Latest news with #MaritimeActionPlan
Mint
6 days ago
- Business
- Mint
India's mega shipbuilding plan unfolds; 5 greenfield and 3 brownfield facilities taking shape on both sides of coastline
India is working to dramatically expand its domestic shipbuilding capabilities, with plans to establish eight such clusters along its expansive coastline. While five of these facilities will be built from the ground up, the rest three will involve expansion of existing facilities. The government has finalized the locations with pre-secured land parcels and necessary clearances, Union shipping secretary T.K. Ramachandran said. The mega-initiative, a cornerstone of the nation's Atmanirbhar Bharat drive, aims to transform India into a global shipbuilding powerhouse. States have made rapid progress in developing maritime clusters, Ramachandran said in an interview. "All state governments have formed special purpose vehicles to implement the project with approved and identified land parcels and access network connecting the clusters with roads and railway infrastructure. Seaside infrastructure is being developed along with breakwater facilities," he said. Nations are increasingly looking at shipping as a strategic sector, given Chinese dominance of the sector. US president Donald Trump has called for revitalizing shipbuilding, viewing it as crucial for both national security and economic prosperity. He has signed an executive order to create a Maritime Action Plan, established a new Office of Maritime and Industrial Capacity within the National Security Council, and proposed measures like imposing fees on Chinese-built vessels entering US. The five greenfield clusters that will come up in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, and Maharashtra will host the entire spectrum of ship manufacturing to equipment production, vendors, bunkering stations, insurance and ship leasing, said Ramachandran. These sites will house everything from ship manufacturing and equipment production to vendors, bunkering stations, insurance, and ship leasing entities. India's push is driven by a desire to significantly increase India's miniscule share of global shipbuilding, currently below 1%. The Maritime India Vision 2030 and Vision 2047 plans aim to elevate India into the top 10 and then top five shipbuilding and ship-owning countries worldwide, respectively. The target is to raise the share of Indian-built ships in India's fleet from the current 5% to 7% by 2030 and a substantial 69% by 2047. Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu have commissioned techno economic feasibility reports, and the government is exploring tie-ups with global shipbuilders for these clusters. While the secretary did not comment on the required investment for these projects, it is estimated that about ₹2 trillion would be required to develop the infrastructure over five to six years. The investment is part of the broader Maritime India Vision 2030, which anticipates a total investment of ₹3-3.5 trillion across ports, shipping, and inland waterways. In addition, three brownfield facilities will be developed: two in Gujarat (a ship repair facility in Vadinar and a shipbuilding facility in Kandla) and one shipbuilding facility near Cochin Port in Kerala. Shipping ministry officials have visited shipbuilding hubs in South Korea, Japan, and Scandinavian countries to explore partnerships and joint venture agreements. Ramachandran indicated that some tie-ups between global shipbuilders and Indian private and state-owned companies could materialize soon. "While we're seeing progress, the global market is still dominated by China, South Korea, and Japan," commented Pushpank Kaushik, CEO & head of business development (subcontinent, middle east and South East Asia) at Jassper Shipping. "To bridge that gap, what's really needed now is a clear push for foreign investment and technology transfer. If policy can make space for that, it'll not only attract global players but also strengthen our position in the international market." Mint had earlier reported about the government's plan to identify locations on both east and west coast of India as part of its ambitious global ship hub plans. The Union budget for FY26 outlined several measures to bolster domestic shipbuilding, including a ₹25,000 crore government-industry partnership Maritime Development Fund; revamping the existing Shipbuilding Financial Assistance to address cost disadvantages; and providing credit notes for shipbreaking to help purchase made-in-India ships. The budget also included large ships in the infrastructure harmonized master list, allowing their purchase on easier terms, while providing basic customs duty exemption on raw materials, components, consumables or parts for 10 more years. India's shipbuilding initiative would also address a concern of the trade about the uncertainty and variability of shipping costs impacting their competitiveness. With better availability of domestic shipping lines at affordable prices, the freight rate volatility due to shock events like covid-19, the Russia-Ukraine war, Red Sea crisis and the Iran-Israel conflict could also be checked.
