Major U.S.-flag merchant marine promotion legislation was
re-introduced in the U.S. Congress in the spring of 2025 known as
the "SHIPS for America Act." That legislation was first
introduced in December 2024. The legislation is poised for a major
push next year in the second session of the current Congress to
become law.
The U.S. government has a long history of supporting the
U.S.-flag merchant marine going back to the enactment of
discriminatory tariffs enacted in 1789 favoring U.S.-flag vessels.
The two world wars accelerated that attention resulting in landmark
legislation, particularly the Merchant Marine Act, 1920 and the
Merchant Marine Act, 1936.
The 1936 Act established a system of operating and construction
subsidies intended to put U.S. vessel owners on par with foreign
owners. That Act, limited for a long time to vessels in liner
service, was expanded in 1970 to cover certain bulk vessels in
irregular service. In 1982, the Reagan Administration
