The American Shipbuilding Crisis: Identifying the Problems

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It's the third week of solo efforts by our host Jim Vinoski to do a deep dive into the crisis in American shipbuilding. This week's episode is focused on identifying the causes of the problems.

Jim discusses the crisis in American shipbuilding, citing historical inefficiencies and current challenges. He references articles by Brian Potter, Colin Grabow, Inu Manak, Daniel Ikenson, and Samuel Czwartacki to highlight issues like high labor and input costs, the impact of unions, and protectionist laws like the Jones Act. Post-WWII, America's share of global shipbuilding dropped from 60% to 2%. He notes the decline in shipyards from 50 to 14 and the shift from ocean-going vessels to barges. Vinoski criticizes current policies and regulations, advocating for deregulation and domestic mining to support the industry.

Highlights:
00:00 - Problems in the American Shipbuilding Industry
04:29 - Impact of the World Wars, and the Post-War Period
06:45 - Decline in Shipbuilding Capabilities
10:26 - The Specific Causes

Here are the links to the resource articles:

https://www.noahpinion.blog/p/why-cant-the-us-build-ships

https://www.cato.org/publications/policy-analysis/jones-act-burden-america-can-no-longer-bear

https://americarenewing.com/issues/primer-deterioration-abuse-and-waste-in-the-shipbuilding-industry/