Welcome back to America at Sea: Voices That Matter. Today we hear from Nick Littlepage, a former merchant marine engineer and a 2008 graduate of the California Maritime Academy. He spent 13 years at sea, rising from third assistant engineer to first assistant engineer, mostly on Jones Act tankers with a few years on foreign-flagged oil and gas vessels. Same three questions as everyone: what’s working, what’s in the way, and what he’d fix first.
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What we heard
What’s working: More people are speaking up for the maritime industry, and that is driving legislation like the SHIPS for America Act. He points to the Maritime Security Program, the Tanker Security Program and the Cable Security Fleet as proof that targeted commercial programs work, and to the brown-water fleet of tugs, barges and supply boats, whose yards keep delivering steadily and cost-effectively.
The biggest barrier: “Out of sight, out of mind.” Beyond that, shipbuilding costs, a commercial build cycle that comes only every 10 to 20 years so yards can’t keep their crews and expertise between orders, and a shortage of mariners as shoreside pay catches up.
“Every new construction project feels like starting from scratch, leading to costly layoffs and lost expertise.”
Fix first: Revisit maritime policy using real data on what works and what doesn’t. He lays out his own four-pillar proposal, the Maritime Infrastructure Resilience Act (MIRA), which he says is aimed at the supply side, where the SHIPS Act focuses on demand.
Full transcript
Lightly edited for clarity.
Bill Cullifer: Hello, Bill Cullifer here with Americans for a Stronger Navy. Welcome back to America at Sea: Voices That Matter. We’ve got a great lineup this week. This series is the platform for voices across the maritime world, including ones that don’t always agree with each other, or with us for that matter. That’s the point. Today we hear from Nick Littlepage, a Cal Maritime grad who spent 13 years in engine rooms, mostly on Jones Act tankers, and worked his way up to first assistant engineer. Same three questions as everyone: what’s working, what’s in the way, and what he’d fix first. Nick, over to you.
Introduction
Nick Littlepage: Hello, my name is Nick Littlepage. I’m a former merchant marine engineer and a graduate of the California Maritime Academy, class of 2008.
I come from the commercial side of the industry. I spent 13 years working on a variety of vessels, starting as a third assistant engineer and eventually reaching the rank of first assistant engineer. I spent most of my time sailing on Jones Act tankers, with a couple of years on foreign-flagged oil and gas vessels. That gave me experience on a variety of ships and exposure to how things operate under different flag registries.
Even though I’m now in power generation, I’m a big supporter of a strong merchant marine, which is key to maritime sovereignty and a foundation for a powerful Navy. The recent Jones Act waivers rekindled my passion and made me realize I needed to voice my support much louder.
Connecting with Clay Wirsing and his U.S. Maritime Action platform opened up my world to how much support is growing in the maritime sector. Huge thanks to Bill at Americans for a Stronger Navy for creating the America at Sea campaign, a platform for anyone to voice their support for the maritime industry.
Question 1: What’s working right now that we should do more of?
Nick Littlepage: The number of people who have spoken out in support is growing. These are people willing to take the criticism that comes with being at the forefront of a movement. That leads to conversations and exposes this little-known industry to the general public. It has led to legislation such as the SHIPS Act, which is a comprehensive reform of our maritime policy.
Other areas where we’re succeeding are the Maritime Security Program, the Tanker Security Program and the Cable Security Fleet. We’ve been maintaining them by cycling in newer tonnage to replace older tonnage. The Tanker Security Program is relatively new, and Congress’s recent authorization to double the fleet to 20 vessels proves that targeted commercial mechanisms work.
The brown-water fleet is an often overlooked sector of the maritime industry. It makes up the largest part of the U.S.-flag fleet, including tugboats, barges, supply boats and many other small craft. Those yards consistently meet the steady demand for smaller vessels while staying cost-effective.
Question 2: What’s the biggest barrier to rebuilding America at sea?
Nick Littlepage: The first big barrier is the out-of-sight, out-of-mind approach to America’s maritime policy. It has historically been this way until something major happens and the country gets caught with its proverbial pants down. It wasn’t until the last 15 years that people really knew much about America’s maritime sector. Ironically, the maritime industry is a massive jobs multiplier that few people know about.
Shipbuilding costs, to me, are one of the biggest barriers to rebuilding America at sea. As much of a Jones Act supporter as I am, it’s hard to face the evidence that the commercial fleet has been slowly declining. The double-edged sword of the Jones Act has been the protected market, where the few shipyards understand there is a commercial build cycle every 10 to 20 years because U.S. shipping companies have to come to them. Coupled with less advanced, smaller-footprint shipyards, you end up with expensive ships that are delivered slowly.
This compounds because demand isn’t steady. Domestic shipyards can’t bridge build cycles, so every new construction project feels like starting from scratch, leading to costly layoffs and lost expertise.
The lack of qualified mariners is another big issue for all U.S. shipping companies. Shoreside wages have caught up, and shoreside jobs often have greater growth potential and better benefits, even compared to the maritime unions. Often the raises don’t reflect the sacrifice of being away for six to eight months. That makes it hard not only to attract a workforce but to retain one.
“The raises don’t reflect the sacrifice of being away for six to eight months.”
Question 3: If you could fix one thing first, what would it be?
Nick Littlepage: The first thing I would fix is that we need to start revisiting our maritime policies, with actual data on what is working and what isn’t. We need to modernize what isn’t working to reflect global changes in supply lines and the industrial ecosystem.
I personally developed a four-pillar proposal called the Maritime Infrastructure Resilience Act, or MIRA. It’s designed to be a pragmatic combination of ideas that are out of the box and controversial to both Jones Act purists and Jones Act abolitionists. The goal of MIRA is to refine the supply side of the industry to attract private capital without direct cash government subsidies. Where the SHIPS Act focuses on demand, MIRA focuses on making American shipbuilding economically viable, so that vessels get built to fulfill that demand.
I believe many of the problems facing the commercial maritime industry can be addressed through MIRA. The highlights include:
Using techniques such as distributed manufacturing for shipbuilding, much like the airline industry, to scale the fleet in a timelier manner.
Creating a foreign-built ratio system, where one domestic build allows one foreign-built sister vessel into the Jones Act trade, under very tight structural safeguards.
Federal tax exemptions for mariners who work on U.S.-flag vessels in commercial trade, to attract and retain a workforce.
And finally, accelerated tax write-offs for companies that build ships in the United States or do their maintenance, repair and overhaul work in U.S. shipyards or lay berths. The idea is to create a circular shipbuilding ecosystem.
Closing
Nick Littlepage: Throughout history, people coming together for a common cause have often brought about very positive change. In this instance, we’ve been presented an opportunity to have our collective voices heard, with not just critiques but realistic solutions. Together, we will see legislation take shape that will usher the United States into regaining its maritime sovereignty.
“Not just critiques but realistic solutions.”
About America at Sea: Voices That Matter
America at Sea: Voices That Matter is a conversation hosted by Americans for a Stronger Navy with U.S. Maritime Action and moderated by Capt. Brent Sadler, USN (Ret.). Shipbuilders, mariners, industry, the Navy community and policy experts answer the same three questions about rebuilding America at sea. Views expressed are the speaker’s own, and featuring a proposal is not an endorsement.
Join the conversation on X. What’s working? What’s in the way? What would you fix first?