Small shipyards along the West Coast may be able to upgrade their facilities and provide workforce training, thanks to $20 million of federal fiscal year 2023 funding made available by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD).
Announced Jan. 19, MARAD’s Small Shipyard Grant Program offers grants that could go toward training employees or buying new equipment, including U.S.-made manufacturing equipment.
“Small shipyards play vital roles in their local economies and our national economy,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said. “With these funds, we are helping small shipyards across the country train their workers, modernize their equipment and improve their operations.”
Since 2008, 323 grants totaling about $282 million have been awarded through the Small Shipyard Grant Program, according to MARAD. U.S. shipyards with fewer than 1,200 production employees are eligible for the funding.
The deadline for grant applications is 2 p.m. Pacific time on Feb. 27. For more information, visit https://www.maritime.dot.gov/grants-finances/small-shipyard-grants or contact David M. Heller, Associate Administrator for Business and Finance Development, Maritime Administration, at David.Heller@dot.gov.
