More than 1,250 graduates from the nation’s seven maritime academies are entering the workforce this year, as industry groups raise concerns that the ongoing Jones Act waiver could disrupt job opportunities for newly credentialed mariners.
The American Maritime Partnership (AMP) said the Trump administration’s waiver of the Jones Act, now approaching 150 days, risks reducing employment opportunities across the U.S. maritime sector at a time when the industry is working to expand the domestic workforce.
“We are proud of these men and women who have dedicated years of rigorous study and sea time to join America’s maritime workforce,” said Jennifer Carpenter, president of the American Maritime Partnership. “The Jones Act creates family-wage careers that these graduates have trained for while supporting the safe and reliable delivery of cargo Americans depend on. Extending the Jones Act waiver threatens those careers, weakens American maritime dominance, and shifts opportunities from American mariners to foreign carriers.”
The graduating Class of 2026 includes students from the nation’s seven maritime academies: the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, N.Y.; SUNY Maritime College in Fort Schuyler, N.Y.; Cal Poly Maritime Academy in Vallejo, Calif.; Great Lakes Maritime Academy in Traverse City, Mich.; Maine Maritime Academy in Castine, Maine; Massachusetts Maritime Academy in Buzzards Bay, Mass.; and Texas A&M Maritime Academy in Galveston, Texas.
Many of this year’s graduates are expected to begin careers aboard vessels operating in the domestic fleet, which includes more than 45,000 vessels spanning container ships, tankers, offshore supply vessels, dredges, tugboats and towboats. Others are expected to enter shipbuilding and repair, or serve in the U.S. Navy, Coast Guard and other military branches.
AMP said the Jones Act remains central to maintaining a domestic maritime workforce and supporting U.S. sealift capacity. The group argues that prolonged waivers allowing foreign-flag vessels to transport cargo between U.S. ports could shift jobs and investment away from the domestic fleet.
Graduates from U.S. maritime academies complete classroom instruction, sea time requirements and a rigorous U.S. Coast Guard credentialing process, including multi-day examinations covering navigation, engineering and vessel operations. Their training increasingly includes time aboard the new National Security Multi-Mission Vessels and other U.S.-flag commercial ships.
AMP also pointed to the administration’s 2026 Maritime Action Plan, which calls for expanding mariner training, investing in state maritime academies and strengthening the pipeline of U.S. mariners.
The Jones Act waiver, originally issued in response to supply chain and energy security concerns tied to instability in the Strait of Hormuz, has drawn criticism from domestic maritime operators and labor groups, who argue it undermines long-term workforce and fleet development.
