As part of our Career Connect Washington Maritime Sector ongoing work, we actively track, document, and inform about emerging technologies and trends. MARAD’s program to build the first modern training ships for the U.S. merchant marine marked another milestone with the floating of the fourth vessel of the class. The future Lone Star State which has been assigned to Texas A&M Maritime College took to the water for the first time on Friday, January 24, and was towed to the outfitting berth.

“This is an exciting milestone because the vessel moves from production on land to water, and it is one of the last major moves before heading out for sea trials,” said Hanwha Philly Shipyard posting a video of the repositioning.

As part of our Career Connect Washington Maritime Sector ongoing work, we actively track, document, and inform about emerging technologies and trends. Huntington Ingalls Industries has completed the purchase of W International's fabrication facility in South Carolina, opening up new workforce options for the U.S. Navy's biggest shipbuilder. 

The W International plant in Goose Creek, South Carolina is an example of the Navy's challenge in scaling up the submarine industrial base for a once-in-a-generation demand surge. As part of a program to boost capacity, the Navy helped a previously unknown company, W International, to set up a fabrication facility in South Carolina to build modules for HII Newport News - starting with components for the Ford-class aircraft carrier program.

As part of our Career Connect Washington Maritime Sector ongoing work, we actively track, document, and inform about emerging technologies and trends. All American Marine, Bellingham, Wash., has launched a new research vessel built for the California Polytechnical Institute at Humboldt. The R/V North Wind will now undergo sea trials ahead of its delivery and entry into service later this year. The new vessel is a 78’ x 26.7’ semi-displacement aluminum catamaran developed by Nic de Waal of Teknicraft Design, Auckland, New Zealand. Inspected as a U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Subchapter T vessel, the newbuild will operate as a multipurpose research vessel in the near-coastal waters of northern California and Oregon and on offshore and ocean routes.

As part of our Career Connect Washington Maritime Sector ongoing work, we actively track, document, and inform about emerging technologies and trends. A bipartisan group of U.S. Senators and Representatives on Dec. 19 introduced introduced the Shipbuilding and Harbor Infrastructure for Prosperity and Security (SHIPS) for America Act, comprehensive legislation to revitalize the United States shipbuilding and commercial maritime industries.

The SHIPS for America Act was introduced by Sens. Mark Kelly (D-Arizona) and Todd Young (R-Indiana) and Reps. John Garamendi (D-California) and Trent Kelly (R-Mississippi). After decades of neglect, the United States has a weakened shipbuilding capacity, a declining commercial shipping fleet dwarfed by China and a diminished ability to supply the U.S. military during wartime, the lawmakers said.

As part of our Career Connect Washington Maritime Sector ongoing work, we actively track, document, and inform about emerging technologies and trends. This won’t come as a surprise to anyone who actually read the full petition filed by U.S. unions back in March 2024, (see our earlier report) but U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Ambassador Katherine Tai has found that China’s targeting the maritime, logistics, and shipbuilding sectors for dominance is actionable under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974.

Section 301 is a key tool used by the United States to address unfair trade practices and enforce international trade agreements. It grants the office of the U.S. Trade Representative the authority to investigate and take action against foreign countries that violate trade agreements or engage in practices that unfairly burden or restrict U.S. commerce.

As part of our Career Connect Washington Maritime Sector ongoing work, we actively track, document, and inform about emerging technologies and trends. The governors of California, Oregon, and Washington have asked the U.S. federal government to provide financial aid for the states’ struggling commercial West Coast Pacific albacore troll/hook-and-line fishery.

Last year was the fishery’s worst performing season in 30 years, California Governor Gavin Newsom said in a recent statement. The fishery generated USD 9.5 million (EUR 9.3 million) in ex-vessel value in 2024, notably lower than the five-year average of USD 24.6 million (EUR 24 million).

Now, Newsom, Oregon Governor Tina Kotek, and Washington Governor Jay Inslee have written a joint letter to U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo requesting a fishery disaster determination for the albacore fishery, which would open the door for federal financial aid for fishers and affiliated businesses.

