September 12, 2025 • 41 mins
Season 5 kicks off with Acting Maritime Administrator Sang Yi, bringing his merchant marine background, Navy Reserve service, and policy expertise to MARAD at a pivotal time. We discuss the success of the NSMV/VCM program, the rebirth of Hanwha Philly Shipyard, and how innovation and tradition can move together in U.S. maritime. With new FMC nominees, billions in shipbuilding investment, and the Maritime Action Plan deadline on November 5, momentum is building fast.
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🚢 Season 5 of By Land and By Sea sets sail with Acting Maritime Administrator Sang Yi.
Since stepping into the role in June, Yi has been everywhere—listening, learning, and engaging with both familiar leaders and fresh voices across the industry. He brings a rare mix of merchant marine credentials, Navy Reserve service, and policy expertise to MARAD at a pivotal time for American shipbuilding.
In our conversation, we dig into:
⚓ The National Security Multi-Mission Vessel (NSMV) program—multi-mission ships for training, disaster response, and more.
⚓ The Vessel Construction Manager (VCM) model—how MARAD partnered with TOTE Services and Hanwha Philly Shipyard to deliver vessels on time and on budget.
⚓ The rebirth of Hanwha Philly Shipyard—from 60 workers to 1,800, with a $5B expansion plan on deck.
⚓ Yi’s four-pillar vision: people, ships, cargo, and ports—balancing deep respect for tradition with disruptive innovation.
And the momentum doesn’t stop there. Since we last spoke:
🔹 Two new FMC nominees, Laura DiBella and Robert Harvey, are awaiting Senate confirmation - potentially bringing the Commission back to a full roster of five.
🔹 USTR’s Section 301 port fees take effect in October, reshaping costs for port calls depending on vessel build and operation.
🔹 The Maritime Action Plan—the capstone of the Executive Order on Maritime Dominance—is due November 5, setting the stage for what comes next.
It’s a packed fall for U.S. maritime—new leadership, new ships, new policies, and new investments all converging.
🎧 Season 5, Episode 1: Balancing Innovation and Tradition – A Conversation with Acting Maritime Administrator Sang Yi
👉 Listen here: www.TheMaritimeProfessor.com/podcast
💡 Engagement ask: Our first Just-in-Time Learning™ session is FMC vs. MARAD: What’s the Difference? What other mini-courses would be most useful for you? Share in the comments or send me a DM—I’d love your input.
#maritime #shipping #supplychain #FMC #MARAD #shipbuilding #ByLandAndBySea #TheMaritimeProfessor
🎙️ Thanks for tuning in to By Land and By Sea powered by The Maritime Professor®! If you enjoyed today’s episode, be sure to subscribe ⭐ and leave a review 📝 - it really helps others find the show.
📚 Want to go deeper? Check out our live webinars, on-demand e-courses, and our Just-in-Time Learning™ sessions -- short, plain-language lessons (30 minutes or less) built for supply chain pros who need quick clarity.
🚢 Looking for something tailored? We also provide custom corporate trainings designed to meet your team’s needs.
⚓ Learn more and explore past episodes at: www.TheMaritimeProfessor.com/podcast
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Ready to go?
Speaker 2 (00:10):
You're listening to, by Land and by Sea, powered by
the Maritime Professor.
Season 5 is here and we arekicking things off with a big
one A new look, new ways toconnect and a special guest.
We have Acting MaritimeAdministrator Sang-Yi on today.
(00:30):
Welcome back to by Land and bySea.
We are in season five.
We're so happy to have you hereAgain.
By Land and by Sea an attorneybreaking down the weakened
supply chain presented by theMaritime Professor.
I'm Lauren Began, former FMCInternational Affairs Attorney
and founder of the MaritimeProfessor.
I'm Lauren Began, former FMCInternational Affairs Attorney
and founder of the MaritimeProfessor and Squall Strategies
by Land and by Sea is your go-toresource for navigating the
(00:53):
regulatory side of global oceanshipping and me, I'm your
favorite maritime attorney.
I'm here to walk you throughboth ocean transport and surface
transport topics in the wildworld of supply chain.
As always, the guidance here isgeneral, for educational
purposes only.
It should not be construed tobe legal advice and there is no
attorney-client privilege tocreate or write this video or
(01:13):
this podcast.
If you need an attorney,contact an attorney.
This is Plain Language,maritime, created so that
anybody, not just lawyers orindustry insiders, can
understand what's happening inthe world of shipping.
Let's dive into this week'sepisode because, as you know,
ocean shipping moves the world.
All right, as we start this newseason, you know, I wanted to
(01:33):
kind of take it back to my rootsa little bit here.
Why did I start the MaritimeProfessor?
How did this all begin?
So let me share a quick storyabout that.
It didn't begin with a businessplan.
So let me share a quick storyabout that.
It didn't begin with a businessplan.
It actually started more of aquestion.
You know, I was on Twitter atthe time I think X now.
A few truckers were followingme.
I had done some engagementswith Freight Waves, which was
(01:55):
fantastic, and one of thosetruckers had asked me to explain
some ocean shipping concepts.
They reached out saying theydidn't need me as an attorney
through Squall Strategies, theyjust wanted somebody to break it
down.
Plain language answers Likewhat does this mean?
And from that moment on, itjust occurred to me we needed a
(02:16):
venue for plain languageconversations in maritime.
And that's where the MaritimeProfessor was born, an education
platform designed to makemaritime and supply chain
knowledge practical, accessibleand easy to understand.
And from our roots we'reevolving again.
You see it in our Season 5launch.
If you follow me on LinkedIn,we have a new logo, a new intro
(02:37):
video, new focus on bringing youplain language breakdowns of
the hottest topics in oceanshipping.
Bringing you plain languagebreakdowns of the hottest topics
in ocean shipping.
But beyond that, we're addingto our course catalog, again
based on feedback from you, thelisteners.
And speaking of listeners, weare so excited to welcome
sponsors and partners thisseason.
We've already rolled out a fewand there's a few more in the
(03:00):
works.
Go check out the website,themaritimeprofessorcom slash
podcast.
A huge thank you to the NationalAssociation of Waterfront
Employees, nawi, the voice ofthe US Marine Terminal Operators
and Stevedoring Industry inWashington DC, representing
employers who keep cargo movingat America's ports.
A thank you to Manifest Vegas,a premier future of supply chain
and logistics summit, heldevery year in Las Vegas this
(03:22):
year February 9th through 11th2026, at held every year in Las
Vegas.
This year, february 9th through11th 2026, at the Venetian.
Also thank you to NessieConsulting, a maritime
innovation firm that helpscompanies bring high tech
solutions into the blue economy,from commercial shipping to
maritime defense.
And also, finally, a thank youto Squall Strategies.
That's my law firm, mystrategic advisory firm, where I
help clients navigate US oceanshipping regulations, engage
(03:45):
with the FMC and align businessstrategy with policy
developments.
This support helps us bringinsightful content to you every
week and we are so thrilled tobe building these partnerships
as we continue into season five.
This season we're also rollingout Just In Time Learning.
It's our newest offering, builtfor fast-moving supply chain
professionals.
(04:05):
These are meant to be short,plain-language sessions, as you
love, 30 minutes or less thatdeliver exactly what you need
right when you need it.
They're going to be rolling outin two formats, so watch for
this.
We're going to have livewebinars where you can join me
in real time.
The first one kicks off nextweek the FMC vs Merit.
It's our first live webinar.
It's September 18th at 1 pm USEastern Time, fmc vs Marriott
(04:28):
being a compare and contrast.
