WASHINGTON D.C. – April 9, 2025, the Trump administration signed the “Make Shipbuilding Great Again” Executive Order, reversing a half century of neglect and underinvestment in the maritime industry. Roland Rexha, Secretary-Treasurer of the Marine Engineers Beneficial Association (MEBA) – the nation's oldest and largest maritime labor union – released the following statement in response to the announcement:
“For nearly half a century, our nation’s maritime industry has steadily declined due to neglect, underinvestment, and unfair competition driven by China and other adversaries. We applaud today’s Executive Order by the Administration that takes aggressive, necessary action to restore America’s leadership in the global maritime industry.
“The COVID pandemic exposed our inability to move our own goods as a nation, and this decisive action implements a “whole of government” approach to reinvigorate US shipping and address serious national security concerns. Whether you are a farmer in Kansas moving wheat or you own a car dealership in New York, knowing that goods are moving on U.S. ships secures American progress and our economic independence.
“Today’s action is a vital first step in driving both public and private investment toward a meaningful pathway to revitalize US shipbuilding and position the US as a global leader in maritime policy – reversing a decades-long trend of neglect and the potential to create thousands of strong middle class union jobs for the American people.”
Background Information on the State of the U.S. Maritime Industry:
Shipping is the backbone of the global economy. Today, 90% of the world’s goods are transported by sea. However, the U.S. is no longer a competitive force in the global shipping economy.
In 2023, the United States built 0.1% of the world’s ships and China built 50.7%. In a global fleet of roughly 10,000 ships, the United States flagged merchant fleet currently sits at 185 ships, while China (including Hong Kong) has a fleet of 7,838.
China is out-producing ships compared to the U.S. 250 to 1. China’s shipbuilding market share grew from less than 5% of global tonnage in 1999, to over 50% in 2023, and it is critical that the U.S. narrows the gap to be a competitive force and safeguard our national security.
Rebuilding the U.S. shipping industry will create scalable economies and thousands of middle class, stable and skilled jobs in U.S. cities – especially port cities.