Epoch Times
05-05-2025
- Business
- Epoch Times
Don't Build a Ghost Fleet
Commentary The Trump administration seems serious about resurrecting a domestic shipbuilding industry and increasing the size of the Navy. Both are admirable objectives, and neither is possible without the other—assuming that Congress could put aside partisan trench warfare long enough to agree on a multi-year Defense appropriation. There is broad agreement that the Navy The President's Executive The Administration's focus of commercial ships and yards is fine: without a larger, more predictable flow of both commercial and Navy construction, shipbuilders won't be able to attract or retain a skilled workforce or have the right financial incentives to invest in new technologies and infrastructure. It is well documented that many of the recent Navy cost overruns were the result of frequent construction No discussion of Navy shipbuilding delays or cost-overruns could survive a smell test without upfront acknowledgement of the Navy's complicity. Choose a construction program: the Ford , the LCS, the DG-1000, the new Ever an optimist, I'm hoping that the Maritime Action Plan will rub off on the Navy. Whether it can evolve into a mini-Operation Warp Speed is unclear. But I believe the White House needs to take on one more challenge simultaneously, or the commitment to build more ships will be for naught: we must figure out how to man not only the new ships, but our existing fleet. Related Stories 4/29/2025 4/23/2025 For years, the Navy has been unable to meet its recruiting goals. The Navy needs approximately 332,300 sailors and officers to man its current fleet of 295 ships. Because people retire and leave the service, the Navy Staffing quasi-Navy ships is a problem too. The Navy has 61 U.S. Naval Service ships oilers, supply ships, transports, pre-positioned support vessels, two hospital ships—operated by the Military Sealift Command. Although owned by the Navy, they are crewed by civilians. Last summer, thee MSC The Navy is not alone in its recruiting problems: the Army, Air Force, and Coast Guard have all been having trouble meeting their targets. So, while it is encouraging that the Navy has met its most recent recruiting numbers, lowering standards is not a smart nor sustainable strategy, especially for a fleet that continues to get more technologically complex. Some observers argue that crewed ships and airplanes with actual pilots are a thing of the past; and given the difficulty in attracting young people to serve in the military, we should just go all-in on drones. But a larger number of unmanned aircraft and vessels are already part of mix for the fleet of the future, and that is not going to ameliorate the need for people to join the military. Just as President Trump tasked his National Security Advisor to deliver a Maritime Action Plan within seven months, he (or Congress) should demand a similar plan on how we are going to get people to serve in the armed forces. Nothing should be off the table, beginning with whether we still want—and can deliver—an all-volunteer military. One top newspaper editor I recently spoke with said his paper supports the return of the draft. A retired advertising executive complained to me about the inanity of the Navy's recent ad campaigns—'Can anyone explain what 'Forged by the Sea' means?'—but doubted a new tag line would be enough to connect with Gen Z'ers or the younger Gen Alphas who follow. And last week, a freshman at Yale called me to brainstorm about how to get support for mandatory national service. (He had read several articles I had We need to build more ships, and we need to do so smarter, faster, and cheaper. But if we don't also figure out how to man them, we will be building a ghost fleet. From Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump wants to revive the lagging US shipbuilding industry. Here are the hurdles he faces
President Donald Trump is turning his attention to the U.S. shipbuilding industry, which is leagues behind its near-peer competitor China, and recently signed an executive order designed to reinvigorate it. Trump's April 10 order instructs agencies to develop a Maritime Action Plan and orders the U.S. trade representative to compile a list of recommendations to address China's "anticompetitive actions within the shipbuilding industry," among other things. Additionally, the executive order instructs a series of assessments regarding how the government could bolster financial support through the Defense Production Act, the Department of Defense Office of Strategic Capital, a new Maritime Security Trust Fund, investment from shipbuilders from allied countries and other grant programs. But simply throwing money at the shipbuilding industry won't solve the problem, according to Bryan Clark, director of the Hudson Institute think tank's Center for Defense Concepts and Technology. "It is unlikely that just putting more money into U.S. shipbuilding – even with foreign technical assistance – will make U.S. commercial shipbuilders competitive with experienced and highly-subsidized shipyards in China, Korea, or Japan," Clark said in a Monday email to Fox News Digital. "In the near to mid-term, the government will need to also drive higher demand for U.S.-built ships." Us Risks Pushing European Allies Into China's Arms With New Tariffs, Experts Warn Read On The Fox News App Clark also said the executive orders appear to complement the SHIPS for America Act, a series of legislative measures introduced in December 2024 in both the House and Senate aimed at fostering growth within the U.S. shipbuilding industry and strengthening the U.S. Merchant Marine fleet that is capable of transporting military materials during times of conflict. Specifically, the SHIPS Act includes provisions establishing a Strategic Commercial Fleet Program, which would seek to develop merchant vessels that could operate internationally, but are American-built, owned and operated. The legislation would also seek to beef up the U.S.