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Last year, more than $5 trillion worth of goods flowed through U.S. ports — including $3 trillion in imports. Almost one-third of that commerce arrived on ships built, owned or operated by China. The United States, once the world’s shipbuilding powerhouse, now depends on Beijing’s fleet to deliver everything from food and medicines to electronics. This import reliance has become one of the most dangerous vulnerabilities in America’s supply chain.
In 1975, the U.S. was a top-10 producer of ships, with 77 commercial vessels under construction. Today, less than five are on order, and the U.S. ranks 19th globally. Much of the problem started in 1982, when the Reagan administration terminated federal shipbuilding subsidies. Stripped of support, U.S. shipyards were forced to compete with heavily subsidized foreign rivals. New orders plummeted and by the early 1990s, U.S. commercial vessel production was all but extinct — taking roughly 75,000 skilled jobs with it.
