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Global Sustainability Agenda #62: Bringing Shipbuilding Back Home: Why America Must Lead the Next Maritime Era

Global Sustainability Agenda #62: Bringing Shipbuilding Back Home: Why America Must Lead the Next Maritime Era

Global Sustainability Business Impact 

“Decoding Maritime Emissions”: Trade tensions and environmental pressures reshape shipping in Q1 2025 (American Journal of Transportation)

Blank Sailings Cushion Fall for Container Spot Rates (GCaptain)

Trump Says US Ships Need Free Travel Through Panama, Suez Canals (GCaptain)

Ukraine Says It Detained Grain Ship From Russia’s ‘Shadow Fleet (GCaptain)

Gas turbines: Building the bridge to a resilient and low-carbon energy future (GEVernova)

Net zero by 2050 struggles with reality (The Times)

Mumbai Launches Indias Largest Cruise Terminal to Drive Sustainable and Global Tourism Growth (Urban Acres

The path forward

Over 90% of the world’s commercial ships are built overseas. China alone accounts for 71% of global shipbuilding orders, followed by South Korea and Japan. The U.S.? Less than 1%.

This wasn’t always the case. Once a global leader in shipbuilding—especially during WWII—the U.S. maritime industrial base has steadily eroded over the past five decades.

But here’s the hard truth: A nation that can’t build its own ships can’t fully control its economic future or national security.

Global Shipbuilding Market Share 2024 (by author)

The State of U.S. Shipbuilding

Today, the U.S. builds only a handful of oceangoing commercial ships each year. In 2022, just five commercial vessels were built domestically. Meanwhile, military shipbuilding is heavily concentrated in a few aging yards, facing stretched supply chains and limited capacity.

This decline has left America’s supply chains dependent on foreign-built vessels and vulnerable to global disruptions, geopolitical tensions, and economic instability.

Strategic Pillars for Revitalizing U.S. Shipbuilding (by author)

Why This Matters: Economic Strength, Security, and Modernization

Reviving U.S. shipbuilding isn’t just about shipyards—it’s about securing three critical pillars of national strength:

1. Economic Strength

  • Job creation: Revitalizing shipyards and supply chains generates high-paying, skilled jobs across manufacturing, engineering, and logistics.
  • Industrial growth: Shipbuilding fuels related industries—steel, electronics, digital technologies, and more.
  • Supply chain independence: Reduces reliance on foreign nations for critical maritime infrastructure.

2. National Security

  • Fleet readiness: Ensures the U.S. can build, maintain, and expand its military and commercial fleets without foreign dependence.
  • Strategic autonomy: Protects maritime trade routes and defense capabilities in an increasingly unstable geopolitical environment.

3. Modernization

  • Smarter, faster, cleaner ships: Leverages advanced manufacturing, digital shipyards, and modular construction to build next-generation vessels.
  • Competitive advantage: Not by playing catch-up, but by leapfrogging global competitors through innovation.

Policy Momentum: The Ships Act

Recent policy shifts, including the Ships Act, are poised to reshape the future of U.S. shipbuilding. This legislation is designed to bolster domestic shipbuilding by incentivizing investment, securing naval supply chains, and ensuring more ships are built and repaired in American yards.

The Ships Act—expected to pass Congress this week—will unlock new momentum for American shipbuilding. I’ve been closely tracking these developments, and this window of opportunity is real—and fast approaching.

But legislation alone won’t drive results. It takes bold leadership, strategic action, and innovation to capitalize on what’s coming.

How We Rebuild: The Innovation Opportunity

The U.S. won’t compete on labor costs—we’ll compete on technology and innovation:

  • Advanced manufacturing: Using 3D printing and automation to speed up production and cut costs.
  • Modular ship designs: Enabling faster, scalable builds.
  • Digital shipyards: Leveraging AI, digital twins, and automation for efficiency and quality.
  • Next-generation propulsion systems: Delivering cleaner, more efficient ships to lead the global market.

This is how the U.S. leapfrogs back into leadership—by shaping the future, not replicating the past.

The Case for Action: Lead or Fall Behind

The imminent passage of the Ships Act creates a once-in-a-generation opportunity. But opportunity favors the prepared.

Here’s what leaders in maritime, ports, and shipyards need to do right now:

  1. Assess your readiness: Are you positioned to capitalize on government incentives and emerging supply chain shifts? (I offer targeted readiness assessments to help organizations identify gaps and unlock opportunities.)
  2. Build a modernization roadmap: Where can advanced manufacturing, digital tools, or modular designs create a competitive edge for your operations? (I deliver tailored workshops and masterclasses to guide your team through this process.)
  3. Engage with stakeholders and policymakers: Collaborations, joint ventures, and public-private partnerships will shape the future leaders of this industry. (My consulting services include stakeholder engagement strategies and partnership facilitation to position you at the forefront.)

This is the moment to lead. If your organization is ready to explore how to seize this shipbuilding resurgence, I invite you to connect with me directly.

Let’s build the roadmap together.

Schedule a discovery call or inquire about my workshops, masterclasses, and strategy sessions today.

Because economic growth, national strength, and maritime leadership are within reach—but only for those who move first.

Beatriz Canamary

I’ve spent the past 18+ years helping ports, supply chains, and global businesses turn sustainability goals into real, measurable results.
From leading billion-dollar infrastructure projects to building my own consulting firm, I’ve seen how the right strategy can turn pressure into opportunity.

My mission today is simple: help leaders like you build sustainable, future-ready businesses that don’t just check boxes—but actually make an impact. One decision, one project, one team at a time.

Let’s build what’s next—together.
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