As part of our Career Connect Washington Maritime Sector ongoing work, we actively track, document, and inform about emerging technologies and trends. In 1974, 17-year-old Martin Hardy gathered his pizza shop earnings and joined a couple of classmates on an open-ended trip to Europe and Great Britain. He reckoned that a thousand dollars would fund the adventure. After a couple of months on trains and hitchhiking, living on bread and cheese, he ran out of cash somewhere in the Scottish Highlands. He somehow made his way to the hamlet of Scoraig, situated between two sea lochs and reachable only by boat along the rocky northwestern coast. He found work patching up the essential double-ended, lapstrake boats the Scoraigians used to cross Little Loch Broom to and from the only road in or out. Lessons from his grandfather, a patternmaker at the U.S. Navy Yard, served him well, and the Scoraig residents took him in, fed him, and paid him what they could. It took U.K. government officials about six months to discover that he was there working without a visa. Two agents made the 25-mile (40.2-km) road trip out to catch a boat across the loch, address the situation, and give him a year to get out. In that time, he discovered just what he wanted to do with the rest of his life.

As part of our Career Connect Washington Maritime Sector ongoing work, we actively track, document, and inform about emerging technologies and trends. Mark Norris has been named vice president of marine fabrication for Portland-based Vigor Industrial, leading the shipbuilding and repair company’s most cutting-edge marine fabrication projects, the company announced Jan. 6.

Norris, who’s expected to be based at Vigor’s Vancouver, Wash. facility, brings with him almost 40 years of experience overseeing major defense programs, including 25 years at Lockheed Martin, where he served as vice president of joint programs for the U.S. Army and Navy.

He also worked with Italian shipbuilding company Fincantieri, where he oversaw strategy and business development for BAE Systems Inc.’s F-35 Lightening II program.

As part of our Career Connect Washington Maritime Sector ongoing work, we actively track, document, and inform about emerging technologies and trends. The largest ferry service in the U.S., Washington State Ferries (WSF), welcomed nearly 500,000 more people aboard last year compared to the year before. Ridership for the year was more than 19.1 million, up 2.6% from 2023, which was, itself, up from the prior year. WSF says that the lowest number of canceled sailings since 2020 and a big jump in walk-on passengers fueled the rise in annual ridership. The number of walk-ons soared by 224,000, or 5.7%, as tourism and a return to the office for many workers increased substantially. Passengers with vehicles climbed by a more modest 102,000, or 1.1%.

As part of our Career Connect Washington Maritime Sector ongoing work, we actively track, document, and inform about emerging technologies and trends. The Port of Tacoma and Tacoma Public Schools broke ground January 8 on the 20-acre Port Maritime Center project. 

The Port Maritime Center campus will be built on Port-owned land across from downtown Tacoma. It will include a new Port business office and Tacoma Public Schools’ Maritime|253 skills center.  

Maritime|253 will provide career and technical education to junior and senior-level high school students from across Pierce County, bringing opportunities to more members of the community and helping fill a growing need for workers in the trades and the maritime industry. 

As part of our Career Connect Washington Maritime Sector ongoing work, we actively track, document, and inform about emerging technologies and trends. Before the Pacific Marine Expo opened in late November, WorkBoat visited with Snow & Company, a Seattle-based shipyard located on the Lake Washington Ship Canal off Puget Sound’s Shishole Bay. Shipyard president Brett Snow provided an update on the company’s projects during a tour of the facilities. The company is currently building 30’x15’x6’ Workboat Medium vessels for the Navy, wrapping up an initial 23-boat order, with an expected completion date of early 2025. Hull number 21 was under construction during the visit. That contract has grown to a $53,934,225 FFP IDIQ contract to procure up to 53 of the vessels. 

As part of our Career Connect Washington Maritime Sector ongoing work, we actively track, document, and inform about emerging technologies and trends. Here’s what the marine industry’s top marketers are thinking about as we head into the new year. For 2025, amid emerging technologies and rapidly evolving platforms, I thought it would be a good idea to get an accurate gauge of current attitudes, priorities and areas of focus within the marine marketing community. I reached out to the Marine Marketers of America’s newly elected president, Alisdair Martin, and asked to create a membership survey.

