As part of our Career Connect Washington Maritime Sector ongoing work, we actively track, document, and inform about emerging technologies and trends. A new industry report reveals how nuclear propulsion creates competitive advantage for both operators and charterers through superior economics and performance. Nuclear-powered containerships have the potential to eliminate bunker costs, cut greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and deliver faster transit times, while maintaining safety and economic competitiveness. The findings are drawn from a new Lloyd’s Register and LucidCatalyst report for Seaspan Corporation Pte. Ltd. The report examines the technical, economic, and regulatory potential of integrating small modular reactors (SMRs) into the containership fleet. LucidCatalyst performed a comprehensive analysis of the costs and benefits for Seaspan's business model and collaboratively developed requirements that, if met, would create significant value.

As part of our Career Connect Washington Maritime Sector ongoing work, we actively track, document, and inform about emerging technologies and trends. Alaska's commercial fishing industry, facing lower prices for its harvest and rising costs, saw a loss of 443 harvesting jobs in 2024—a fifth straight year of employment loss, state labor officials said. That 7.6% job decline was similar to the previous year's 7.8% job loss, the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development noted in the November issue of Alaska Economic Trends. Seafood harvesting in Alaska has lost over a third of its total jobs in the past decade, with fishing employment down every year of the last 10 except for 2019. That includes the summer peak, which has fallen about 30%, from 24,600 jobs in July 2014 to 17,400 in July 2024.

As part of our Career Connect Washington Maritime Sector ongoing work, we actively track, document, and inform about emerging technologies and trends. Washington Maritime Blue is a Seattle-based NGO with a $3 million budget and a number of focus areas, including renewable energy, maritime decarbonization, sustainable fishing, community engagement, and maritime workforce development. Dontay Proctor-Mills, who handles community engagement for Maritime Blue, hosted a presentation on workforce development during the 2025 Pacific Marine Expo in Seattle, with speakers from partner organizations, such as Sea Potential. According to Ebony Welborn, co-founder of Sea Potential, the organization works towards creating opportunities for Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) youth, ages 12–18. “We want to raise awareness about marine jobs,” said Welborn. “But to do that, we have to heal things like water-related trauma and negative intergenerational stories about the water.”

As part of our Career Connect Washington Maritime Sector ongoing work, we actively track, document, and inform about emerging technologies and trends. Check out the most recent blog from One Island, One Blog.

We left Culebra with Antigua on the horizon and a clean plan: slip past the island, push out to the windward side of the Caribbean chain, and begin our long run south toward Uruguay. The trades had other plans. Predicted 15–17 knots became a relentless 20+ from the E/SE, gusting over 30. The seas were steep, the motion violent, and every mile felt disappointing. One Ocean was taking a pounding. So were we and the forecast said it would stay like this for weeks. I ran the numbers again and again—calculations, plots, models, Commanders’ Weather—all pointing to the same truth: we were fighting a losing battle.

As part of our Career Connect Washington Maritime Sector ongoing work, we actively track, document, and inform about emerging technologies and trends. Washington State Ferries (WSF) has selected Stemmann-Technik GmbH, Schüttorf, Germany, to provide automated charging systems for its new hybrid electric ferries. Capable of delivering up to 15 MW at 12.47 kV, the rapid charging systems will be the largest in North America, according to WSF vessel project engineer Ali Khurshid, who announced the news on social media. WSF — the nation’s largest ferry system — has converted one existing vessel, the Wenatchee, to hybrid-electric power and has ordered new hybrid ferries from Eastern Shipbuilding Group, Panama City, Fla., for delivery starting in 2028. These vessels will operate using onboard battery systems and, once shore power becomes available, plug-in charging systems that require shoreside infrastructure upgrades.