What do they each do?
But we're also going to havecontent rolling out on-demand
courses that you can take anytime at your convenience.
And, of course, some thingsdon't change.
The by Land and by Sea podcastremains the core of what we do
here at the Maritime Professor,alongside our corporate
trainings, our Port and HarborCommission briefings and
onboarding programs for industryand professionals.
(04:49):
All of this change helps usbetter focus on the continued
promise, and that is maritimeregulations and supply chain
policy doesn't have to becomplicated.
They can be explained in plainlanguage so that anybody, not
just lawyers or insiders, canunderstand and use them.
That's the true vision of theMaritime Professor and we're so
happy you're here with us.
(05:10):
Well, let's dive in.
A lot has happened since welast spoke and we wrapped Season
4.
And before we get into ourguest, I wanted to cover a few
things.
One in particular I want you tokeep your eye on this.
We're probably going to bedoing an episode on this, but
that is the USTR Section 301port fees.
They are set to begin October14th.
I'm already seeing news startto bubble up about it, but you
(05:34):
need to be watching this.
So, section 301 USTR port feeswhat is it?
A quick briefer.
So, starting October 14th, likeI said, these are going to be
new port fees under the Section301 authority of USTR, the
United States Trade Rep, thatthey're going to be applying to
vessels that have a connectionto China and I say connection,
we'll get into that in a minute,but the fees are based on net
(05:56):
tonnage and are designed toreduce the reliance on
Chinese-built andChinese-operated ships.
They're trying to impactbehavior, purchasing decisions
on whether to buy Chinese-builtor not, based on these fees and
the deference of vessels thathave a Chinese connection to
them and to the United Statesmarket and, within these vessel
(06:17):
routes of ocean carriers,prioritizing the US market with
non-Chinese-built vessels.
So what exactly is going onhere?
Right, we have Chinese builtvessels that are being targeted,
chinese operated vessels thatalso have fees on them, and then
we have a third category ofnon-China built and non-China
operated.
So the more China presence,roughly speaking, the more China
(06:41):
presence a vessel has, thehigher the fee right.
So, built in China, operated byChina, that's the highest fee
you're going to find.
Built in China but not operatedby China?
Or operated by China but notbuilt in China, that's going to
be a mid-level fee.
Neither built nor operated inChina.
That's going to be your lowestfee or maybe even exempted from
(07:02):
the fees.
So the key exceptions here thatI think that you should also
note container ships under 4,000TEUs exempted from this.
Us flags or US owned vesselswith majority US ownership also
exempted Short sea shipping.
So voyages about 2,000 nauticalmiles, like trade, to the
Caribbean or Canada, alsoexempted.
(07:22):
So this is not legal advice,this is just educational
discussion and I want you totake a deeper look.
Why does this matter?
You may or may not seeimporters, or you may or may not
, if you're an importer, seethese fees passed through in
carrier invoices.
Already we're seeing messagingsaying that we're not going to
see some surcharges.
(07:42):
I believe CMACGM just said thatthey weren't going to be
issuing a general surcharge onthis, but this could be a fee
that gets passed to the carrier,not necessarily their fault,
right?
They bought these vessels a fewyears ago, 20 years ago, so
this is supposed to be changingbehavior going forward.
(08:04):
So all that to say, we'll seehow the surcharges happen, if
they happen, if the chargeitself gets passed through.
But what I want you to do isget informed.
I want you to go check out.
In some of those shippinginformation documents you can
find the vessel name, the actualvessel name, in there.
(08:27):
Check out that vessel name,google search that vessel name,
see where that vessel was built.
The more you know, the betterprepared you can be for when we
do likely who knows how it'llactually be applied, but likely
get into discussions andpotentially disputes on the
pass-through of some charges.
So all I'm saying here is thereare going to be fees assessed
(08:50):
based on the kind of level ofChinese built or operated the
vessel is itself.
Go check out those routes.
Go check out what vessels thatyour cargo is moving on on those
routes.
Check out what vessel yourcargo specifically when it came
in or going out but it's reallya coming in thing what vessel
(09:11):
name it was on, and just Googleit.
Find out where that vessel wasbuilt.
I want you to stay informed.
All right Season five.
Premier guest.
We have acting maritimeadministrator Sang Yi.
He's only been in this rolesince June but I've already been
impressed with how muchmessaging has been coming out of
Marad.
Acting Administrator Yi ismaking it a point to get out
(09:32):
there.
He's listening, he's learning,he's taking not only to the
usual players but also newvoices in the industry.
I was actually able to chatwith Sang at the State of
Maritime, christening one of thebrand new NSMV vessels.
The conversation itself wasrich in content but due to the
challenging audio environment atthe event, unfortunately the
recording wasn't quite goodenough for a podcast.
I'm going to be showing littlesnippets.
(09:53):
If you're watching on the video, you can see there it is.
We had the conversation.
It was beautiful.
The vessel was in thebackground.
Oh, I'm still learning, aren't?
I but here we go.
We have a re record.
He was so generous to be ableto sit down.
We were actually able to gointo a little deeper of a
discussion, but before we getinto that conversation, I want
(10:14):
to make sure that we're all onthe same page, as I always do.
There's a little bit ofalphabet soup that I want to
decode.
So we have five of the sixstate maritime academies are
getting brand new training ships.
So we have five of the sixstate maritime academies are
getting brand new training ships.
They've already received a few,but instead of making these
only for the academies as theywere being built, these ships
are being purposely built formultiple missions.
(10:37):
So when I say NSMV, or when youhear that acronym, it stands for
the National SecurityMulti-Mission Vessel, and that's
what it is.
It's a vessel built formultiple missions also relating
to national security.
So NSMV National SecurityMulti-Mission Vessel when you
hear it, yes, they'll traincadets, but they're also
(11:00):
designed to step in duringdisasters, moving cargo, housing
first responders, even servingas floating hospitals.
Multi-mission is the wholepoint here.
So when we say NSMV, that'swhat we mean.
It's a vessel that can do morethan one thing.
It was built to do so, okay,nsmv we also often hear VCM
(11:20):
right after when we're talkingabout NSMV.
So NSMV National SecurityMulti-Mission Vessel, vcm Vessel
Construction Manager.
It's basically a new way ofhandling shipbuilding at MARAD
and it really is a novel idea.
Instead of the governmentmanaging the builds, marad bid
it out and brought on a privatecompany, in this case Tote
(11:41):
Services, to manage the project.
So Tote is the VesselConstruction Manager, vcm.
So, as the name suggests, theymanage the construction of the
vessel.
Vcm Vessel Construction Manager.
They oversee the actualconstruction happening at the
Hanwha Philly shipyard of theseNSMV vessels, these National
Security Multi-Mission Vesselsin Philadelphia and now you know
(12:04):
NSMV, vcm the alphabet soup,it's just multi-purpose vessels
these national securitymulti-mission vessels in
Philadelphia and now you knowNSMV, vcm the alphabet soup,
it's just multi-purpose vesselsbeing overseen in a
public-private partnership,right?
So why does this matter?
Why is this model important?
Because it's actually working.
These ships are being deliveredon time and on budget Vessels
and, beyond that, keeping thiswork at Hanwha Philly Shipyard
(12:25):
sustains US shipbuildingcapacity and US shipyard jobs,
both critical if we want tomaintain and strengthen maritime
power here in the US.
So please enjoy my conversationwith Sang, as we've been getting
to know him better.
I've come to find him to bevery personable and what feels
like a real desire to get thingsdone.
