US Maritime Administration awards $8.75m in small shipyard grants

The US Maritime Administration (MARAD) has awarded $8.75 million in grants to seventeen small shipyards in twelve states, US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced on July 22.

The funding is part of the small shipyard grant program, which was designed to support training, workforce development, and new technologies to strengthen US shipbuilding and repair. Acting Maritime Administrator Sang Yi stated that the program invests in businesses to, "spur innovation...and fuel job creation."

The grants will support the procurement of new equipment. For example, Breaux’s Bay Craft in Louisiana will receive $817,150 to purchase a 200-ton Marine Travelift, while Chesapeake Shipbuilding in Maryland will receive the same amount for a 160-ton mobile crane. Other awards will fund equipment such as CNC plasma cutters and welding equipment.

Since its inception in 2008, the small shipyard grant program has awarded 382 grants totaling $320.5 million, the agency said. The Department of Transportation also noted that small shipyards are, “a strategic asset critical to national security and economic vitality.”

The complete list of shipyard grant recipients may be accessed here.