As part of our Career Connect Washington Maritime Sector ongoing work, we actively track, document, and inform about emerging technologies and trends. Mavrik Marine Inc., La Conner, Wash., announced it has been chosen to construct a new series of high-speed passenger ferries for the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway, and Transportation District, operator of the Golden Gate Ferry system. The new catamaran ferries, which are being built as part of the agency’s eight-vessel Liwa-class ferry replacement program, will operate on San Francisco Bay, where the district conducts about 20,000 crossings annually, moving approximately 2 million passengers.

As part of our Career Connect Washington Maritime Sector ongoing work, we actively track, document, and inform about emerging technologies and trends. The Pacific Northwest is a key hub of the U.S. maritime industry, home to dozens of small and large shipyards that support a diverse range of commercial and government customers. These include the nation’s largest ferry system, a significant portion of the U.S. commercial fishing industry, and much of the Navy’s Pacific fleet. The region also boasts deep expertise in naval architecture and shipbuilding. Among long-tenured players in the region is Gunderson Marine & Iron, Portland, Ore., which opened as a repair yard in 1919. The company operates a 58-acre industrial waterfront facility — the largest side-launch shipyard on the West Coast — equipped for constructing large river and oceangoing barges as well as other types of steel vessels.

As part of our Career Connect Washington Maritime Sector ongoing work, we actively track, document, and inform about emerging technologies and trends. The ABYC Foundation will host a free online Educator Forum on Nov. 13 offering collaboration and discussions for high school and post-secondary educators, industry trainers and administrators involved in marine service technology programs. “The Educator Forum is about building connections that strengthen marine education programs and, ultimately, our industry’s workforce,” accreditation director Sarah Devlin said in a statement. “Whether a school already offers a marine service program or is just getting started, this event offers practical insights and tools to help them succeed.”

As part of our Career Connect Washington Maritime Sector ongoing work, we actively track, document, and inform about emerging technologies and trends. As maritime companies continue to struggle to fill job vacancies, a small, family-run shipyard in Seattle believes it has found a winning strategy. Snow & Company Inc., which builds workboats, pilot boats, fishing vessels, and tugboats at its facility along the Lake Washington Ship Canal, has developed what it calls “hiring from non-traditional avenues,” which means diving deep into labor markets that have been traditionally ignored by the maritime industry. In addition to targeting maritime trade schools, Snow taps veterans, ex-prisoners, or those starting work release, and in a more innovative approach, immigrants and refugees, many of whom do not speak English when hired. 

As part of our Career Connect Washington Maritime Sector ongoing work, we actively track, document, and inform about emerging technologies and trends. Three industry experts told a Senate subcommittee on Tuesday that the United States faces an urgent need to rebuild its commercial shipbuilding capacity in the face of decades of Chinese industrial targeting and declining domestic maritime infrastructure. The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation’s Subcommittee on Coast Guard, Maritime, and Fisheries convened the hearing titled “Sea Change: Reviving Commercial Shipbuilding” to examine how to modernize U.S. commercial shipbuilding while strengthening the broader maritime industrial base. The hearing focused on President Trump’s efforts within the National Security Council to “Make Shipbuilding Great Again” and issues likely to be addressed in the administration’s upcoming Maritime Action Plan, a key component of the President’s Restoring America’s Maritime Dominance executive order signed in April.

As part of our Career Connect Washington Maritime Sector ongoing work, we actively track, document, and inform about emerging technologies and trends. The American Waterways Operators, the trade association of the American tugboat, towboat and barge (TTB) industry, has released a new video on the industry’s contributions to U.S. national and homeland security. The two-minute AWO video, The Tugboat, Towboat and Barge Industry: Supplying America, Securing America, notes that while the mariners who transport cargo and facilitate commerce on America’s rivers, coasts, harbors and Great Lakes are critical to powering the economy, they also play a vital role in safeguarding the nation: By supporting the Coast Guard in securing \borders and waterways; by moving military cargo on domestic waters and guiding Navy ships in and out of U.S. ports; by delivering supplies to help American communities recover from disasters; and by ensuring a strong, reliable domestic maritime supply chain under American control.

