The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) has awarded $4.9 million in grants to support capital improvements at nine small shipyards located throughout the United States. Provided through the Small Shipyard Grant Program, the funding supports industrial modernizations that increase productivity, allowing the shipyards to compete more effectively in the global marketplace.

Small shipyards play a significant role in the nation’s shipbuilding and repair activity. The facilities vary in size, from family-owned businesses employing a few dozen workers, to multifaceted establishments with hundreds of employees. The grants, which were primarily available to U.S. shipyards with less than 600 production employees, will fund a variety of projects including infrastructure improvements and equipment upgrades to increase operational competitiveness and quality vessel construction.

“Small shipyard grants do more than just improve shipyard infrastructure and equipment or add to the bottom line,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx.  “They also create jobs and new opportunities, and they strengthen local economies.”

“U.S. shipyards produce what are unquestionably some of the best-built vessels in the world,” added Maritime Administrator Paul “Chip” Jaenichen.  “The grants awarded today will help ensure that ‘Built in America’ remains an international shipbuilding standard.”

MARAD received 118 grant applications requesting $80 million in assistance, far exceeding the $4.9 million made available for the grants. Since 2009, the Obama administration has provided more than $167 million to help U.S. shipyards and their workers reap the benefits of increased production capabilities delivered by emerging technologies and highly skilled workers.

The shipyard grant recipients are located in Louisiana, Maryland, Florida, California, Oregon, Texas, New Jersey, Kentucky, and Rhode Island.