US government extends a hand to small shipyards

The money will support ship repair and build infrastructure and the purchase of equipment including cranes, plasma cutters and welding systems. Grants will also support training programmes aimed at strengthening the US maritime workforce.

US Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy said the funding represented a 300% increase in shipyard investment and would support efforts to rebuild the country’s maritime industrial base.

“Revitalizing this once great industry enhances our national security, reshores good paying jobs, and ensures goods get to where they need to go affordably, he said.”

MARAD Administrator Stephen M. Carmel said the funding would allow shipyards to modernise facilities, improve competitiveness and develop workforce skills.

The programme will prioritise projects incorporating innovative technology.

According to US president Donald Trump, commercial shipbuilding and maritime workforce has been weakened by decades of government neglect, leading to the decline of ‘a once strong industry base while simultaneously empowering our adversaries and eroding United States national security’.

“Both our allies and our strategic competitors produce ships for a fraction of the cost needed in the United States,” it says. “Recent data shows that the United States constructs less than one percent of commercial ships globally, while the People’s Republic of China (PRC) is responsible for producing approximately half.”

The funding will be given out to small shipyards that qualify with a maximum award of $1 million per shipyard.