Capt. Stephen Carmel was confirmed late Thursday as the new administrator of the U.S. Maritime Administration. Carmel was confirmed by the Senate in a 53-43 yea-nay vote.
President Donald Trump nominated Carmel to serve as the next administrator back in May of this year. Carmel will fill a position that has been vacant since Rear Adm. (Ret.) Ann C. Phillips resigned in January.
Carmel currently serves as president of U.S. Marine Management LLC, a Norfolk, Va.-based maritime company that operates U.S.-flagged vessels and supports federal contracts. A former captain in the U.S. merchant marine, Carmel brings decades of industry experience to the nomination.
In addition, Carmel’s nomination aligns with President Trump’s shipbuilding agenda, intended to strengthen the U.S. maritime industry by expanding the U.S.-flag fleet for both international and domestic shipping.
Marad, an agency within the Department of Transportation, promotes the development, maintenance, and security of the U.S. merchant marine and maritime industry to support national defense and economic interests.
Before joining U.S. Marine Management, Carmel was a senior executive at Maersk Line Ltd., Norfolk, the U.S.-flagged subsidiary of Danish shipping firm A.P. Møller – Mærsk A/S. His current company was acquired by Maritime Partners, LLC, Metairie, La., in September 2023 as part of a strategic push to grow in the Jones Act-qualified vessel market.
Carmel is the first Marad administrator to hold a Master’s Unlimited license since Capt. William G. Schubert, who served from 2001 to 2005.
Since January, Sang H. Yi has, as acting administrator, lead Marad’s efforts to maintain and modernize infrastructure supporting commercial shipping and military sealift. He also oversaw initiatives to strengthen the maritime workforce, drive innovation, and enhance cross-industry collaboration to build a more resilient maritime transportation system.