As part of our Career Connect Washington Maritime Sector ongoing work, we actively track, document, and inform about emerging technologies and trends. Brix Marine, Port Angeles, Wash., has delivered a 41'x15' Naiad rigid-hulled inflatable boat (RIB) to Iruka Hawaii Experience, Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. The 41’ RIB Warrior marks the third vessel Brix Marine has built and delivered to the Hawaiian tourism company. Designed in close coordination with Iruka’s operations team, a Brix press release noted Warrior was custom-built to enhance the company’s marine wildlife tours and educational expeditions. Certified under U.S. Coast Guard Subchapter T regulations, the aluminum RIB accommodates 40 passengers plus crew. Powered by triple Suzuki 300-hp dual-prop outboards, the new vessel will support tours around Oahu and Kona.

As part of our Career Connect Washington Maritime Sector ongoing work, we actively track, document, and inform about emerging technologies and trends. The U.S. Coast Guard has awarded an indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract to Rozema Boat Works Inc. of Mount Vernon, Wash., to acquire up to six second-generation special-purpose craft – heavy weather (SPC-HWX II) boats. The Coast Guard says the total potential value of the contract is $70.9 million and the first SPC-HWX II is anticipated to be completed in fiscal year 2027. The rugged, all-aluminum boats are designed for extreme weather operations and will replace the legacy 52-foot SPC-HWX boats, which were originally commissioned in the 1950s and 1960s and officially retired in 2021. Rozema Boat Works notes that U.K.-based naval architecture firm Camarc Design, is providing the vessel design, while Elliott Bay Design Group, of Seattle is supporting with U.S.-based engineering services and technical data compliance.

As part of our Career Connect Washington Maritime Sector ongoing work, we actively track, document, and inform about emerging technologies and trends. Lloyd’s Register (LR) has published Navigating Nuclear Energy in Maritime, a new guidance document that, it says, provides the first roadmap for the safe and responsible use of nuclear technology in commercial shipping and offshore industries. As the maritime sector accelerates its transition towards sustainable energy solutions, nuclear power has re-emerged as a viable solution to achieve net-zero ambitions. The guidance, developed in partnership with Global Nuclear Security Partners (GNSP) and marine insurer NorthStandard, sets out the practical steps project teams must take – outlining regulatory, technical, operational and financial requirements for integrating nuclear technology, such as small modular reactors (SMRs), into maritime assets.

As part of our Career Connect Washington Maritime Sector ongoing work, we actively track, document, and inform about emerging technologies and trends. As part of its strategic growth plan for ABS Training Solutions, ABS is moving to deliver immersive, next-generation maritime training at scale. It has signed an agreement to purchase the MetaSHIP intellectual property and related vessel simulator software assets from Turkey’s Orka Informatics. The acquisition, subject to Turkish regulatory approval, will allow ABS to expand its highly realistic digital training program, which can be delivered on board, in port or at home, as well as in a global network of high-tech ABS learning centers in Qatar, Greece and Singapore. The software powers an embedded gaming experience using the industry-leading MetaSHIP Fleet, virtual vessels that allow students to reach true competence without setting foot on board.

As part of our Career Connect Washington Maritime Sector ongoing work, we actively track, document, and inform about emerging technologies and trends. The MAC Model Welding Framework project team is pleased to announce that the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) has officially approved the MAC Welding and Fabrication Model Frameworks—a major milestone in expanding high-quality welding education across Washington State. 

Framework Highlights

• 180-hour Metal Trades Foundation Framework- This exploratory course is the entry point to the Welding Technology program of study

• 180-hour Welding Technology I Framework- This course is the first of the two preparatory courses available for use in a comprehensive high school setting- this course is eligible for 1.0 credits in integrated Math 1

• 180-hour Welding Technology II Framework- This course is the second and final preparatory course in the welding Technology program of study and is eligible for 1.0 credits in Lab Science

• Supports Career Explore, Prep, and Launch programming

• Covers both steel and aluminum alloy welding

• Expands access in rural and urban communities

As part of our Career Connect Washington Maritime Sector ongoing work, we actively track, document, and inform about emerging technologies and trends. The U.S. Coast Guard announced yesterday it will invest nearly $350 million to expand robotics and autonomous systems, a move aimed at enhancing maritime operations, improving safety, and strengthening the service’s ability to respond to emergencies along U.S. waterways and coasts. The funding, provided under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), includes $11 million in fiscal year 2025 for immediate upgrades to critical unmanned systems. Initial investments include:

• $4.8 million to procure 16 VideoRay Defender remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) for Deployable Specialized Forces.

