Page 20: of Marine News Magazine (November 2024)

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Column

Shipbuilding

Has U.S. Shipbuilding Reached an ‘Atlas Shrugged’ Moment?

By Robert Kunkel, President, Alternative Marine Technologies & First Harvest Navigation sippi yard has invested in large facility improvements and

Each year, as we prepare for the largest U.S. based maritime industry conference in entered 600 trainees into its “shipbuilding training facility”.

Let’s look at Austal, the latest entry into U.S. Naval ship-

New Orleans, we tend to look back on the state of the in- building. Passing on comments about the LCS class construc- dustry and initiatives that were announced from the con- ference that took place the year before. 2023 provided us tion, Austal USA is now busier than any time in its history with plenty to talk about. In September of 2023, while with 23 vessels on order and a roughly $450 million dollar the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the facility upgrade. National Steel and Shipbuilding Company global shipbuilding industry were ? xated on “emissions” (NASSCO) in San Diego—a U.S. yard no longer complet- and alternative fuels, U.S. Secretary of the Navy Carlos ing commercial construction—recently won a $6.7 billion

Del Toro held the opening meeting of the Government contract to build eight T-AO205 ? eet replenishment oilers.

Shipbuilders Council. Announced with a new tag line of Considering the Newport News and Electric Boat “niche” we “Maritime Statecraft”, the GSC was created to address will stop the short list here. Our shipyard capacity for naval

American ship acquisition, ? eet maintenance, government construction can be counted on one hand, and it’s booked.

The mainstream media reports indicate a Rip Van Winkle spending and strategic development as a response to a rec- ognized reduction in the nation’s maritime power. There is wake up call. China has contracted more than 2,000 new buildings in 2024 alone, including both commercial and confusion, however, about whether the action was devel- military vessels. Most of the tonnage coming out of China oped to propel military or commercial vessel construction.

is large containerships and lique? ed natural gas (LNG) carri-

U.S. warship builders are not suffering. At naval ship- ers, and at levels never before experienced. More importantly, builder Ingalls, an award for six Arleigh Burke-class guided- missile destroyers was con? rmed in 2023. With the Navy’s much of this tonnage is capable of dual use to support mili- tary activity and increase a country’s energy potential. The decision to continue with the destroyer class, the yard’s long- numbers for the U.S. orderbook (both military and commer- term order book is full into 2030. The Navy has also provid- ed a $9.6 billion deal with Ingalls to keep the San Antonio cial) fall well behind that claim. We are well short of com- amphibious ? eet program alive despite previous contract mercial capability and signi? cantly below “war capacity”.

With the maritime statecraft initiative, SECNAV Del Toro cancelations. With 24 ships currently on order, the Missis- has considered partnerships with key foreign shipbuilders, yet none of the Navy contracts above involve a foreign entity or equipment. A recent visit and photo opportunity at Hyundai,

South Korea praised the technology and ability of the largest shipyard in the world. Following that report and SECNAV’s foreign shipyard investment request, we read Hanwha agreed to purchase Philly Shipyard in a $100 million offer.

The foreign technologies and precision processes discussed in the SECNAV attendance reports have been available in

South Korea for over 30 years, and more importantly, have been used to develop commercial shipbuilding, not military. © Joseph Creamer / Adobe Stock 20 | MN November 2024