Federal Maritime Commissioners Daniel Maffei and Max Vekich traveled to Philadelphia in late May to see how the Hanwha Philly Shipyard and the Port of Philadelphia (PhilaPort) are making important contributions to the Pennsylvania economy and continuing the centuries’ long maritime heritage of both that city and state.
Shipbuilding has been associated with Philadelphia since the 18th Century. Today, Hanwha Philly Shipyard produces vessels of all classes and senior executives from that company discussed their plans for the facility and where they see opportunities for growth. The Commissioners were able to learn more about two current projects producing ships at that facility. In separate meetings, Matson, Inc. executives provided a briefing on their construction of three Aloha Class container ships and Tote Services executives discussed the National Security Multi-Mission Vessel (NSMMV) program for which they serve as the Vessel Construction Manager. A total of five NSMMV will be constructed at Hanwha Philly Shipyard. Commissioners Maffei and Vekich were able to go aboard the TS State of Maine, which is undergoing its final outfitting before being delivered to the Maine Maritime Academy.
Also while at Hanwha Philly Shipyard, Commissioners Maffei and Vekich met with officials from the Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association who provided their perspective on shipbuilding and growing the U.S. merchant marine.
“The work being undertaken at Hanwha Philly Shipyard to revitalize America’s merchant fleet is vital to America’s strength as a major maritime power. Growing the capacity to build cargo ships in the United States is a goal I share with the President and a bipartisan coalition in Congress. What we saw today gives me confidence that given the right incentives, the private sector will be able to eventually scale up to meet that goal,” said Commissioner Maffei.
“As we all work to expand our maritime resources, I commend Hanwa Philly Shipyard for preparing to meet the maritime challenges of tomorrow. Based on what we saw, Hanwa Philly has both the resources and the room to expand to meet the increased demand for U.S. built vessels, especially container ships. I am optimistic that we can meet the aspirational goals of the Ships for America Act by ramping up our domestic shipbuilding capacity and growing the labor force that will be essential to operating U.S flag vessels” said Commissioner Vekich.
PhilaPort has connected Pennsylvania to the world long before there was a United States and a briefing with port executives covered both current port operations and the potential for growth over the coming decades. PhilaPort is important gateway for agricultural commodities, particularly in the north-south trades, and about one-third of the volume transiting the port is perishable commodities. The port has also developed a robust business around handling and processing imported vehicles. The Commissioners learned about the port’s plan to expand infrastructure and capacity and attract a more diversified mix of cargoes.
“The importance of PortPhila as a major agriculture import hub on the East Coast cannot be understated” said Commissioner Maffei.
The Commissioners visited Hanwha Philly Shipyard and PortPhila on May 29, 2025.
Daniel B. Maffei and Max Vekich are Commissioners at the U.S. Federal Maritime Commission. The thoughts and comments expressed here are their own and do not necessarily represent the position of the Commission.