• $2 million for six Qinetiq Squad Packable Utility Robot (SPUR) and 12 mini-SPUR unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) for Coast Guard Strike Teams.

• $4.3 million for 125 SkyDio X10D short-range unmanned aircraft systems (SR-UAS).

As part of our Career Connect Washington Maritime Sector ongoing work, we actively track, document, and inform about emerging technologies and trends. Could humanoid robots help solve some shipyard labor shortage issues? Houston-based AI startup Persona AI, founded in 2024 by former Nauticus Robotics CEO Nic Radford, has entered a collaboration with ABS that could make that start to happen. Under an MOU formalized by the parties today, the collaboration aims to develop inspection technologies for Persona AI’s humanoid robot platform that enhances productivity and safety in shipyards. The initiative will focus on adapting Persona AI’s humanoid robots, based in part on NASA’s robotic hand technology, for a range of shipyard tasks. Unlike traditional industrial robots, humanoid robots are uniquely suited to operate in shipyards designed for human workers, offering flexibility and mobility in complex, confined, or ergonomically challenging spaces.

As part of our Career Connect Washington Maritime Sector ongoing work, we actively track, document, and inform about emerging technologies and trends. Everett Ship Repair LLC (ESR), Everett, Wash., has just announced the acquisition of the floating dry dock, Hercules. The dry dock was towed from San Diego (where it previously operated as the NASSCO Builder) by Baydelta using its tug Delta Deanna, a tug built by ESR sister company Nichols Brothers Boat Builders. Hercules is now the largest dry dock in Puget Sound and represents a major milestone in ESR’s commitment to expanding regional ship repair capacity for commercial and government operators across the West Coast. The Hercules significantly expands ESR’s capabilities, allowing the company to accommodate larger vessels than ever before. With a lifting capacity of 35,000 LT, an inside beam of 135 feet, and a length of 820 feet, the dry dock will enable the safe docking of some of the West Coast’s largest ships. This acquisition reinforces ESR’s position as a critical resource to the West Coast maritime industry and strengthens its ability to serve the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Coast Guard, continued support of Washington State Ferries and a wide range of commercial vessels.

As part of our Career Connect Washington Maritime Sector ongoing work, we actively track, document, and inform about emerging technologies and trends. LNG has created a strong basis in terms of safety, emissions, availability and costs that biomethane and e-methane benefit from, says Lana Sissing, Client Manager at Titan Clean Fuels. While there is still plenty of scope for growth, LNG is now, in many respects, a mainstream marine fuel. It has been incrementally scaled, commoditized and commercialized over decades. At Titan, we are open to any fuel pathway that can substantially decarbonize shipping, but we do recognize that shipowners following the LNG route today have a head start that should not be overlooked. The current orderbook for LNG-fueled vessels underlines that many shipowners already appreciate this realistic route to net-zero shipping. According to DNV’s Alternative Fuels Insight (AFI) platform, 28 new alternative-fueled vessels were added to the orderbook in July, 22 of which were for LNG dual fuel ships. LNG dual-fuel vessels make up around one third of the newbuild orderbook. 

Continuing the 2024 trend, LNG bunkering volumes are also growing. According to SEA-LNG, Q1 2025 volumes in Rotterdam grew by 7% compared with the same period in 2024, and Singapore reported 18% growth over the first five months of 2025 versus 2024. LNG bunkering is developing rapidly in the Western Mediterranean and China too.