By Faridat Salifu
The U.S. maritime industry is facing a deepening labor and infrastructure crisis, threatening both national security and economic competitiveness as China expands its naval shipbuilding capacity.
Although the U.S. still leads in naval firepower, China now has more ships and builds them faster, widening a fleet gap that U.S. officials and industry experts call unsustainable.
America’s commercial fleet is also shrinking, with outdated shipyards, rising production costs, and a critical shortage of skilled workers discouraging new investment.
According to McKinsey, U.S. new ship output has declined by over 85 percent since the 1950s, while the number of shipyards capable of building large ocean-going vessels has dropped from 46 in 1955 to just 20 today.
The Trump Administration’s 2025 executive order on maritime revitalization aims to reverse the decline through financial incentives, mariner training expansion, U.S.-flag shipping requirements, and creation of a maritime security trust fund.
The plan also proposes aligning trade policies with allies and attracting foreign shipbuilding investment to U.S. shores.
Despite bipartisan support, one of the greatest obstacles remains the shortage of skilled shipyard labor.
Although U.S. shipyard employment has remained steady in recent years, current levels are still down 10 percent from the 2000s and nearly 30 percent lower than the 1980s shipbuilding boom.
By contrast, during World War II, U.S. shipyards employed 1.4 million workers capable of delivering warships in months not years.
A 2025 analysis by shipuniverse.com identifies workforce attrition and hiring delays as key bottlenecks in meeting both commercial and military ship demand.
Young workers are increasingly drawn to other manufacturing sectors, such as semiconductors and battery production, where pay is higher and career paths more visible.
Bureau of Labor Statistics projections estimate a net loss of 39,000 jobs across core maritime manufacturing trades by 2032, as competition from adjacent sectors intensifies.
Even when new hires are made, retention is a challenge, with many workers quitting within the first year due to outdated workplace culture, low mobility, or a lack of long-term prospects.
To address this, companies like Bartlett Maritime Corporation are piloting new hiring models such as the “Rotational Workforce” initiative to attract workers from inland U.S. regions without requiring relocation.
Inspired by offshore oil and gas operations, the rotational model places skilled tradespeople in coastal shipyards for multi-week shifts before rotating them back home with full benefits and housing provided.
Bartlett’s partnership with the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers aims to connect idle or underemployed workers in cities like Cleveland with long-term, high-paying jobs in shipbuilding.
Supporters argue that this approach could revive interest in skilled trades without forcing workers to uproot their families or abandon home-based livelihoods.
While still untested in the shipbuilding sector, rotational work programs have proven effective in oilfield and offshore drilling operations for decades.
Industry leaders now hope that similar creativity and political will can restore U.S. maritime strength before global competitors pull too far ahead.
