Us Maritime Administration News

We are approaching the end of America’s 250th birthday year, a year of reflecting on the vital contributions of American maritime to building and strengthening our nation. Against this backdrop, it’s ironic and unfortunate that this year has also brought a misguided assault on the Jones Act, the foundation of America’s maritime strength and independence throughout the modern era. The tradeoff? America’s maritime future for a political talking point and less than a penny a gallon in savings at the gas pump.In March…

On October 27, 2026, the U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) Awarded $41,414,928 in Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP) Grants to Corn Belt Ports. MARAD continues to invest in the four modern, sustainable, rural, regional, multimodal, inland, partnership ports in the Heart of the Corn Belt. Since 2003, a total of $143 million has been invested by MARAD in eleven rural port infrastructure projects (See attached slides for more background information).“The regionalization of the ports in the Heart of the Corn Belt is paying off…

TOTE Services, LLC, a U.S. maritime services company specializing in vessel construction management and ship management, announced its first shipyard selection, Hanwha Defense USA (HDUS), for the Medium Landing Ship (LSM) program under TOTE Services’ Vessel Construction Manager (VCM) contract for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps.As VCM for the LSM program, TOTE Services issued a request for proposals (RFP) to qualified U.S. shipyards in July 2026. The award covers construction of one LSM, valued at $269 million, at Hanwha Philly Shipyard (HPSI), with options for three additional vessels.

Bayonne Drydock & Repair Corp. has secured a $673,123 grant from the U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) to upgrade surface preparation equipment and expand workforce training at its ship repair facility in the Port of New York and New Jersey.Awarded through MARAD's Small Shipyard Grant Program, the funding will be combined with the shipyard's own investment to purchase automated ultra-high-pressure hydro-blasting and surface preparation equipment. The improvements are intended to increase productivity…

ABS and the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Nuclear Energy have signed a memorandum of understanding to advance modern commercial nuclear technology at sea. The agreement spans floating power solutions, nuclear-powered vessels and the development of the ports, shipyards and industrial base needed to build and sustain them.Key priorities include concept and feasibility studies for floating nuclear power and nuclear transportation corridors, and support for developing a U.S. shipbuilding sector capable of building and operating nuclear-powered assets safely.

TOTE Services, LLC, a U.S. maritime services company specializing in vessel construction management and ship management, signed a contract with the U.S. Department of Transportation - Maritime Administration (MARAD) to serve as vessel construction manager (VCM) for the Missile Range Instrumentation Vessel (MRIV) program. The MRIV will support the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) in advancing national security. Immediately following this award, TOTE Services also executed a shipyard subcontract with Hanwha Philly Shipyard (HPSI) to construct the first MRIV.

Stephen M. Carmel & MarAd are aiming to make this U.S. Maritime Rebuild StickFor anyone who has spent a career in the U.S. maritime industry, the past two years have been unusual by any metric. Maritime has moved from the far margins of federal policy discussions to center stage, with rebuilding American shipbuilding, the Merchant Marine and the maritime industrial base elevated a national priority. Action to shore up the big ship, military portion of the equation has been rapid and measurable.

SeaTac Marine Services, a small business marine transportation company in Seattle, WA, took delivery of a Taylor 700XL Forklift in May 2025. With help from the US Maritime Administration’s Marine Highway Grant program, SeaTac Marine Services was able to purchase this American-made machine, built by Taylor Forklifts in Louisville, Mississippi, it is fully "Build America, Buy America Act" compliant. Established in 2007, the US Marine Highway Program provides federal funding for projects and water-based freight improvements.

The fourth of five National Security Multi-Mission Vessels (NSMVs), Lone Star State, was christened on July 17 at Hanwha Philly Shipyard in Philadelphia, marking another milestone in the U.S. Maritime Administration's next-generation training ship program.Built by Hanwha Philly Shipyard under the Vessel Construction Manager (VCM) model managed by TOTE Services, the vessel will be delivered to Texas A&M Maritime Academy this fall, where it will serve as the academy's primary training ship while also supporting federal humanitarian assistance and disaster response missions.Rachel Campos-Duffy…

Hanwha Philly Shipyard (HPSI) and TOTE Services were selected to deliver the Missile Defense Agency’s (MDA) Missile Range Instrumentation Vessels (MRIV). TOTE Services will serve as vessel construction manager (VCM), and HPSI will build the ships at its Philadelphia shipyard.The MRIV will replace the Pacific Tracker and Pacific Collector, which currently support missile range instrumentation missions, and were constructed in 1965 and 1970, respectively. The selection of a VCM for the MRIV program comes as the federal government sharpens its focus on rebuilding the U.S.

TOTE Services, LLC, has been awarded a contract by the Portfolio Acquisition Executive for Maritime (PAE Maritime) to serve as Vessel Construction Manager (VCM) for the Medium Landing Ship (LSM) program.The LSM program is a multi-ship effort requiring coordination across U.S. shipyards, suppliers, designers, manufacturers, and government stakeholders. The program will require standardizing configuration across the fleet, using multi-ship procurement to support favorable pricing and delivering mission-ready vessels with lifecycle logistics in place.

