Summary: The U.S. has a very small commercial shipbuilding industry, constructing only five oceangoing ships in 2022 compared to thousands built by countries like China and South Korea. This decline began after the Civil War, as American shipbuilders struggled to compete with foreign producers due to higher costs and labor expenses. Despite being an innovator in shipbuilding, the U.S. has not regained its competitive edge in the commercial market.
Manufacturing employment has fallen by a third from its peak in 1979, even as the population has grown by nearly 50% over the same period. (View Highlight)
in 2022, the U.S. built just five oceangoing commercial ships, compared to China’s 1,794 and South Korea’s 734. (View Highlight)
The period from 1840 to 1860 is considered the golden age of American shipbuilding. (View Highlight)
These cabotage laws ensured that even as the U.S. retreated from international competition, it continued to have a large shipbuilding industry that served the U.S. market. (View Highlight)
Domestic shipping on rivers and coasts, previously the source of the lion’s share of demand for US-built ships, was facing increasingly stiff competition from trucking. (View Highlight)
Many of the most important advances in ship technology, such as nuclear-powered ships, container ships, LNG carriers, ore/bulk/oil carriers, and large-block construction were all developed in the U.S. But in turning these innovations into competitive industries, America has come up short. (View Highlight)