He's bringing innovationsteeped in tradition, making
(12:46):
sure to keep both sides in view,new ideas for the future, while
respecting the rich history ofUS maritime.
So, with that context in mind,let's jump into my conversation
with Acting MaritimeAdministrator Sang Yi.
Today we have a very specialguest, our first guest of the
new season, acting MaritimeAdministrator Sang Yee.
Acting Administrator Yee wasappointed to this role in June
(13:08):
less than three months ago andhe's been hitting the ground
running, bringing with him adeep mix of maritime, national
security and policy expertise.
Administrator Yee is a graduateof the US Merchant Marine
Academy, where he earned histhird May Unlimited Tonnage
License.
He serves as a LieutenantCommander in the US Navy Reserve
, of which he's been a partsince 2003.
He holds a JD from the GeorgeWashington University School of
(13:32):
Law and a Master's in NationalSecurity and Strategic Studies
from the Naval War CollegeBefore Merritt.
Acting Administrator Yee spentmany years on the Hill in the
House of Representatives as asenior level staffer, recently
as director of investigations onthe House Committee on Homeland
Security, but alsoinvestigative and policy roles
in committees of both nationalsecurity, natural resources and
(13:52):
oversight, and government reform.
In 2018, he was even elected ascouncilman of Fairfax, virginia
.
How cool and early in hiscareer impressively, I might add
he served as a maritime analystand rose to executive officer
of the National GeospatialIntelligence Agency.
Now that's a career blendingmaritime defense, intelligence
and policymaking, and now he'sat the helm of MARAD at a
(14:14):
pivotal moment for Americanshipbuilding.
So, without further ado, let'swelcome Acting Maritime
Administrator Sang Yee to the byLand and by Sea podcast.
Thank you for being here today.
Speaker 1 (14:27):
Good morning Lauren.
Thank you for having me.
Speaker 2 (14:30):
You know, and I believe this is your first
podcast ever Is that right?
Certainly in the maritime space.
Speaker 1 (14:35):
It is.
This would be my first podcastas the acting administrator here
and it's a pleasure to see youagain.
I know we've spoken before, butI think it's important that
people kind of hear what's goingon in Merritt so glad to be out
.
Speaker 2 (14:51):
That's right.
Well, welcome to the world ofpodcasting.
We're so happy to have you hereand you've been doing such a
great job getting the messageout, so let's jump right in.
First, thank you for thegenerous invitation to attend
the christening of the state ofMaine.
It was an incredible day, Ihave to say.
Our friend of the show, salMercogliano, also expressed his
appreciation for the invite.
He spoke about it in his recapvideo of the day, but he was so
(15:11):
sad to miss it.
But that day really felt like amilestone.
You could feel the energypermeating throughout the whole
environment.
We already had NSMV ships underconstruction and two had
already actually been delivered,but this was the first one out
of the Hanwha Philly shipyard.
Having Hanwha involved To seethat yard grow from, I think
what I've heard was it wasaround 60 employees to over
(15:33):
1,800 is such a success storyand with two more NSMV vessels
on the way, it feels like thereal momentum is building.
So what does this mean for theindustry?
What's the significance hereand how do we replicate this
kind of success With fewer than60 change orders, which is
unheard of?
Let's talk a little bit aboutthe Vessel Construction Manager
model too, and why is it provingto work so well?
Speaker 1 (15:54):
Well, first of all, I always keep telling people in
this job that we have four focusareas at Merit and since I've
been here, I've been focusing onpeople and ships, cargo and
ports and in each of those areasI think that the NSMB program
really encapsulates that well.
We talk about people, we talkabout maritime workforce
(16:17):
development and growing ourmaritime workforce, licensed and
even the tangential industriesassociated with shipbuilding.
The maritime industry is arather large and vast industry
and I think we haven't reallyshared that information as an
industry publicly.
But I think when you talk aboutthe NSMB, what a great promise
of a future where we're trainingyoung people to become licensed
(16:40):
mariners and join this industryand also, in the meanwhile,
having this robust shipbuildingagenda benefiting from this
program as well.
And, man, I can't be moreenthusiastic about the Vessel
Construction Management Program.
I think my time in this job sofar, going to the Hill talking
to policymakers.
(17:01):
Tons of people are so excitedabout the VCM model.
They think it's an incrediblemodel and should be proud of it.
You know we've saved hundredsof millions of dollars and years
of timeline because of it and Ithink it's the way of the
future.
We've proven that it could work.
Hopefully we have another shotat proving it, that it will
continue to work.
(17:21):
And my main thing is that, as Isaid before at the christening,
which was quite an event, isthat it really marks a new era
in maritime.
I know an issue is a third tobe christened, but at the same
rate, like you mentioned, phillyHanwha, the first time I
visited them, they did tell meabout an instance where you
would go into a warehouse andthere was literally one person
(17:43):
with a broom just sweeping thefloor and they said we think
that they may have just placedthat person to show that there
was some activity.
But you go there now it is alively hopping place, full of
jobs, full of apprenticeslearning, people in the industry
, growing and training.
This is how you build and thisis how you rebuild a maritime
industry.
Speaker 2 (18:06):
That's right.
It really was so full of life.
And this BCM model right.
So it's Vessel ConstructionManager model.
And this is where Merit.
It was a really novel idea topair with a private operator
with shipbuilding experience tooversee the build.
In this situation it was ToteServices.
Tote managed the contract,worked directly with Philly
Shipyard and kept things onschedule and within budget.
Like you said, it's been calledreally the best practice
(18:28):
example of how government andprivate industry can work
together to actually deliverthose results.
And so this NSMV vessel is areally unique model to the
National Security Multi-MissionVessel, a fleet of these five
new training ships being built.
It really is such a fantasticthing to see that we will have
these NSMV vessels coming online.
(18:50):
And let's talk a little bitabout the value of these NSMV
vessels.
Right, it's something that thecadets are going to be able to
train on.
What does having apurpose-built vessel mean
compared to the old trainingships that they had relied on
for years?
Speaker 1 (19:05):
Well, these NSMV vessels as the name suggests,
national Security, multi-missionVessels.
They will also be used foremergency readiness and
preparedness and response, whichis an incredible thing.
I actually think I don't knowif you've gotten a chance to go
on board on one of them, butthey have a RO-RO aspect to it.
They have some other cargoaspects to it.
(19:27):
It is a dual decks for thecadets to be able to train on,
and this is cutting-edge stuff.
I think a lot of the equipmenton there is pretty high-end.
It's a wonderful opportunity.
When we were at thischristening there, I met a bunch
of the cadets there too, fromAmerican, and I thought about
(19:49):
how excited they were to havethis new training equipment
coming to their school soon.
And then I thought about howmany other young people will see
this and think, wow, I want togo to a school where I can train
on a vessel like that.
Or maybe they won't realizeit's a vessel.
They'll still say I want to gobeyond that, I want to be a part
(20:10):
of that, and I think that'sanother incredible thing that
the NSMB program is bringing tous.
It's not just the training,it's not just the emergency
readiness or response, but it'salso a great recruitment tool.
And when we talk about againpeople, ships, cargo and ports,
you can build all the ships youwant.
You don't have the cargo for it.
You're not going to have ademand for the ships.
(20:32):
But let's say you do have theships and the cargo.
You still need the manpower toman these ships and right now,
the way that we have ourtrajectory going for our hopes
and dreams and ambitions, wewill not have enough mariners.
We need to get to the work oftraining more and frankly, even
right now you see a lot ofcompanies where people are
(20:53):
working a lot more than theywant to because they just don't
have enough mariners to rotatein and out.
