U.S. Maritime Administrator Capt. Stephen Carmel laid out how the Maritime Action Plan (MAP) is intended to reach the entire maritime system — from inland waterways and the Great Lakes to deepsea shipping — rather than the bluewater fleet alone. A career mariner and former shipping executive, Carmel said small shipyards building tugs and barges, port development, and ship repair are all essential parts of the ecosystem the plan aims to strengthen.

Carmel argued that the foundational prerequisite for rebuilding U.S. shipbuilding is cargo: the U.S. carries less than 1% of its own international trade under the U.S. flag, and generating sustainable demand through reflagging must come first, followed by new shipyard capacity and a domestic supply chain. He framed the effort as at least a 10-year project and stressed it must not cannibalize the small-shipyard workforce that keeps the workboat community running.

He also pointed to a planned overhaul of the Title XI ship-financing program — including an automated, streamlined online application — and new workforce initiatives aimed at inland-waterways recruitment, such as outreach to high school guidance counselors. Success, he said, means moving more cargo on U.S.-flag assets and changing the national narrative around maritime.

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