A recent survey shows more than 80% of Americans woulds like to see more manufacturing move home, and yet the same poll shows less than 20% of the population would be willing to work in the sector, a juxtaposition perfectly illustrating the hurdles the Trump administration faces if it really genuinely wants to resurrect its moribund shipbuilding scene. The fact is, as I’ve stated on more than one occasion, shipbuilding is a heavy industry, and by extension, it is a stage an economy goes through, and then leaves behind. I well recall an old colleague of mine, more than 20 years ago, returning from South Korea where the vice president of Hyundai Heavy Industries, the nation’s number one yard, told him: “I look forward to the day my country is no longer the world’s largest shipbuilder.” He understood that this heavy industry is a building block on the way to a more advanced economy, a process that comes and goes. Global Times, a state-run Chinese newspaper, lambasted the American plans earlier this year in an OpEd, arguing quite correctly in my opinion: “The chasm between American and Chinese shipbuilding is fundamentally a gap in industrial infrastructure. The forces of globalization swept away America’s steel mills, machine shops and skilled labor force, leaving behind rusting supply chains and a hollowed-out manufacturing base. Shipbuilding, a quintessential heavy industry, requires a robust industrial foundation. When that foundation crumbles, shipbuilding inevitably follows.” Putting the scale of how far behind American shipbuilding is to its Asian rival, China manufactured more commercial vessels by tonnage in 2024 than US shipyards have built since the end of World War II. This particular ship has passed for America. Contents Front page: Shipping tipped to increase FFA exposureEditor’s Comment: Who’s actually willing to make American shipbuilding great again?April 2025 ReviewMarkets TankersMarkets Dry BulkMarkets ContainersAnalyst AbstractMonthly BrokerFeature: What you need to know about the IMO’s new greenhouse gas pricing mechanismInterview: Risto KarirantaDataOpinion: Time to raise a glass TagsSplash Extra April 2025