-flag international fleet by roughly 250 ships in 10 years. "If we implement the EO and the SHIPS Act together, the government would create incentives to flag and build ships in the U.S. and provide capital to the shipbuilding industry so it could meet the increased demand with greater efficiency and lower costs," Clark said. "This will not result in the U.S. surpassing China, Korea or Japan as shipbuilders, but it would provide the U.S. more resilience." The U.S. is drastically behind near-peer competitors like China in shipbuilding. China is responsible for more than 50% of global shipbuilding, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, compared to just 0.1% from the U.S. However, Trump has indicated interest in working with other nations on shipbuilding, and suggested working with Congress to pass legislation authorizing the purchase of ships from foreign countries when signing the orders. Specifics were not provided. Us Risks Pushing European Allies Into China's Arms With New Tariffs, Experts Warn But doing so could upend a century-old law known as the Jones Act – a controversial law fundamental to the current U.S. shipbuilding environment that requires that only U.S. ships carry cargo between U.S. ports and stipulates that at least 75% of the crew members are American citizens. It also requires that these ships are built in the U.S. and that U.S. citizens own them. Proponents of the Jones Act assert it is key to national security and prevents foreigners from gaining entry to the U.S. But experts claim the law has significantly hampered U.S. shipbuilding, and is undercutting competition while keeping shipbuilding costs high. Efforts to repeal the legislation have failed amid bipartisan support in Congress. But some experts claim eradicating the law is a first step in changing the shipbuilding industry in the U.S. "Anyone who is serious about reviving the shipping industry should basically start by getting rid of the Jones Act," Veronique de Rugy, a senior research fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, told Fox News Digital Thursday. "It's not everything, but it's a start." Colin Grabow, an associate director at the Cato Institute's Center for Trade Policy Studies, said shipbuilding issues in the U.S. are multifaceted, but the Jones Act is a major part of the problem. Still, he doubts efforts to repeal it will prove successful. "I think the bar has been set so low, it is hard not to think that, absent the Jones Act, that we'd be doing any worse," Grabow said. "And in fact, I think we'd do better. And why do I think we'd do better? It's because… fundamentally, I think an industry that doesn't have to compete will become uncompetitive. I think it's just kind of axiomatic."Original article source: Trump wants to revive the lagging US shipbuilding industry. Here are the hurdles he faces
Fox News
21-04-2025
- Business
- Fox News
Trump wants to revive the lagging US shipbuilding industry. Here are the hurdles he faces
President Donald Trump is turning his attention to the U.S. shipbuilding industry, which is leagues behind its near-peer competitor China, and recently signed an executive order designed to reinvigorate it. Trump's April 10 order instructs agencies to develop a Maritime Action Plan and orders the U.S. trade representative to compile a list of recommendations to address China's "anticompetitive actions within the shipbuilding industry," among other things. Additionally, the executive order instructs a series of assessments regarding how the government could bolster financial support through the Defense Production Act, the Department of Defense Office of Strategic Capital, a new Maritime Security Trust Fund, investment from shipbuilders from allied countries and other grant programs. But simply throwing money at the shipbuilding industry won't solve the problem, according to Bryan Clark, director of the Hudson Institute think tank's Center for Defense Concepts and Technology. "It is unlikely that just putting more money into U.S. shipbuilding – even with foreign technical assistance – will make U.S. commercial shipbuilders competitive with experienced and highly-subsidized shipyards in China, Korea, or Japan," Clark said in a Monday email to Fox News Digital. "In the near to mid-term, the government will need to also drive higher demand for U.S.-built ships." Clark also said the executive orders appear to complement the SHIPS for America Act, a series of legislative measures introduced in December 2024 in both the House and Senate aimed at fostering growth within the U.S. shipbuilding industry and strengthening the U.S. Merchant Marine fleet that is capable of transporting military materials during times of conflict. Specifically, the SHIPS Act includes provisions establishing a Strategic Commercial Fleet Program, which would seek to develop merchant vessels that could operate internationally, but are American-built, owned and operated. The legislation would also seek to beef up the U.S.-flag international fleet by roughly 250 ships in 10 years. "If we implement the EO and the SHIPS Act together, the government would create incentives to flag and build ships in the U.S. and provide capital to the shipbuilding industry so it could meet the increased demand with greater efficiency and lower costs," Clark said. "This will not result in the U.S. surpassing China, Korea or Japan as shipbuilders, but it would provide the U.S. more resilience." The U.S. is drastically behind near-peer competitors like China in shipbuilding. China is responsible for more than 50% of global shipbuilding, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, compared to just 0.1% from the U.S. However, Trump has indicated interest in working with other nations on shipbuilding, and suggested working with Congress to pass legislation authorizing the purchase of ships from foreign countries when signing the orders. Specifics were not provided. But doing so could upend a century-old law known as the Jones Act – a controversial law fundamental to the current U.S. shipbuilding environment that requires that only U.S. ships carry cargo between U.S. ports and stipulates that at least 75% of the crew members are American citizens. It also requires that these ships are built in the U.S. and that U.S. citizens own them. Proponents of the Jones Act assert it is key to national security and prevents foreigners from gaining entry to the U.S. But experts claim the law has significantly hampered U.S. shipbuilding, and is undercutting competition while keeping shipbuilding costs high. Efforts to repeal the legislation have failed amid bipartisan support in Congress. But some experts claim eradicating the law is a first step in changing the shipbuilding industry in the U.S. "Anyone who is serious about reviving the shipping industry should basically start by getting rid of the Jones Act," Veronique de Rugy, a senior research fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, told Fox News Digital Thursday. "It's not everything, but it's a start." Colin Grabow, an associate director at the Cato Institute's Center for Trade Policy Studies, said ship-building issues in the U.S. are multifaceted, but the Jones Act is a major part of the problem. Still, he doubts efforts to repeal it will prove successful. "I think the bar has been set so low, it is hard not to think that, absent the Jones Act, that we'd be doing any worse," Grabow said. "And in fact, I think we'd do better. And why do I think we'd do better? It's because… fundamentally, I think an industry that doesn't have to compete will become uncompetitive. I think it's just kind of axiomatic."
