U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell, the Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, delivered opening remarks at a subcommittee hearing focused on reviving commercial shipbuilding in the United States. The hearing was held by the Subcommittee on Coast Guard, Maritime, and Fisheries.
Senator Cantwell began by thanking Chairman Sullivan and Senator Blunt Rochester for holding the hearing. She emphasized that shipbuilding is a bipartisan issue and stressed the need for more American-built and American-crewed ships to expand global trade, protect supply chains, and strengthen national security.
“It was great to have the MARAD nominee before us last week who shared an enthusiastic vision of how the United States needs to regain our maritime leadership. I look forward to confirming him in this spot,” Cantwell said.
She pointed out that after decades of decline, the U.S. now constructs only 0.2 percent of the world's commercial shipping tonnage, while China, South Korea, and Japan account for over 90 percent. In 2022 alone, China had 1,794 commercial ocean-going ships under construction compared to just five in the United States.
Cantwell highlighted the importance of trade for regions like the Pacific Northwest: “Our economy depends on trade. We know that in the Pacific Northwest, where about 40 percent of our state’s [jobs are] dependent on trade, if we do not…revive our shipbuilding capacity, our nation will not be able to compete at this particular moment in the Pacific.”
She called for continued protection of the Jones Act, expansion and streamlining of Title XI loan guarantees, modernization of infrastructure, cargo preference oversight, and support for legislation such as Senator Moran's bill regarding food aid distribution.
Cantwell also stressed investment in technology and training: “We need to invest in the technology and training to establish cutting-edge maritime ecosystems so that our shipyards and our workers can build the most sophisticated ships in the world.” She noted that Washington state's maritime sector supports 174,000 jobs across various industries with $45 billion in economic revenue. Shipbuilding jobs offer an average salary of $120,000.
The senator recognized Ms. Snow from Seattle’s shipyard for growing her workforce from 30 employees in 2020 to over 100 today. Cantwell encouraged colleagues to listen to Snow’s experience recruiting new talent as a potential model nationwide.
She also acknowledged Mr. Paxton from one of America’s largest shipyards—including Vigor operations in Washington—and looked forward to his insights on increasing capacity and addressing workforce challenges. Cantwell welcomed Mr. Vogel from Tote for his perspective on construction management and support for U.S.-flagged fleets. She mentioned Dr. Mercogliano’s proposal for a mariner reserve similar to military reserves as an idea worth committee consideration.
“I think the President, I think the MARAD nominee, and I think the Secretary of Transportation have all said they want to make this maritime revival a national priority. I do too,” Cantwell concluded.
Video recordings and full transcripts of Senator Cantwell’s remarks and Q&A are available online.
