The Trump administration unveiled a comprehensive Maritime Action Plan on Feb. 13 meant to resurrect the U.S. shipbuilding sector, which has dwindled since World War II and has now fallen far behind those of China and other global competitors.

The document of more than 30 pages details a strategy that includes the establishment of maritime prosperity zones to attract investment, reforms to workforce training and education programs, growth of the U.S.-built and U.S.-flagged commercial fleet, creation of a dedicated Maritime Security Trust Fund financed partly by port fees on Chinese-made ships, and a decrease in regulatory burdens.

In April 2025, the administration announced port fees on Chinese-built ships, starting at $50 per net ton of cargo in mid-October 2025 and increasing annually to $140 per net ton by 2028. The measure was projected to create $3.2 billion annually from ships entering U.S. ports.

China answered on Oct. 10, 2025, implementing its own fees of 400 yuan ($56) per net ton on U.S.-owned, U.S.-operated, or U.S.-flagged ships docking at Chinese ports. Rates rise each year.

The two largest economies came to a mutual agreement in late 2025 to suspend the fees for 12 months, until October 2026.

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer cautioned Beijing in October 2025 against further action after China sanctioned five U.S.-tied subsidiaries of South Korean shipbuilder Hanwha Ocean for aiding the U.S. investigations into Chinese practices.

“Attempts at intimidation will not stop the United States from rebuilding its shipbuilding base,” Greer said at the time.

Shipyard owners, investors, and bipartisan lawmakers celebrated the Feb. 13 announcement, which came later than anticipated.

The strategy resembles the Shipbuilding and Harbor Infrastructure for Prosperity and Security for America Act, reintroduced last year by Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.) and Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.).

“The announcement today should serve as a wake-up call for Congress to act quickly on this bill in order to provide the legal authorities and resources necessary to make this plan a reality,” Young said in an X post. “It’s time to make American ships again.”

Young and Kelly’s act proposes a Maritime Security Trust Fund to redirect port fee revenues into shipyard revitalization and infrastructure. The bill has stalled in Congress, despite partisan backing.

Administration officials described the plan as countering China’s maritime power, which controls more than 50 percent of global shipbuilding capacity. The United States today constructs less than 1 percent of commercial vessels globally.

Earlier efforts included a March 2025 proposal to establish a U.S. shipbuilding office to challenge Beijing’s supremacy.

In February 2025, the office of the U.S. Trade Representative made suggestions to remedy the impasse between the United States and China, including charges of up to $1.5 million per vessel for Chinese-built ships.

Beijing revoked sanctions on a U.S. shipbuilder in November 2025 following the pause in tariffs.

Reuters contributed to this report.