That's not good.
That's not a good thing for ourworkforce.
It's another reason why I worka lot and discuss a lot with
labor, because I mean, they'repartners here and that's kind of
my overall thing too is I justwant to make sure that the
industry and those out therethey know that Marriott's going
(21:16):
to be a partner.
Now.
We're not here to bear down onthem.
By law, we're literallymandated to help foster, develop
and promote the maritimeindustry of the United States
and that's what we're here forand we're going to partner with
everybody we can.
Speaker 2 (21:30):
That's right and that's so important to hear too.
And you know, you were a youngcadet at one point too.
You've been in their shoes, aKing's Pointer, and for our
listeners, the US MerchantMarine Academy run by AmerEd is
commonly known as just thatKing's Point, right the town
(21:51):
where it's located.
Through that experience youactually went to sea enough to
get your third May UnlimitedTonnage Merchant Marine License,
which is fantastic to see anactually licensed mariner in
this role.
And you're also a NavyReservist, so you understand
better than most, I'd say, theintersection of both defense and
commercial interests.
And that's the part that is soimportant to me and I think in
many others in the industry tosee somebody who understands the
commercial shipping side inyour role and not just the
military defense shippinginterest.
It's an important balancebecause MARAD finds itself in
(22:12):
the same position, simply by thejurisdictional authority,
balancing commercial interestswith military readiness, like
the ready reserve fleets.
So in recognizing that, you'vekind of lived that balance.
Talk to me a little bit moreabout your time at sea, both as
a cadet and perhaps in your Navyexperience taking you out to
sea, if it did.
Speaker 1 (22:28):
Sure Well, first of all, I mean there's no doubt
that our merchant marine andtheir national security are
inextricably linked.
I mean, anybody who readsanything about history will
understand that.
But I do like to differentiate,for a lot of policymakers too,
that there's a big differencebetween commercial shipbuilding
and Navy shipbuilding.
Sometimes that conversation, orsometimes those ideas get lost
(22:52):
in the conversation.
I think many times people thinkwell, we're building great
ships, we're building all theseNavy ships, and they don't think
about the container ships, theydon't think about the tankers,
they don't think about the rowrows, they don't think about the
breakball ships or even thespecialty ships or barges.
Right, and so part of my job, Ifeel, as though, to go and help
educate and inform not just thepublic but policymakers in
(23:16):
Washington what thosedifferences are.
And these are very pivotal andkey differences.
And as someone who was alicensed mariner and also a Navy
reservist, I understand theintersection between both.
And in fact you know, my veryfirst job, or I guess my
internship, was at the MaritimeAdministration when I was a
midshipman at Kings.
Speaker 2 (23:36):
Point Cool.
Speaker 1 (23:38):
I always thought I wanted to go to law school.
So I asked them if I could doan internship at a law firm and
they said no, no, you're goingto have to go to a shipping
company or something like thator some maritime industry.
And I found about well, I knewabout MARAD since I was an
18-year-old because it's beenpart of my life in one way or
another, and I asked if I couldgo there and be an intern in the
(23:58):
office of the chief counsel.
So that was my very firstinternship and it's pretty
incredible that, you know,almost a quarter century later
I'm back here.
But I've also, as a Navyreservist, been PACAD certified.
So I've been on a turboactivation on one of our ready
reserve fleet ships and takingone out as the PACAD advisor
(24:22):
officer and got to see up closea lot of the issues at hand.
We have a pretty aging fleet, aseveryone is pretty well aware.
That recapitalization of thefleet I think is imperative.
But the whole model of how wedo the NDRF is also something
that we need to put closescrutiny on.
We want ships to be active, wewant them to be effective and
(24:42):
purposeful for the taxpayer, andwhen we say that we want these
ships to be ready.
We want them to be effectiveand purposeful for the taxpayer.
And when we say that we wantthese ships to be ready for the
Navy when they need them, someof these ships, I mean we're
talking 50, 60-year-old vessels.
They're well past theirlifespan and the engineers and
the skeleton crews who are onthere operating and maintaining
(25:03):
them, they do a great job.
But there's only so much youcan do with a vessel.
That's that age sometimes.
So that has to be a broaderconversation.
That is something that istalked about in Washington, but
we need to make sure we get thatright Because, again,
everything with maritime youknow, you asked about my time as
a cadet, one of the things Ialways remember.
(25:24):
I was on the bridge as a deckcadet and I remember we were
going in and out of a pilot'sarea and the way that the pilot
was commanding the ship.
I thought this is so slow.
You know, when my very firstship I remember being on the
bridge I'm like everything movesso slow on the ship.
But the funny thing is is likeit's actually not moving that
(25:45):
slow and if you don't make thosemovements and maneuvers
correctly right now, you'repretty much it's fait accompli
for you in a bad way.
So one thing I kind of alwaysremember about that experience
was in the maritime worldespecially probably true for
life.
You make your decisions now andyou suffer the consequences,
(26:06):
good or bad, later.
This industry I think we're atthis pivotal moment.
If we don't take advantage ofit right now, we will suffer
even harder later.
We already are suffering.
These are things of impactsfrom not just one person, but
policy decisions, geopoliticalreasons, economic reasons, all
(26:29):
these factors.
All of these things happeneddecades and decades ago and,
frankly, when I think back to mytime as a midshipman and now, a
quarter century later, some ofthese conversations, they're not
unfamiliar to me because I'veheard them since I was 18.
The same people are talkingabout the same things with the
same solutions.
(26:49):
We're getting the same results.
So I think that's what's soamazing about what President
Trump has done with hisexecutive order.
I think that's what's so amazingabout this vigor that Secretary
Duffy has brought to themaritime industry.
We are changing things, we'regoing to be innovative, we're
going to do things differentlyhere, and that's part of my goal
(27:09):
too, as my time here at theMaritime Administration is talk
to different people, find outsome different ideas.
Let's go thinking outside thebox here too.
I know the maritime industry issteeped in tradition and
culture and we want to berespectful of that.
As a fellow mariner, I get it.
At the same rate, we need tomove into the future.
(27:31):
We're losing.
We're losing to China, we'relosing to other countries.
We don't want to do that.
That's a terrible way to go.
If we don't fix that now, if wedon't course-correct right now,
you know my children, mygrandchildren, they're going to
suffer the consequences and wedon't want that.
Speaker 2 (27:47):
That's right, and I think you're so, so right in
saying that these are some ofthe same conversations that have
been happening for decades now,and that's why the maritime
industry I think we all felt itthis spring, when there was so
much inertia, so much momentum,so much excitement for what
comes next.
I think that that's a fantasticview of we should respect the
(28:08):
traditions but also let's moveit all forward.
And I think everybody continuesto be on board and I think that
that christening symbolizedkind of all right, we're getting
to work, we're moving.
Let's start celebrating andlet's start moving the ball
forward.
You know, so you've talkedabout the four pillars people,
ships, cargo and ports being howwe're going to lead and how
(28:29):
we're going to win, andcertainly the people and the
ships pillars are gainingmomentum, especially with this
NSMV vessel and workforcetraining that it brings.
But a lot of my listeners areshippers and so some of the most
immediate touch points for themare the cargo and the ports.
So how does Marriott keep thosepillars moving forward as well?
Speaker 1 (28:47):
Absolutely.
I think that's such a pivotalpart.
We keep talking about buildingships.
If there's no demand for them,what are we building them for?
So I think, again, shippershave not been traditionally as
incorporated into thisconversation as it should be,
and that's something that Ireally want to change.
