⚓Trump’s $30 Billion Shipbuilding Shock: Can the U.S. Catch Up with China?

Jul 16, 2025

∙ Paid

🔥Greetings, Maritime Mavericks!

71% of Earth is covered by water. And every global power in history knew one thing:

Control the sea — control the world.

From Britain in the 1800s to America in World War II. Navies won wars.

Merchant fleets won markets. Now, in 2025, it’s China’s turn.

But Donald Trump has a $30B plan to stop it.

Let’s dive in…

Let’s look at the numbers:

In 2023, China built 250 ships, totaling 14 million tons
That’s more than the U.S. has built since 1950
China now controls 53% of the global shipbuilding market (it was just 5% in 2000)

And it didn’t happen by chance.

Between 2010–2018, Beijing gave $132 billion in subsidies to state-backed shipbuilders.

They built fast. They built cheap. They built global dominance.

In 2023, the U.S. built… just five large ships. Total tonnage? 76,000.

That’s 0.5% of China’s annual output.

Why did America fall so far behind?

Now, Trump wants to revive American shipbuilding — fast.

His new bill sets aside $30 billion for:

Maritime Analytica