The US merchant fleet: a giant that forgot the ocean

From a maritime power to an outsider

In the 19th century, American sailing ships plied the oceans, and in the 20th century, American Liberty ships and Victory ships carried the burden of World War II, supplying the Allies and the army overseas. The US knew how to build ships, maintain crews, and provide maritime transport — and it was the ocean that became one of the cornerstones of national power.

But today, this past seems more like a legend than reality. The modern US merchant fleet consists of only a few dozen ocean-going vessels flying the national flag. By comparison, China has thousands and Greece has tens of thousands. The US, with the world's largest economy, transports its own cargo mainly on ships flying ‘flags of convenience’ — Panama, Liberia, the Marshall Islands.

Why has America left the sea? The answer is simple: economics

Maintaining a ship under the American flag is many times more expensive than under a foreign flag. American sailors receive salaries that are dozens of times higher than those of their colleagues from the Philippines or India. Taxes and safety requirements are also stricter. As a result, shipowners vote with their wallets: it is more profitable to sail under a foreign flag than to go bankrupt in their home port.

There is, however, one exception — the Jones Act of 1920. It requires that maritime transport between US ports be carried out by ships built in the US, with American crews and under the American flag. Thanks to this, the country has at least retained its coastal shipping. But the downside is that everything becomes more expensive, from fuel in Hawaii to food in Puerto Rico. The law, designed to protect national security, is now increasingly seen as a barrier to competition.

Contemporary challenges

The alarming nature of the situation became apparent during the wars in the Middle East. When the US deployed troops to Iraq and Afghanistan, it became clear that the American supply fleet was simply not sufficient. It had to hire ships from private companies and even turn to foreign carriers. The superpower suddenly found itself dependent on foreign captains and ships.

A similar story unfolded with Hawaii and Alaska. Transportation of goods there is strictly regulated by the Jones Act, and as a result, the cost of goods is higher than on the mainland. Residents joke that if petrol or food were not transported by American ships, prices would fall by half. But jokes aside, the economy is really suffering.

Now let's imagine a conflict with China. The US military in the Pacific needs to receive millions of tonnes of fuel, equipment and food. But who will transport all this? The country has neither a fleet nor enough trained sailors to cope on its own.

What's so scary about that, you might ask? America already has plenty of allies and partners in maritime trade. But experts have serious concerns. During World War II, Washington had more than 5,000 cargo ships. Today, there are barely fifty. Who will transport tanks and fuel? Greek shipowners? Chinese carriers? Unlikely.

Moreover, the reduction of the fleet entails a reduction in personnel. Sailors are leaving the profession, ageing, and new specialists are not coming in. In a generation, the US may find itself in a situation where it has neither ships nor anyone who knows how to operate them.

To understand the scale of the problem, let's look at some figures. According to data from MARAD and the Maritime Administration:

• as of April 2025, only 188 ships (including tankers, container ships and dry cargo ships), with a capacity of about 266,000 TEU (twenty-foot equivalent units) and 4.9 million barrels of cargo capacity. This is only about 85 ships actually engaged in foreign trade. By comparison, China has approximately 9,200 merchant ships;
• there are fewer than 10,000 active American naval officers left in the United States, compared to approximately 50,000 in the 1960s;

The question of the future of the US merchant fleet is a worrying one today. A superpower accustomed to projecting its power across the globe risks becoming dependent on foreign carriers. Americans like to recall Admiral Alfred Mahan, a classic naval thinker, who argued: ‘He who rules the seas rules the world.’ America, a country famous for its sailing ships and dominance of the world's oceans, with its merchant fleet, is like a forgotten artefact: a powerful economy, global interests — and almost nothing national on the water.

Domestic reforms, maritime laws, and proposals for registering ships in the USVI are a chance to regain what has been lost. But without sailors, without personnel, without cargo ships, all this may turn out to be nothing more than a declaration. The US can once again become a maritime power, but to do so, it needs not only to dream of a return, but also to train sailors, build ships and reclaim its place on global routes.