the 21st century as much as we were in a space race with the Soviets through the 20th. And we are losing. Beijing’s rapid expansion in shipbuilding has allowed China to eclipse the size of the U.S. Navy. As of 2022, China’s battle force included 351 warships compared to 294 operated by the U.S. Navy. But it’s not just military vessels China is producing to challenge American hegemony.
Today, China is the world’s largest shipbuilder, producing more than half of the world’s commercial market. In contrast, the U.S.’s share has declined to just 0.1%. Last year alone, a single Chinese shipbuilder produced more commercial vessels than the entire U.S. industry since the end of WWII, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
A robust maritime industry also offers advantages beyond military power and influence over commercial shipping. Deep-sea reserves of key resources represent a $20 trillion opportunity on this final frontier of planetary exploration. While China competes at the surface, Beijing looks down as much as we look up. New technology is unlocking these rare mineral deposits across the ocean floor, and the Chinese want to be the first to tap them. Earlier this year, China approved construction of the world’s first deepwater “space station” 2,000 meters below the surface to discover how to reach these resources.
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The U.S. will need to rebuild a competitive maritime industry if we’re going to maintain competitiveness with our most powerful adversary. The strength of our naval forces propelled us through WWII, and the strength of our mariners will safeguard us in future conflicts. The status quo is unacceptable, and our own national security is at stake.
The inauguration of a new Trump-era in maritime dominance is a fundamental feature of the golden age of transportation.
Sean P. Duffy is the U.S. Secretary of Transportation.