Yahoo
12-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Here's what happened during Trump's 12th week in office
President Donald Trump ramped up steep tariffs against Chinese imports to the U.S. this week while alleviating them for other countries during trade negotiations this week. He also signed a series of executive orders aimed at repealing Biden-era restrictions. The Trump administration announced Wednesday it would lower reciprocal tariffs on other countries, while also revealing that the administration would immediately hike tariffs on Chinese goods to 145%. In response, China has raised its tariffs on U.S. goods to 125%. Trump disclosed historic tariffs in a ceremony at the White House's Rose Garden for a "Make America Wealthy Again" event on April 2, asserting that these new duties would generate new jobs for U.S. workers. How We Got To Liberation Day: A Look At Trump's Past Comments On Tariffs The tariff plan established a baseline tax of 10% on all imports to the U.S., along with customized tariffs for countries that place higher tariffs on U.S. goods. The baseline tariffs of 10% took effect Saturday, while the others took effect Wednesday at midnight. But Trump announced in a post on Truth Social Wednesday that reciprocal tariffs announced last week would remain paused for 90 days, during which period the countries would only face the baseline 10% tariff. Read On The Fox News App "At some point, hopefully in the near future, China will realize that the days of ripping off the U.S.A., and other Countries, is no longer sustainable or acceptable," Trump posted on his Truth Social media platform on Wednesday. Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent said that the tariffs suggest that China is at odds with the rest of the world. "China is the most imbalanced economy in the history of the modern world," Bessent told reporters Wednesday. "They are the biggest source of the U.S. trade problems, and indeed they are the problem for the rest of the world." Here's what also happened this week: Trump also signed an executive order this week aimed at reinvigorating the shipbuilding industry in the U.S., amid concerns that China is outpacing the U.S. in production. China is responsible for more than 50% of global shipbuilding, compared to just 0.1% from the U.S., according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies. The executive order requires agencies to craft a Maritime Action Plan and instructs the United States Trade Representative to provide a list of recommendations to deal with China's "anticompetitive actions within the shipbuilding industry," among other things. Trump Ends Biden-era Water Regulations To 'Make America's Showers Great Again' Trump also signed an executive order to reverse Obama- and Biden-era conservation measures that limited water pressure in showers in an attempt to "make showers great again." Former President Barack Obama initially imposed the water pressure restrictions, and Trump sought to ease some of them during his first term. However, former President Joe Biden reinstated the measure, which limited multi-nozzle shower heads from releasing more than 2.5 gallons of water per minute. "I like to take a nice shower, take care of my beautiful hair," Trump said Wednesday. "I have to stand in the shower for 15 minutes until it gets wet. Comes out drip, drip, drip. It's ridiculous." The Trump administration also unveiled plans this week for upcoming talks to negotiate with Iran on Saturday. While Trump has reiterated that these discussions will be "direct" nuclear talks, Iran has pushed back on that description and characterized them as "indirect" negotiations instead. Middle East envoy Stever Witkoff will travel to Oman on Saturday and is slated to potentially meet with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. However, Iran has maintained that the discussions will be held through a third party instead. "The ultimate objective is to ensure that Iran can never obtain a nuclear weapon," Leavitt told reporters Friday. "The president believes in diplomacy, direct talks, talking directly in the same room in order to achieve that goal. But he's made it very clear to the Iranians, and his national security team will, as well, that all options are on the table and Iran has a choice to make. You can agree to President Trump's demand, or there will be all hell to pay. And that's how the president feels. He feels very strongly about it." Fox News' Bonny Chu, Danielle Wallace, and Caitlin McFall contributed to this report. Original article source: Here's what happened during Trump's 12th week in office
