MARAD seeks $300 million for NSMV, zero for Small Shipyards or Maritime Highways
Written by Nick Blenkey
National Security Multi-Mission Vessel (Image: MARAD)
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s FY 2021 budget request for the Maritime Administration includes $300 million to “address critical recapitalization issues for state maritime academy school ships under the National Security Multi-Mission Vessel (NSMV) program.”
However, some other programs have done less well — notably $0 is requested for the Small Shipyard Grants program.
Overall, the $793.7 million budget request is substantially below the $1,115,372 actually spent in 2018 and the $1,047,869 enacted in 2020. As can be seen in the summary table below, other programs for which nothing appears to have been requested are the Port Infrastructure Development Program and America’s Marine Highways.
One of the few programs getting a little extra funding is the Maritime Security Program for which $314 million is requested, an increase of $14 million from the FY 2020 enacted amount. The increase will allow $5.2 million in stipend payments for each of the 60 ships in the program, which supports “a commercial fleet capable of supporting a U.S. presence in foreign commerce, while also providing the military with assured access to these commercial vessels, an intermodal global network of facilities and mariners during times of conflict, humanitarian crises, and natural disasters.”
You can download the full MARAD FY 2021 budget estimate HERE