I think the shippers and thecustomers they are the demand.
(29:08):
There's a lot of differentpolicy ideas out there,
including incentivizing shippersto use US flag.
I think that's wonderful.
I mean it's not an innovativeapproach.
It's just we haven't reallydone it.
We deal with government cargo.
We have some here and there,but there's a lot of carrots
that we can use and not juststicks, and I'm hoping to see a
(29:28):
lot of that.
But in my conversation so farwith some shippers, I think
there's a willing appetite to bepart of the solution here.
I actually this is incrediblebecause you think that this has
to do a lot with dollars andcents because they're businesses
, but there's also a lot ofpatriotism involved here, and to
appeal to their patriotismabout why this industry is so
(29:50):
important and why our intermodaltransportation system is part
of our not just economicstrength but national security
and people understanding thatthese shippers I think that's a
fabulous thing.
I think that's incredible toharness and use that to move
forward.
Think that's incredible toharness and use that to move
forward.
That's definitely on the cargoend Right now.
(30:12):
I know Hanwha Valley announcedthat they were going to build 10
MR tankers, jones Act tankers.
With that Some people say, well, where's the cargo?
We need to figure that out,because I love the fact that
there's this initiative to buildships and there's excitement to
build ships and this excitement, but if we don't have the same
level of enthusiasm forunderstanding how to provide the
cargo and create that demand,we're cruising for a prison.
(30:35):
So, but that and to me alsothat's the same part.
You mentioned the four, my fourpillars, I guess the ports right
now, you know our ports,they're, they're aging some of
these ports, whether it's justinfrastructure or whether it's
ability to expand the ports.
Right now, you know our ports,they're aging Some of these
ports, whether it's justinfrastructure or whether it's
ability to expand theircapabilities.
They need more investments andI think they've been left behind
(30:56):
.
And part of this is adiscussion point.
You know, in the United Statesnobody really knows what the
merchant marine is and I thoughtthis was fascinating.
On my second day on the job, Iwas meeting with the new
director general of the DanishMaritime Authority and I thought
, man, everybody knows whatmaritime is in Denmark, right,
(31:18):
because it's a global brand.
Everybody knows that name, right?
And incredibly, he startedtelling me that one of his
biggest issues in this countryis workforce development and
mariner retention andrecruitment.
I said how is that possible?
So you know the young people,they just don't know what the,
what the merchant marine is orwhat the maritime industry does.
(31:41):
This is a major problem,seriously, thank God for
President Trump and his EO,because without that EO, this
conversation wouldn't have beensparked.
So I take it as myresponsibility to keep the foot
on the gas pedal to make surethat that excitement doesn't
wane and we keep talking aboutit and the rest of the country
(32:03):
understands what the value of astrong and robust maritime
industry is and what themerchant marine country
understands what the value of astrong and robust maritime
industry is and what themerchant marine and what the
merchant mariners do, how theyget their sneakers on their kids
feet, how they how they gettheir you know, groceries,
grocery stores, nice and full,like all of this, but that's,
that's something that, uh, I Itake as a severe and solemn
(32:25):
responsibility that that's a jobof mine here to make sure the
public is aware as much aspossible.
Speaker 2 (32:31):
That's wonderful and I think that that's so important
that I mean of course you do,but that you get it right like
that.
You get it that you understandbecause you've been a part of it
and you've shared the similarfrustrations of the maritime
industry not quite moving asforward as we all have wanted it
to, and so I think that you'reexactly right with the
(32:51):
excitement is palatable.
Everybody's ready to keepmoving forward and I love that
you are not afraid to put yourfoot on the pedal and to move it
forward and to be the leaderthat the maritime industry has
been looking for.
So that's wonderful.
I also like that you've beenhaving an eye toward the
innovation side I've oftentalked about.
You know there's kind of twodifferent types of shipbuilding.
(33:13):
We have the F-150, that's thisreliable, general, typical model
, the historical version, butthen we also have, I think,
something new and bold anddifferent and it looks like
you're leaning into that alittle bit by really tapping
into the innovation side.
I've often said it's kind ofF-150 versus the Cybertruck.
Last month you were atFedSupernova, which is not your
(33:35):
typical maritime conference, butit was a stage full of defense
tech startups and entrepreneurs,and so for my listeners who
might not know.
Can you explain a little bitwhat FedSupernova was and then
tell us why was it important forMered to be there?
Speaker 1 (33:47):
Sure, they reached out to me asking me if I would
speak on a panel and the panel'stitle was called Ship Happens
and I thought that was kind ofquirky.
But as I looked more into thisevent, it was really a gathering
of just tons of young startupsand most of them in the tech
(34:07):
industry, and I thought has thisrelevant to what I'm trying to
do here?
And as I was reading throughsome of the potential attendees
and speakers and pitches thatthey were making, I thought this
is exactly it.
This is exactly what we weretalking about about trying to
not be complying to the samediscussion points and the same
(34:30):
people over and over again.
So one of the things that Irealized was, when I went there,
these innovators they might nothave so much of a maritime
background and some ideas wereincredible, some ideas were just
wild and some ideas wereprobably bad and of course I say
that and then that one's theone that's going to turn into a
billion-dollar company, right.
(34:50):
But I was thinking, how do weharness this enthusiasm, how do
we harness this creativity intoour maritime industry?
So I was so glad to be thereand make this contact with so
many of these entrepreneurs.
Then we exchanged ideas of howthings could work in the
maritime industry and theystarted using their ingenuity to
(35:12):
immediately on the spot.
Some of them were saying, well,I think we can do that, I think
we can figure this out, even ifit was like barge building.
I mean, there was someincredible stuff going on there
and it reminds me, like, like Ihave two young children, and
sometimes when you talk to youngchildren, even though they may
not know about a lot of things,they have some of the best
(35:35):
imagination possible on earth.
I think that imaginationdwindles as we get older and you
know, sometimes I pose problemsto my children and they they
come up with the wildest ideasand I thought I would have never
thought of that.
And that's some ways like theseyoung entrepreneurs who are not
a part of the maritime industry.
Because they're not part of themaritime industry, they think
(35:56):
so much out of the box.
Our minds are more confined to.
No, that's not how that works,because this industry does this.
That's an important knowledgeand wisdom to have at times, but
doesn't always breed the mostcreativity.
And so my theory is we canmerge that expertise and
industry wisdom with thisnewfound imaginative and
(36:16):
creative environment.
We might have something reallybeautiful here and that could be
the way of the future.
So I want to include everyoneas much into this conversation
as possible.
Speaker 2 (36:27):
That's right and I think that's so important.
When you remove the shoulds andyou allow people the
opportunity to take risks and topotentially fail but then also
potentially soar, that's thedifference, right.
The kids don't have thoseshoulds in their mind, they're
just able to think creativelyand find solutions.
This has been such a wonderfulconversation.
Thank you so much for your timetoday and sharing your
(36:49):
perspective and your personaljourney with us.
It's been a real honor hearingabout the successes and the
accompanying momentum of thestate of Maine, christening the
vision for the US shipbuildingand your focus on people, ships,
cargo and ports.
We'll all be watching closelyas MARAD continues to push
forward, and I know that mylisteners appreciated getting to
know you a little bit bettertoo today.
So thank you very much.
(37:09):
Acting Administrator Yee.
Speaker 1 (37:11):
Well, thank you so much, Lauren.
I appreciate what you do andappreciate all those involved in
this conversation.
This is a conversation that isnot just long overdue but
imperative to our survival, andI take this responsibility
extremely seriously because,like I said, without a robust
merchant marine one day, withouta maritime industry that we can
(37:34):
be proud of, we are going topay horrible consequences.
