Page 26: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (October 2026)

The Final Word: Ship Design

WHO WILL DESIGN WHO WILL DESIGN

AMERICA’S NEXT FLEET?AMERICA’S NEXT FLEET?

By Morgan Fanberg, Glosten

The United States is having a mari- time moment. Maritime is back on the national agenda. The Maritime

Action Plan, the SHIPS for America

Act, and now the Administration’s

August 13 memorandum on rebuild- ing the Navy and America’s ship- building industrial base have renewed the conversation about rebuilding

America's maritime capability. The focus on shipyards, workforce devel- opment, the merchant marine, and domestic vessel construction is both encouraging and long overdue.

After more than two decades design- ing commercial vessels, I’m encouraged by the attention. Engineers don't usu-

Three generations ally get excited about policy discus- of ship design.

sions, but this one feels different.

Image courtesy Glosten

As I follow these discussions, though, I keep coming back to one One thing I've learned over my ca- pability to design and engineer them.

question: Who will design America's reer is that successful projects rarely The Jones Act requires vessels op- next