Great Lakes Icebreaker Gap Threatens American Maritime Dominance
By James Weakley, Lake Carriers’ Association. When Americans think of our coastlines, most picture the beaches of the Atlantic, the Pacific, or the Gulf. But the Great Lakes are America’s fourth coast — a 2,300-mile expanse reaching deep into the nation’s industrial heartland. Each year, this system moves more than 135 million tons of cargo worth over […]
America’s Shipyards Are Working — and Winning
By VOICES Staff. Across the United States, the shipbuilding industry is booming. According to WorkBoat’s 2024 Construction Survey, more than 925 vessels were either delivered, under construction, or on order in the past year alone. That includes everything from tugboats and training ships to advanced subsea installation vessels and LNG-ready containerships. Recent milestones in Pennsylvania […]
The Trump Opportunity: Shipbuilders Discuss America’s Maritime Moment
By VOICES Staff. For the first time in decades, the men and women of American Maritime are in the spotlight, receiving Presidential and Congressional support, attention that industry veterans say was “really unimaginable until really just two or three years ago.” At a recent Hudson Institute panel discussion, leading voices in American shipbuilding came together […]
Long trek to Lone Star State sparked plan for SC maritime academy
by David Wren, SC Daily Gazette, August 8, 2025. With more than 1,100 miles to think while driving from Charleston to Galveston, Texas, three years ago, state Rep. Tom Hartnett Jr. found himself asking the same question again and again. Why doesn’t South Carolina have its own maritime academy? Hartnett was taking his son, Rhett, […]
‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ bolsters Coast Guard shipbuilding programs
By Steve Wilson. (The Center Square) — Passage of the “Big, Beautiful Bill” this summer has provided a jolt to the U.S. Coast Guard’s shipbuilding program as it seeks to replace most of its aging fleet. The service’s most important shipbuilding program, the Heritage class Offshore Patrol Cutter, is years behind schedule and its cost […]
Crowley Tug Repowers Boost Maritime Readiness in America’s Busiest Ports
By VOICES Staff. Two of the hardest-working tugboats on the West Coast are back in action—smarter, cleaner, and more powerful than ever. Crowley has completed full repowers of the Master and Leader, its ship assist and escort tugs serving the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. These modernizations are helping ensure the ports — […]
Muscular new escort tug supports a resurgent Port of Baltimore
By Casey Conoly, Professional Mariner. McAllister Towing & Transportation’s multiyear fleet renewal gained momentum this spring with the arrival of Isabel McAllister in the Port of Baltimore. The 6,770-hp tug is the fourth delivery in a six-boat series from Washburn & Doughty Associates in East Boothbay, Maine. The shipyard also designed Isabel using its proven […]
U.S. Shipyards Set the Standard for Safety: SCA Honors 14 Facilities for 2024 Excellence
By VOICES Staff. WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Shipbuilders Council of America (SCA) has announced its annual Safety Awards, honoring 14 U.S. shipyards for their outstanding safety performance in 2024. The awards recognize facilities that met rigorous standards in promoting safe work environments across the shipbuilding, repair, and maintenance sector. This industry plays a vital role […]
Michael Lind: A libertarian radical sank America’s maritime industry. It needs to be restored.
By Michael Lind, Economics Editor at Commonplace. Ironically, it was the administration of President Ronald Reagan, an ardent Cold Warrior, that crippled American shipbuilding and America’s merchant marine. The individual most responsible for the destruction of America’s commercial ship construction industry was Martin Anderson, who served in the Reagan White House as assistant to the […]
Protecting American Waterways
By Julio Rivera. Donald Trump’s re-election is more than a political outcome. It’s a signal that national security from the southern border to shorelines will once again be given top priority. And with that, one of the most critical pieces of legislation to domestic security, the Jones Act, which is also a long-standing protector of America, […]