And so I'm sounding the alarm.
People have sounded the alarm.
We have to respond now.
Speaker 2 (37:44):
Well, thank you very much for your time.
Speaker 1 (37:46):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (37:50):
I hope you enjoyed that conversation as much as I
enjoyed having it At the end oflast season, I want to remind
you.
So you know, when we weretalking at the end of season
four, I said that it kind offelt like the maritime momentum
was starting to wane.
I was a little bit concerned.
The maritime momentum wasstarting to wane, I was a little
bit concerned.
I was starting to feel a littlebit of messaging from the
community that maybe I don'tknow, just look, I think we're
(38:15):
back.
I think we're back.
I was hopeful that maybe it wasjust a summertime slowdown,
maybe it was, maybe it wasn't.
Look, I'm refreshed, I'mfeeling it.
I'm feeling that we arerefreshed in the fall, ready to
get back to work.
Look, between Sang's excitementand action-oriented approach,
he's actually getting out there,going to atypical conferences,
going to innovative conferences,not just your traditional
(38:36):
maritime.
We also recently had theannouncement of two new Federal
Maritime Commission nominees,lori DiBella and Robert Harvey,
which, once they're confirmed bythe Senate, that'll bring us
back to a full slate of fivecommissioners.
Look, we have vessels beingbuilt, this state of Maine NSMV
vessel rolling out Investmentcommitments, like the day of the
(38:58):
christening, a $5 billionpledge from Hanwha, philly
Shipyard, to expand the shipyardand boost US shipbuilding.
This is real movement.
This is exciting.
Maybe the summertime slowdownwasn't that, it was the
summertime buildup and I thinkwe're going to keep seeing it.
I'm excited.
I think that we're going tohave an active September and
October.
And look, we also have theMaritime Action Plan deadline on
(39:21):
the horizon, november 5th.
That's the capstone from theExecutive Order on maritime
dominance.
It ties the threads together.
I'm really excited for ajam-packed fall and I walked
away from this conversation withacting administrator Yi hopeful
right.
I really was inspired by hisperspective, especially his
focus on infrastructure,shipbuilding and the role of the
(39:42):
US maritime talent.
He's personable, he's pragmaticand he's thoughtful.
Innovation steeped in tradition, keeping new ideas and our rich
history both in view thatbalance is exactly what's needed
in the US maritime right now.
It also reminded me why Istarted the maritime professor
in the first place.
Like I said, to make maritimepolicy approachable and
(40:03):
available to all, not just thosewho have been in the industry
forever.
Don't worry, it's for us too,it's for both.
Getting good ideas to the tablestarts with everybody being on
the same page.
And speaking of approachable,our first Just-in-Time Learning
mini course is coming up A quickcompare and contrast of the FMC
versus MARAD, something weoften talk about here on the
podcast, but now in a shortfocus session jam-packed with
(40:27):
information you can actually use.
I'd love to know what othermini courses would you like to
see in this Just-In-TimeLearning Series.
I've already had a few requestscome in since announcing it on
LinkedIn.
Keep them coming, send me amessage or drop me a comment, so
these short sessions hitexactly what you need to hear.
And a quick reminder we're nowtaking sponsorships and
partnerships.
(40:47):
If you or your organization wantto connect with this audience,
reach out at info atthemaritimeprofessorcom.
So if you liked this episode,be sure to follow, subscribe and
leave a review.
Want to go deeper on thesetopics or bring this kind of
insight to your team?
Visit themaritimeprofessorcomto explore corporate trainings,
tailored briefings and on-demandwebinars, all designed to make
complex maritime regulationspractical and easy to understand
(41:10):
.
If your organization needs helpnavigating the legal or
strategic side of ocean shipping, head over to Squall Strategies
.
That's where I provideconsulting services, regulatory
guidance and policy support forclients working directly with
the FMC and across the globalsupply chain.
As always, this podcast is foreducational purposes only and
not legal advice.
If you need an attorney,contact an attorney.
(41:30):
So until next time, I'm LaurenBegan, the Maritime Professor,
and you've just listened to, byLand and by Sea.
See you next time you.
Ready to go?
Speaker 2 (00:10):
You're listening to, by Land and by Sea, powered by
the Maritime Professor.
Season 5 is here and we arekicking things off with a big
one A new look, new ways toconnect and a special guest.
We have Acting MaritimeAdministrator Sang-Yi on today.
(00:30):
Welcome back to by Land and bySea.
We are in season five.
We're so happy to have you hereAgain.
By Land and by Sea an attorneybreaking down the weakened
supply chain presented by theMaritime Professor.
I'm Lauren Began, former FMCInternational Affairs Attorney
and founder of the MaritimeProfessor.
I'm Lauren Began, former FMCInternational Affairs Attorney
and founder of the MaritimeProfessor and Squall Strategies
by Land and by Sea is your go-toresource for navigating the
(00:53):
regulatory side of global oceanshipping and me, I'm your
favorite maritime attorney.
I'm here to walk you throughboth ocean transport and surface
transport topics in the wildworld of supply chain.
As always, the guidance here isgeneral, for educational
purposes only.
It should not be construed tobe legal advice and there is no
attorney-client privilege tocreate or write this video or
(01:13):
this podcast.
If you need an attorney,contact an attorney.
This is Plain Language,maritime, created so that
anybody, not just lawyers orindustry insiders, can
understand what's happening inthe world of shipping.
Let's dive into this week'sepisode because, as you know,
ocean shipping moves the world.
All right, as we start this newseason, you know, I wanted to
(01:33):
kind of take it back to my rootsa little bit here.
Why did I start the MaritimeProfessor?
How did this all begin?
So let me share a quick storyabout that.
It didn't begin with a businessplan.
So let me share a quick storyabout that.
It didn't begin with a businessplan.
It actually started more of aquestion.
You know, I was on Twitter atthe time I think X now.
A few truckers were followingme.
I had done some engagementswith Freight Waves, which was
(01:55):
fantastic, and one of thosetruckers had asked me to explain
some ocean shipping concepts.
They reached out saying theydidn't need me as an attorney
through Squall Strategies, theyjust wanted somebody to break it
down.
Plain language answers Likewhat does this mean?
And from that moment on, itjust occurred to me we needed a
(02:16):
venue for plain languageconversations in maritime.
And that's where the MaritimeProfessor was born, an education
platform designed to makemaritime and supply chain
knowledge practical, accessibleand easy to understand.
And from our roots we'reevolving again.
You see it in our Season 5launch.
If you follow me on LinkedIn,we have a new logo, a new intro
(02:37):
video, new focus on bringing youplain language breakdowns of
the hottest topics in oceanshipping.
Bringing you plain languagebreakdowns of the hottest topics
in ocean shipping.
But beyond that, we're addingto our course catalog, again
based on feedback from you, thelisteners.
And speaking of listeners, weare so excited to welcome
sponsors and partners thisseason.
We've already rolled out a fewand there's a few more in the
(03:00):
works.
Go check out the website,themaritimeprofessorcom slash
podcast.
A huge thank you to the NationalAssociation of Waterfront
Employees, nawi, the voice ofthe US Marine Terminal Operators
and Stevedoring Industry inWashington DC, representing
employers who keep cargo movingat America's ports.
A thank you to Manifest Vegas,a premier future of supply chain
and logistics summit, heldevery year in Las Vegas this
(03:22):
year February 9th through 11th2026, at held every year in Las
Vegas.
