In an interview with WorkBoat, Morgan Fanberg, CEO of Seattle-headquartered naval architecture firm Glosten, argued that reestablishing American commercial shipbuilding will require serious investment in domestic naval architecture and marine engineering — not just yards and hulls. He said the United States already builds the world’s best naval vessels but lacks the demand drivers, commercial infrastructure, and design pipeline needed to sustain a commercial fleet.

Fanberg cautioned that recent federal shipbuilding initiatives say the right things but are missing a fundamental piece: a clear source of demand to give shipyards a reason to build. He also flagged a widening workforce gap, particularly among unlicensed mariners, and warned that the growing tendency to outsource vessel design overseas on cost grounds risks eroding domestic technical expertise that would be difficult to rebuild once lost. He pointed to the ice-capable research vessel Sikuliaq as proof that U.S. firms retain the capability to design complex, specialized ships.

On the market, Fanberg said pent-up demand is beginning to break free after a stretch of caution driven by interest rates, inflation, and tariffs, with clients increasingly seeking adaptable, pre-developed vessel concepts rather than blank-sheet designs. While some advanced alternative-fuel projects — including a hydrogen hybrid research vessel for Scripps Institution of Oceanography — have paused or reverted to diesel, the firm has carried that engineering experience into autonomy, hybrid-electric, and nuclear work.

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