⚓Can America Rebuild Its Maritime Power Before It’s Too Late?
🚢99% of US trade depends on foreign ships — is it time for a shipping revival?
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🔥Greetings, Maritime Mavericks!
Today, nearly 99% of America’s imports and exports are carried on foreign-owned ships. Yet the US depends on ocean transport for 80% of its international trade. US shipyards, once global leaders, now produce only 0.04% of the world’s oceangoing commercial vessels.
🔍Why does it matter?
🛳️How did we get here?
🌍The Jones Act debate
💸Could the US revive its maritime strength?
🌊Lessons from history
🌍Bottom line
This dependency is more than an economic issue — it raises real security concerns.
Let’s dive in…
🔍Why does it matter?
During the pandemic, supply chains broke down as foreign carriers prioritized their own networks, leaving the US struggling for critical supplies. Cargo delays, higher costs, and inflation followed.
For defense, the picture is just as worrying. About 90% of US military equipment moves by sea, but a 2019 readiness test showed only one-third of sealift ships could fully operate, mostly because they are old and poorly maintained.
Meanwhile, China controls more than half of the world’s shipbuilding capacity and owns one of the largest global shipping lines, COSCO. That means China is not only a major trading rival but also dominates shipbuilding and ocean shipping.
If a future conflict or global crisis disrupts these foreign supply routes, the US may not have enough ships or trained crews to respond.