This year, february 9th through11th 2026, at the Venetian.
Also thank you to NessieConsulting, a maritime
innovation firm that helpscompanies bring high tech
solutions into the blue economy,from commercial shipping to
maritime defense.
And also, finally, a thank youto Squall Strategies.
That's my law firm, mystrategic advisory firm, where I
help clients navigate US oceanshipping regulations, engage
(03:45):
with the FMC and align businessstrategy with policy
developments.
This support helps us bringinsightful content to you every
week and we are so thrilled tobe building these partnerships
as we continue into season five.
This season we're also rollingout Just In Time Learning.
It's our newest offering, builtfor fast-moving supply chain
professionals.
(04:05):
These are meant to be short,plain-language sessions, as you
love, 30 minutes or less thatdeliver exactly what you need
right when you need it.
They're going to be rolling outin two formats, so watch for
this.
We're going to have livewebinars where you can join me
in real time.
The first one kicks off nextweek the FMC vs Merit.
It's our first live webinar.
It's September 18th at 1 pm USEastern Time, fmc vs Marriott
(04:28):
being a compare and contrast.
What do they each do?
But we're also going to havecontent rolling out on-demand
courses that you can take anytime at your convenience.
And, of course, some thingsdon't change.
The by Land and by Sea podcastremains the core of what we do
here at the Maritime Professor,alongside our corporate
trainings, our Port and HarborCommission briefings and
onboarding programs for industryand professionals.
(04:49):
All of this change helps usbetter focus on the continued
promise, and that is maritimeregulations and supply chain
policy doesn't have to becomplicated.
They can be explained in plainlanguage so that anybody, not
just lawyers or insiders, canunderstand and use them.
That's the true vision of theMaritime Professor and we're so
happy you're here with us.
(05:10):
Well, let's dive in.
A lot has happened since welast spoke and we wrapped Season
4.
And before we get into ourguest, I wanted to cover a few
things.
One in particular I want you tokeep your eye on this.
We're probably going to bedoing an episode on this, but
that is the USTR Section 301port fees.
They are set to begin October14th.
I'm already seeing news startto bubble up about it, but you
(05:34):
need to be watching this.
So, section 301 USTR port feeswhat is it?
A quick briefer.
So, starting October 14th, likeI said, these are going to be
new port fees under the Section301 authority of USTR, the
United States Trade Rep, thatthey're going to be applying to
vessels that have a connectionto China and I say connection,
we'll get into that in a minute,but the fees are based on net
(05:56):
tonnage and are designed toreduce the reliance on
Chinese-built andChinese-operated ships.
They're trying to impactbehavior, purchasing decisions
on whether to buy Chinese-builtor not, based on these fees and
the deference of vessels thathave a Chinese connection to
them and to the United Statesmarket and, within these vessel
(06:17):
routes of ocean carriers,prioritizing the US market with
non-Chinese-built vessels.
So what exactly is going onhere?
Right, we have Chinese builtvessels that are being targeted,
chinese operated vessels thatalso have fees on them, and then
we have a third category ofnon-China built and non-China
operated.
So the more China presence,roughly speaking, the more China
(06:41):
presence a vessel has, thehigher the fee right.
So, built in China, operated byChina, that's the highest fee
you're going to find.
Built in China but not operatedby China?
Or operated by China but notbuilt in China, that's going to
be a mid-level fee.
Neither built nor operated inChina.
That's going to be your lowestfee or maybe even exempted from
(07:02):
the fees.
So the key exceptions here thatI think that you should also
note container ships under 4,000TEUs exempted from this.
Us flags or US owned vesselswith majority US ownership also
exempted Short sea shipping.
So voyages about 2,000 nauticalmiles, like trade, to the
Caribbean or Canada, alsoexempted.
(07:22):
So this is not legal advice,this is just educational
discussion and I want you totake a deeper look.
Why does this matter?
You may or may not seeimporters, or you may or may not
, if you're an importer, seethese fees passed through in
carrier invoices.
Already we're seeing messagingsaying that we're not going to
see some surcharges.
(07:42):
I believe CMACGM just said thatthey weren't going to be
issuing a general surcharge onthis, but this could be a fee
that gets passed to the carrier,not necessarily their fault,
right?
They bought these vessels a fewyears ago, 20 years ago, so
this is supposed to be changingbehavior going forward.
(08:04):
So all that to say, we'll seehow the surcharges happen, if
they happen, if the chargeitself gets passed through.
But what I want you to do isget informed.
I want you to go check out.
In some of those shippinginformation documents you can
find the vessel name, the actualvessel name, in there.
(08:27):
Check out that vessel name,google search that vessel name,
see where that vessel was built.
The more you know, the betterprepared you can be for when we
do likely who knows how it'llactually be applied, but likely
get into discussions andpotentially disputes on the
pass-through of some charges.
So all I'm saying here is thereare going to be fees assessed
(08:50):
based on the kind of level ofChinese built or operated the
vessel is itself.
Go check out those routes.
Go check out what vessels thatyour cargo is moving on on those
routes.
Check out what vessel yourcargo specifically when it came
in or going out but it's reallya coming in thing what vessel
(09:11):
name it was on, and just Googleit.
Find out where that vessel wasbuilt.
I want you to stay informed.
All right Season five.
Premier guest.
We have acting maritimeadministrator Sang Yi.
He's only been in this rolesince June but I've already been
impressed with how muchmessaging has been coming out of
Marad.
Acting Administrator Yi ismaking it a point to get out
(09:32):
there.
He's listening, he's learning,he's taking not only to the
usual players but also newvoices in the industry.
I was actually able to chatwith Sang at the State of
Maritime, christening one of thebrand new NSMV vessels.
The conversation itself wasrich in content but due to the
challenging audio environment atthe event, unfortunately the
recording wasn't quite goodenough for a podcast.
I'm going to be showing littlesnippets.
(09:53):
If you're watching on the video, you can see there it is.
We had the conversation.
It was beautiful.
The vessel was in thebackground.
Oh, I'm still learning, aren't?
I but here we go.
We have a re record.
He was so generous to be ableto sit down.
We were actually able to gointo a little deeper of a
discussion, but before we getinto that conversation, I want
(10:14):
to make sure that we're all onthe same page, as I always do.
There's a little bit ofalphabet soup that I want to
decode.
So we have five of the sixstate maritime academies are
getting brand new training ships.
So we have five of the sixstate maritime academies are
getting brand new training ships.
They've already received a few,but instead of making these
only for the academies as theywere being built, these ships
are being purposely built formultiple missions.
(10:37):
So when I say NSMV, or when youhear that acronym, it stands for
the National SecurityMulti-Mission Vessel, and that's
what it is.
It's a vessel built formultiple missions also relating
to national security.
So NSMV National SecurityMulti-Mission Vessel when you
hear it, yes, they'll traincadets, but they're also
(11:00):
designed to step in duringdisasters, moving cargo, housing
first responders, even servingas floating hospitals.
Multi-mission is the wholepoint here.
So when we say NSMV, that'swhat we mean.
It's a vessel that can do morethan one thing.
It was built to do so, okay,nsmv we also often hear VCM
(11:20):
right after when we're talkingabout NSMV.
So NSMV National SecurityMulti-Mission Vessel, vcm Vessel
Construction Manager.
It's basically a new way ofhandling shipbuilding at MARAD
and it really is a novel idea.
Instead of the governmentmanaging the builds, marad bid
it out and brought on a privatecompany, in this case Tote
(11:41):
Services, to manage the project.
So Tote is the VesselConstruction Manager, vcm.
