Experts Call for Action as US Shipping Industry Trails China

U.S. ships now account for less than 1 percent of global tonnage, and numbers of qualified American mariners have plummeted.

A container ship is guided into the Port of Oakland in Oakland, Calif., on Aug. 7, 2023. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

The U.S. shipping industry has dwindled over past decades while China’s has drastically grown, putting the United States at an economic and military disadvantage, according to experts at a roundtable discussion held in Washington on July 9.

The roundtable, titled “Reinvigorating the U.S.-Flag Fleet and Shipbuilding Industry,” was attended by maritime industry leaders and the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation.