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 […]
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 […]
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, […]
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 […]
Jennifer Carpenter: America First Requires the Jones Act
By Jennifer Carpenter, President of the American Maritime Partnership. It comes as no surprise that President Donald Trump is building a legacy as a consequential maritime president. After all, there are few areas of our economy that are more America First than the U.S. maritime industry. We have been a maritime nation since our founding, […]
VOGEL: Want More Ships? Fix How Washington Builds Them
By Jeff Vogel, TOTE Services. President Donald Trump’s call for new investment in U.S. shipbuilding comes at a pivotal moment. From icebreakers to training ships, America faces rising demand for vessels even as foreign competitors pour billions into their own yards. But there has been significant concern about how America can keep up. Government shipbuilding programs have fallen behind due […]
How This Shipyard is Training America’s Next Generation of Shipbuilders
By VOICES Staff. As the Trump administration’s focus on domestic energy production drives new opportunities in American shipbuilding, the Jones Act remains critical to workforce development initiatives across the maritime industry. Eastern Shipbuilding Group recently launched an innovative Marine Electrician Apprenticeship Program to grow Florida’s 65,900-strong maritime workforce—but warns that any Jones Act repeal would […]
Great Lakes Announces the Delivery of its Newest Hopper Dredge, the Amelia Island
By Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation. HOUSTON, Aug. 20, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation (“Great Lakes” or the “Company”) (NASDAQ: GLDD), the largest provider of dredging services in the United States, today announced it took delivery of its newest Jones Act-compliant hopper dredge, the Amelia Island from the Conrad Shipyard in Morgan City, […]
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 […]