Page 48: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (November 2026)

SHIPBUILDING

The state exercised its option for the third ferry as con- dustry's most signi? cant obstacle. "The number one con- struction began on the ? rst vessel, a decision D'Isernia straint in U.S. shipbuilding today is a skilled workforce." views as validation of the yard's performance during de- He attributes the shortage to decades of declining par- sign development. ticipation in shipbuilding trades, a problem that cannot be

The program extends Eastern's Allanton workload resolved through short term recruitment campaigns alone.

through 2032 and could lead to additional opportunities Eastern is addressing the challenge through competitive as Washington continues replacing aging vessels. compensation, employee retention, educational partner- "We want to build more," D'Isernia said. "They need ships, apprenticeship programs and on the job training. more. They need a steady pipeline of recapitalization, Its initiatives include a Maritime Training Academy in and we want to be their shipyard of choice to build out Gulf County and partnerships with high schools, voca- that ? eet." tional institutions and colleges.

One particularly successful initiative involves high

Building for the Navy school welding students designing and fabricating arti? -

Eastern is also participating in naval construction cial reefs that are subsequently deployed offshore. The pro- through its partnership with HII's Ingalls Shipbuild- gram combines technical education with interests relevant ing division – an example of distributed shipbuilding to the surrounding coastal communities.

where naval shipbuilders use qualified partner yards to Eastern also recruits inexperienced workers into general manufacture substantial vessel sections. labor positions, allowing them to become familiar with

At Nelson Street, the company is producing fully out? t- shipyard operations before progressing into skilled trades.

ted structural units for the U.S. Navy's Arleigh Burke class D'Isernia believes these programs are effective, but in- guided missile destroyers. suf? cient to address the national workforce shortage. He

Eastern has delivered a major block for DDG 135, is advocates substantially stronger federal incentives to at- completing another for DDG 137 and has received an tract workers into shipbuilding, potentially drawing on additional award for a subsequent destroyer. The yard approaches used for military recruitment.

is also producing out? tted units for HII's San Antonio Automation can reduce certain labor requirements, but class amphibious transport docks (LPD). he cautions against treating it as a comprehensive solution.

D'Isernia estimates that distributed construction cur- "You can spool pipe and you can bend it on benders and rently accounts for approximately 10% or less of Eastern's you can have automated welding and all these things, but orderbook, although the company has capacity and inter- somebody has to install it in the ship." est in expanding that business.

He emphasizes that successful distributed shipbuilding

Lessons Learned requires considerably more than fabrication capability. D'Isernia sees opportunities for American shipyards to

Large out? tted units involve thousands of components, adopt production practices from South Korea, Japan and extensive scheduling, supplier coordination, documenta- other leading shipbuilding nations, but believes an impor- tion and quality assurance. tant structural difference must ? rst be addressed.

"We're really a force multiplier," D'Isernia said, ex- In major Asian commercial shipyards, builders generally plaining that Eastern helps HII manage material ? ow, exercise substantial control over vessel design, equipment identify problems and maintain production schedules. selection and procurement. This enables standardized pro- "It's one thing for somebody to send you stuff and send duction, repeatable engineering and greater control over you drawings and you just put it in. It's another to sched- suppliers.

ule it, track it, do all the QA call-outs properly." In the United States, vessel owners and independent

Eastern sees additional potential in this model, provided designers frequently determine equipment selections and it can balance subcontracted naval construction with its design details, resulting in extensive customization.

broader commercial and government workload. Even relatively minor equipment substitutions can affect machinery arrangements, electrical systems, cable routing

Rebuilding the Workforce Remains Job 1 and installation requirements.

Despite the attention given to robotics and advanced D'Isernia believes this limits the ef? ciencies available manufacturing, D'Isernia identi? es skilled labor as the in- through automation and repetitive construction.

48 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News • November 2026

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