This win-win partnership provided key insider intelligence for this column to benefit the industry and its marketing community at large, while giving the MMA’s leadership team firsthand insight into membership interests.

As part of our Career Connect Washington Maritime Sector ongoing work, we actively track, document, and inform about emerging technologies and trends. A U.S Navy submarine that played a central role in World War II is scheduled for dry docking for preservation works in order to continue attracting visitors as a historic museum boat. The Wisconsin Maritime Museum (WMM), the custodian of USS Cobia, is seeking to raise $1.5 million for comprehensive inspection and essential preventative maintenance at Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding in Wisconsin. 

As part of our Career Connect Washington Maritime Sector ongoing work, we actively track, document, and inform about emerging technologies and trends. Vigor Marine LLC, Portland, Oregon, has been awarded a $55,881,631 firm-fixed-price contract for the FY 2005 Docking Selected Restricted Availability (DSRA) maintenance, modernization, and repair of USS Gabrielle Giffords (LCS 10). The scope of the LCS 10 award includes all labor, supervision, equipment, production, testing, facilities, and quality assurance necessary to prepare for and accomplish the Chief of Naval Operations Availability for critical maintenance, modernization, and repair programs.

As part of our Career Connect Washington Maritime Sector ongoing work, we actively track, document, and inform about emerging technologies and trends. In a video interview, Yamaha president Ben Speciale talks about macroeconomic headwinds, bringing new boaters into the fold and sustainable fuels. The video series is sponsored by Garmin.

Many of you reading this may already be familiar with my background in Scouting. In 1992, as a young teenage girl, I was fortunate to be introduced to Sea Scouts and the numerous opportunities it presented. I became a member of the Sea Scout Ship Genesis, which had a rich history, having been established shortly after girls were permitted in Sea Scouting in the 1970s. Our fleet did not include any mixed-gender ships, leading to heightened competition on various levels. At 14 years old, I quickly learned to refrain from requesting or accepting assistance from boys. Our leadership would reprimand us if they suspected we allowed a boy to help! While this may seem extreme decades later, the confidence and empowerment instilled in many young girls through these practices is something we are missing in today’s society. I never felt inadequate, weak, or incapable. Which is very different than how most young girls feel today.

As part of our Career Connect Washington Maritime Sector ongoing work, we actively track, document, and inform about emerging technologies and trends. In a move to support its workforce, Fincantieri Marinette Marine (FMM), Marinette, Wis., is providing eligible employees with a $5,000 tax-free benefit for childcare or dependent family member care in 2025.

Recognizing the burden of rising childcare costs, says the company, FMM employees highlighted this concern in annual surveys. After consulting with the Navy, company leadership decided to implement a program to assist families with dependent care expenses as well. Each eligible family will receive a $5,000 tax-free benefit through a flexible spending account, enhancing their overall benefits package.

As part of our Career Connect Washington Maritime Sector ongoing work, we actively track, document, and inform about emerging technologies and trends. The inaugural Top Women in Maritime Celebration, hosted by Marine Log, made its mark by shining a spotlight on the incredible achievements of women in a field long dominated by men.

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. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) today awarded $4.85 million in United States Marine Highway Program (USMHP) grants to five marine highway projects across the  U.S. The funding, which is sharply down on some previous years, aims to enhance the movement of goods along waterways while expanding existing waterborne freight services in Louisiana, Puerto Rico, Washington, and West Virginia.

As part of our Career Connect Washington Maritime Sector ongoing work, we actively track, document, and inform about emerging technologies and trends. A new study just released by the Eno Center for Transportation finds that federal support for the U.S. inland waterways system yields significant societal benefits in a variety of areas, completely aside from the obvious freight movement advantages. Commissioned by the National Waterways Foundation (NWF) the study, “Benefits and Beneficiaries of the Nation’s Inland Waterways,” describes 14 benefit areas derived from federal support for inland waterways, grouped into three categories.