Seatrade-Maritime: Rallying support to revitalize the SHIPS for America Act

The re-introduction of the SHIPS for America Act into the US House of Representatives comes in conjunction with a Congressional hearing held late afternoon 22 April. 

The hearing, on the subject of  “Revitalizing Shipbuilding and the Maritime Industrial Base” in front of  a joint hearing held by a pair of House of Representatives subcommittees, comports with the aims of the SHIPS Act- building a fleet of vessels of up to  250, US built and crewed, operating in international commerce during peacetime, but at the ready in the event of contingencies. The subcommittees cover: “Joint Seapower and Projection Forces” and “Transportation and Infrastructure- Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation”. 

Testimony in the joint-hearing included remarks from Stephen Carmel, the Administration at the US Maritime Administration (MARAD) who emphasized the importance of maritime systems- leading with cargo. Carmel said that MARAD had developed legislative proposals, soon to be introduced, that would support implementation of the Maritime Act Plan (MAP) a broad blueprint for revitalizing the US commercial maritime capabilities- introduced in February. 

“You have a whole slug of proposals coming your way,” Carmel said. He also described the successes in multi-ship contracts- with “commercial common sense”- pointing the successes in the building of multiple training vessels (National Security Multi-Mission Vessels, or NSMV) at the Philly Shipyard, with construction management by Tote Services. 

As is evident by the melding of these two groups in the US House, the commercial end, construction of new vessels for the handling cargo, and supplying vessels for the US military, are intertwined. Just prior to the joint meeting, a press briefing took place on the steps of the US Capitol building, where the House meets, organized by two sponsors of the SHIPS Act, Congressman John Garamendi (Democrat from California), the ranking member of the House Armed Services Readiness Subcommittee, and Congressman Trent Kelly (Republican from Mississippi), Chairman of the House Armed Services Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee. 

Congressman Kelly, who spoke briefly at the presser, said that the SHIPS Act “is one of the most transformational, and best things, that can happen for America.” Citing the slippage of US commercial maritime capabilities, he said: “If we want to get back to the greatness of America, then it takes an investment in our shipbuilding industry- and that’s both commercial and military. You can’t do one without the other…we gotta’ put a lot of steel in the water…”

Congressman Garimendi, continuing the cheer-leading, where Kelly urged attendees to push Congress and the Administration, said: “We are on our way…we are going make this happen…because America has to do it…we have no choice…”and emphasized the role of commercial vessels supporting military efforts. The build-America component also figured prominently in his remarks; “It’s not just the ships on the water…it’s also the jobs, the steel, the electrical work…it’s all of those pieces, very complex, that go into shipbuilding.”

The press event in advance of the re-introduction of the SHIPS Act, broadcast live on YouTube, came one day after an announcement from the newly formed USA Shipbuilding Coalition, described as  “a labor-management partnership focused on advancing concrete actions to spur investment in and revitalization of America’s shipbuilding capacity, enhance the strength and utilization of domestic supply chains and ensure that our nation can build, repair, maintain and man the vessels needed to restore US maritime capabilities.” 

The group, headed by a Washington, D.C. based lobbying organization, whose client list includes the United Steelworkers, among others, has a clearly stated aim of advancing the SHIPS Act. The timing of the new Coalition is very deliberate and is part of a broader effort to get the “SHIPS” Act out of the toxic political mud that pervades Capitol Hill, ”where great ideas often  go to die,” in the words of Congressman Trent Kelly, in Washington, D.C. and this new Coalition hopes to play an integral role in efforts to get the legislation sailing forward again.

USA Shipbuilding Coalition:   https://www.usashipbuilding.com/

Joint SPF Subcommittee and T&I Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee Hearing: Revitalizing Shipbuilding and the Maritime Industrial Base