On March 17, 2026, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security took the extraordinary step of issuing a sweeping waiver of the Jones Act at the request of the U.S. Department of Defense. The waiver, one of the broadest in the history of the nation’s cabotage laws, opened U.S. domestic waterways to foreign-flagged and foreign-built vessels carrying hundreds of energy and agricultural commodity types. To understand why this matters and why it remains deeply controversial, an understanding of the underlying law is necessary.The Jones Act, named for its sponsor Senator Wesley L.

Crowley mariners who served aboard the U.S.-flagged tanker Stena Immaculate were honored with the U.S. Maritime Administration’s (MARAD) Gallant Ship Award during the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Maritime Day observance in Washington, D.C. The award, one of the maritime industry’s highest distinctions, recognizes the 23-member crew’s extraordinary professionalism, courage and commitment to safety.The award recognizes the crew’s actions during a March 10, 2025 collision in the North Sea…

The U.S. Center for Maritime Innovation (USCMI), with the Maritime Administration and facilitated by the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS), convened maritime, energy, and public-sector leaders for its Innovation Café focused on Small Modular Reactor (SMR) technologies for maritime applications, advancing dialogue on next-generation propulsion and energy solutions for the U.S. maritime sector.As Secretariat of USCMI, ABS plays a central role in leading and facilitating industry dialogue to advance maritime innovation.

With demonstration projects now underway, including a nuclear-powered LNG tanker and an offshore vessel, the debate is shifting from whether nuclear shipping is possible to how it can be delivered. Jan Emblemsvåg, Professor at the Norwegian University of Science & Technology (NTNU)'s Department of Ocean Operations and Civil Engineering in Ålesund, argues that the key barriers are no longer technical, but regulatory, commercial and political.Nuclear propulsion is returning to the…

The guidebooks and river cruise itinerary for the Nile River cruise were  studied and neatly packed for my trip, but nothing really preparedme for what surely is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to savor firsthand and physically close  some of the most striking and memorable scenery andhistory anywhere in the world.As I write this, I’m traveling down the Nile in a flat bottomed, two masted houseboat, a dhahabiya (الدهبية) in Arabic, meaning “golden one,” which vaguely recalls the state barges of Egypt’s medieval Muslim rulers.

Over 300 Cal Poly Maritime Academy cadets will soon embark on their annual Summer Sea Term, a 65-day Pacific training voyage aboard the Training Ship Golden Bear, marking both a defining part of a cadet’s education and the final era of a vessel that has served the seafaring academy for three decades. The voyage also marks the first since the transition from California State University Maritime Academy to Cal Poly Maritime Academy, now part of Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo. The training cruise provides cadets with immersive…

When Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz, the Administration had a real problem on its hands. I understand why a White House would want to move fast, but moving fast and moving smart are not the same thing. This week the Administration extended the current Jones Act waiver for another 90 days. Washington needs to take an honest look at what this waiver has actually produced.The U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD), which oversees the nation’s merchant fleet, has data that tells the story.

Maybe it is a human trait, or maybe a Washington, D.C. trait, but when confronted with a difficult problem with unpalatable solutions, there is usually an impulse to delay the moment of difficult decision by ordering a study. The U.S. merchant marine industry is the poster child for this behavior. The industry has been studied and studied, and is currently being studied, but studies don’t build ships -- shipyards build ships.Going back to the Lynch Committee in 1870, the U.S. government has regularly produced studies on how to revive the U.S. merchant marine.

Financial support from federal and state agencies helped Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, Duclos Corporation, in undertaking capital projects that have made its shipyard operations more efficient and safer.With a Small Shipyard Grant from the U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD), the yard replaced heavy bi-fold doors on its 12,000 square foot Walker St. facility. It took two cranes and as many as six employees to open the doors, explained Peter Duclos, shipyard co-president and director of business development.

Delfin Midstream has extended a letter of award with Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) and placed orders for critical liquefaction equipment, as the company moves toward a final investment decision on the first floating LNG vessel for its Delfin LNG project.The U.S.-based developer said the extension of the letter of award with SHI follows early engagement work carried out in recent weeks and comes as the remaining workstreams required to reach FID are nearing completion. Delfin expects to take a final investment decision during February 2026.Separately…

Crowley Stena Marine Solutions, the joint venture between Crowley and Stena Bulk, has received approval from the U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) to operate the CS Anthem tanker under the Tanker Security Program.The CS Anthem, a U.S.-flagged, 49,990-metric-ton, medium-range tanker, is crewed and managed by Crowley under a bareboat charter through the joint venture. The vessel joins Crowley-managed tankers Stena Imperative and Stena Impeccable in the Tanker Security Program…

Hanwha Group has announced a $5 billion infrastructure plan for Hanwha Philly Shipyard as part of South Korea’s commitment to supporting growth of the U.S. shipbuilding industry through a $150 billion investment fund.The $5 billion program will be dedicated to the installation of two additional docks, and three quays to increase capacity. Hanwha is also reviewing the build-out of a new block assembly facility.Through this expansion, Hanwha aims to increase Philly Shipyard’s annual production volume from less than two vessels to up to 20.