The US Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) announced the availability of $19.6 million in federal funding to support capital improvements and employee training at small US shipyards. The grants are provided through the Small Shipyard Grant Program, aiming to help eligible shipyards modernize operations, increase efficiency and “reap the benefits of increased productivity”.
Available to US shipyards with less than 1,200 production employees, the grants support a variety of projects; including capital and related improvements, as well as equipment upgrades that foster ship construction, repair and reconfiguration. The grants can also be used to cultivate maritime training programs intended to enhance employee skills and productivity.
Maritime Administrator Mark H. Buzby, said:
These grants will help small shipyards continue to build top-of-the-line vessels in addition to creating jobs and supporting economic growth in their local communities.
American shipyards continue to create new jobs and strengthen the economy. In 2013, US shipbuilders directly employed 110,000 Americans and produced $37.3 billion in Gross Domestic Product (GDP). US Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao, stated:
Our country’s infrastructure relies on the success of our shipyards, ports, and waterways; this grant program helps provide workers with the training they need to succeed in the 21st Century economy.
MARAD is expected to award grants up to 23 July 2018.
Under the Small Shipyard Grant Program, MARAD awarded $9.8 million to 18 US small shipyards last September, while it has awarded a total of $174 million to 169 small shipyards so far.
