The Maritime Administration (MARAD) is facing a critical shortage of credentialed merchant mariners available to operate the U.S. flag fleet of commercial ships and strategic sealift vessels. These mariners—serving aboard vessels of all types—provide transportation services essential to domestic and international commerce. Additionally, the Department of Defense relies on experienced mariners to crew vessels of the nation’s Ready Reserve Force (RRF) to support national security operations and sustain global military operations.

It is vital to national security that an adequate number of actively sailing U.S. merchant mariners are appropriately trained and credentialed to sustain a surge in delivering military cargo during an extended conflict overseas. To meet this need, a sufficient number of U.S. commercial vessels must be available to keep these mariners proficient during times of peace. However, the U.S. deep-sea commercial fleet, which traditionally employs such mariners, has declined from 1,100 ships in 1950 to fewer than 200 ships today. The decline in fleet size combined with increased mariner training requirements and more attractive shore-side employment opportunities has led to a decrease in the number of active, fully qualified mariners available to crew U.S. vessels in the event of a national emergency. 

Any federal initiatives that could augment training and education, provide financial assistance to support initial and ongoing mariner training, or otherwise increase accessions into the workforce would improve the United States’ ability to respond to and sustain global military operations and strengthen the nation’s maritime industry. MARAD asked the U.S. DOT Volpe Center to apply its maritime expertise to assist in the development of a comprehensive strategic plan that could strengthen the existing mariner workforce. The U.S. DOT Volpe Center crafted the Mariner Workforce Strategic Plan to strengthen or expand existing programs and identified potential new initiatives to target gaps in mariner recruitment, training, and retention.  

Published in March 2024, the strategic plan established six goals, 13 objectives, and 38 strategies. The plan’s intended outcomes improve transportation safety aboard U.S.-flag vessels operating on the nation’s inland, coastal, and ocean waters. By increasing the mariner workforce, MARAD also seeks to strengthen the U.S. maritime industry and the nation’s economy by improving access to good-paying jobs for American workers. The strategic plan will also help address inequities by improving education and training opportunities and access to jobs for individuals from historically underserved or underrepresented communities. 

Some of the principal strategies include: 

• Increasing promotion of the Military to Mariner Program, a multi-agency effort to support the recruitment of skilled military veterans into the mariner profession. 
• Promoting the use of U.S.-flag vessels in the development of offshore wind energy. A fleet of specialized vessels will be needed to install and maintain offshore wind facilities; these ships represent a potential source of mariner jobs.  
• Working with the Department of Education to expand the eligibility of both students and maritime training and educational institutions to participate in federal student aid programs. 
• Working with federal and industry stakeholders to ensure a positive shipboard climate, free of sexual assault and sexual harassment (SASH) of women and men.  

These strategies will help MARAD ensure recruitment, training, and retention meets the nation’s need for a highly trained mariner workforce that can crew our commercial fleet and strategic sealift vessels.  

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