Drone shipbuilder plans to hire 1,500 for its St. Mary Parish facility
By Greg LaRose, Louisiana Illuminator. Just months after it acquired a St. Mary Parish shipyard, a Texas company plans to increase the number of drone vessels it will build there and intends to hire 1,500 employees for the additional work, Louisiana Economic Development officials announced Wednesday. Austin-based Saronic Technologies will spend $300 million at its […]
Jones Act Operator Crowley Earns Environmental Achievement Honors for Combined 958 Years of Safe Operations
By Crowley. (JACKSONVILLE, Fla.; Dec. 3, 2025) – Crowley has been recognized by the Chamber of Shipping of America (CSA) for its commitment to environmental stewardship, earning Environmental Achievement Awards for 108 Crowley-operated vessels that have collectively earned 958 years without an incident. The awards celebrate companies and mariners who maintain the highest standards of safety […]
Chesapeake Bay leaders set new cleanup goal for 2040
By Christine Condon, Maryland Matters, Chesapeake Bay area leaders have officially committed to a new deadline for improving the health of the nation’s largest estuary: 2040. The plan approved Tuesday by the state and federal policymakers on the Chesapeake Executive Council is a revised version of their 2014 agreement, which came with a 2025 deadline […]
MV Jean Anne Makes History as First U.S. Ro-Ro to Plug Into Shore Power
By VOICES Staff. The United States just hit a major clean-maritime milestone at the Port of San Diego, where Pasha Hawaii’s MV Jean Anne became the first roll-on/roll-off (ro-ro) vessel in the nation to connect to shore power. This achievement also marks the first-ever shore-powered pure car/truck carrier (PCTC) in America, setting a new standard […]
Automation Serves as a Workforce Multiplier for Maritime
By Brooklyn Kiosow, Marketing Communications Manager at Formic. Across the U.S., manufacturers are racing to meet growing demand for products. But with too few people to fill critical production roles, many are turning to temporary labor, overtime, and outsourcing just to keep up. On the production floor, employees are feeling the physical toll: lifting, stacking, […]
WWII Merchant Mariners Recognized Nationwide During Veterans Day 2025
By VOICES Staff. Across the United States this Veterans Day, Americans honored the extraordinary service and sacrifice of our warfighters—especially the World War II merchant mariners who helped win the war at sea. From solemn national ceremonies in Washington, DC, to parade routes in New York City, to hometown remembrances, the 2025 commemorations underscored a […]
Matson Partners with WhaleSpotter to Commercialize Breakthrough Whale Detection Technology
HONOLULU, Nov. 3, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Matson, Inc. (“Matson”) today announced a product agreement with WhaleSpotter Corp. (“WhaleSpotter”) to purchase and deploy a groundbreaking whale detection system developed by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), making Matson the first container shipping company to deploy this advanced marine protection technology. Developed at WHOI with support from […]
Around the World, Nations Are Adopting Their Own Jones Acts
By VOICES Staff. A new study by Seafarers’ Rights International (SRI), commissioned by the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF), finds that 105 nations now have cabotage laws — up from 91 in 2018 — covering 85 percent of the world’s coastlines. These are laws that reserve a nation’s domestic shipping routes for its own vessels, […]
For America’s Economy and Health, Alaska Seafood is the Answer
by Matt Alward, Alaska Beacon. October 27, 2025 As food prices rise and federal leaders revisit trade and nutrition policies, one solution has quietly been working for decades: Alaska’s commercial seafood industry. It is not only a pillar of our state’s economy, but also a strategic asset in strengthening America’s food security, trade competitiveness, and […]
The Tugboat, Towboat and Barge Industry’s Importance to National and Homeland Security
By American Waterways Operators. The American Waterways Operators, the trade association of the American tugboat, towboat and barge industry, has released a new video on the industry’s contributions to U.S. national and homeland security. The two-minute video, The Tugboat, Towboat and Barge Industry: Supplying America, Securing America, notes that while the mariners who transport cargo […]