So, as the name suggests, theymanage the construction of the
vessel.
Vcm Vessel Construction Manager.
They oversee the actualconstruction happening at the
Hanwha Philly shipyard of theseNSMV vessels, these National
Security Multi-Mission Vesselsin Philadelphia and now you know
(12:04):
NSMV, vcm the alphabet soup,it's just multi-purpose vessels
these national securitymulti-mission vessels in
Philadelphia and now you knowNSMV, vcm the alphabet soup,
it's just multi-purpose vesselsbeing overseen in a
public-private partnership,right?
So why does this matter?
Why is this model important?
Because it's actually working.
These ships are being deliveredon time and on budget Vessels
and, beyond that, keeping thiswork at Hanwha Philly Shipyard
(12:25):
sustains US shipbuildingcapacity and US shipyard jobs,
both critical if we want tomaintain and strengthen maritime
power here in the US.
So please enjoy my conversationwith Sang, as we've been getting
to know him better.
I've come to find him to bevery personable and what feels
like a real desire to get thingsdone.
He's bringing innovationsteeped in tradition, making
(12:46):
sure to keep both sides in view,new ideas for the future, while
respecting the rich history ofUS maritime.
So, with that context in mind,let's jump into my conversation
with Acting MaritimeAdministrator Sang Yi.
Today we have a very specialguest, our first guest of the
new season, acting MaritimeAdministrator Sang Yee.
Acting Administrator Yee wasappointed to this role in June
(13:08):
less than three months ago andhe's been hitting the ground
running, bringing with him adeep mix of maritime, national
security and policy expertise.
Administrator Yee is a graduateof the US Merchant Marine
Academy, where he earned histhird May Unlimited Tonnage
License.
He serves as a LieutenantCommander in the US Navy Reserve
, of which he's been a partsince 2003.
He holds a JD from the GeorgeWashington University School of
(13:32):
Law and a Master's in NationalSecurity and Strategic Studies
from the Naval War CollegeBefore Merritt.
Acting Administrator Yee spentmany years on the Hill in the
House of Representatives as asenior level staffer, recently
as director of investigations onthe House Committee on Homeland
Security, but alsoinvestigative and policy roles
in committees of both nationalsecurity, natural resources and
(13:52):
oversight, and government reform.
In 2018, he was even elected ascouncilman of Fairfax, virginia
.
How cool and early in hiscareer impressively, I might add
he served as a maritime analystand rose to executive officer
of the National GeospatialIntelligence Agency.
Now that's a career blendingmaritime defense, intelligence
and policymaking, and now he'sat the helm of MARAD at a
(14:14):
pivotal moment for Americanshipbuilding.
So, without further ado, let'swelcome Acting Maritime
Administrator Sang Yee to the byLand and by Sea podcast.
Thank you for being here today.
Speaker 1 (14:27):
Good morning Lauren.
Thank you for having me.
Speaker 2 (14:30):
You know, and I believe this is your first
podcast ever Is that right?
Certainly in the maritime space.
Speaker 1 (14:35):
It is.
This would be my first podcastas the acting administrator here
and it's a pleasure to see youagain.
I know we've spoken before, butI think it's important that
people kind of hear what's goingon in Merritt so glad to be out
.
Speaker 2 (14:51):
That's right.
Well, welcome to the world ofpodcasting.
We're so happy to have you hereand you've been doing such a
great job getting the messageout, so let's jump right in.
First, thank you for thegenerous invitation to attend
the christening of the state ofMaine.
It was an incredible day, Ihave to say.
Our friend of the show, salMercogliano, also expressed his
appreciation for the invite.
He spoke about it in his recapvideo of the day, but he was so
(15:11):
sad to miss it.
But that day really felt like amilestone.
You could feel the energypermeating throughout the whole
environment.
We already had NSMV ships underconstruction and two had
already actually been delivered,but this was the first one out
of the Hanwha Philly shipyard.
Having Hanwha involved To seethat yard grow from, I think
what I've heard was it wasaround 60 employees to over
(15:33):
1,800 is such a success storyand with two more NSMV vessels
on the way, it feels like thereal momentum is building.
So what does this mean for theindustry?
What's the significance hereand how do we replicate this
kind of success With fewer than60 change orders, which is
unheard of?
Let's talk a little bit aboutthe Vessel Construction Manager
model too, and why is it provingto work so well?
Speaker 1 (15:54):
Well, first of all, I always keep telling people in
this job that we have four focusareas at Merit and since I've
been here, I've been focusing onpeople and ships, cargo and
ports and in each of those areasI think that the NSMB program
really encapsulates that well.
We talk about people, we talkabout maritime workforce
(16:17):
development and growing ourmaritime workforce, licensed and
even the tangential industriesassociated with shipbuilding.
The maritime industry is arather large and vast industry
and I think we haven't reallyshared that information as an
industry publicly.
But I think when you talk aboutthe NSMB, what a great promise
of a future where we're trainingyoung people to become licensed
(16:40):
mariners and join this industryand also, in the meanwhile,
having this robust shipbuildingagenda benefiting from this
program as well.
And, man, I can't be moreenthusiastic about the Vessel
Construction Management Program.
I think my time in this job sofar, going to the Hill talking
to policymakers.
(17:01):
Tons of people are so excitedabout the VCM model.
They think it's an incrediblemodel and should be proud of it.
You know we've saved hundredsof millions of dollars and years
of timeline because of it and Ithink it's the way of the
future.
We've proven that it could work.
Hopefully we have another shotat proving it, that it will
continue to work.
(17:21):
And my main thing is that, as Isaid before at the christening,
which was quite an event, isthat it really marks a new era
in maritime.
I know an issue is a third tobe christened, but at the same
rate, like you mentioned, phillyHanwha, the first time I
visited them, they did tell meabout an instance where you
would go into a warehouse andthere was literally one person
(17:43):
with a broom just sweeping thefloor and they said we think
that they may have just placedthat person to show that there
was some activity.
But you go there now it is alively hopping place, full of
jobs, full of apprenticeslearning, people in the industry
, growing and training.
This is how you build and thisis how you rebuild a maritime
industry.
Speaker 2 (18:06):
That's right.
It really was so full of life.
And this BCM model right.
So it's Vessel ConstructionManager model.
And this is where Merit.
It was a really novel idea topair with a private operator
with shipbuilding experience tooversee the build.
In this situation it was ToteServices.
Tote managed the contract,worked directly with Philly
Shipyard and kept things onschedule and within budget.
Like you said, it's been calledreally the best practice
(18:28):
example of how government andprivate industry can work
together to actually deliverthose results.
And so this NSMV vessel is areally unique model to the
National Security Multi-MissionVessel, a fleet of these five
new training ships being built.
It really is such a fantasticthing to see that we will have
these NSMV vessels coming online.
(18:50):
And let's talk a little bitabout the value of these NSMV
vessels.
Right, it's something that thecadets are going to be able to
train on.
What does having apurpose-built vessel mean
compared to the old trainingships that they had relied on
for years?
Speaker 1 (19:05):
Well, these NSMV vessels as the name suggests,
national Security, multi-missionVessels.
They will also be used foremergency readiness and
preparedness and response, whichis an incredible thing.
I actually think I don't knowif you've gotten a chance to go
on board on one of them, butthey have a RO-RO aspect to it.
They have some other cargoaspects to it.
(19:27):
It is a dual decks for thecadets to be able to train on,
and this is cutting-edge stuff.
I think a lot of the equipmenton there is pretty high-end.
It's a wonderful opportunity.
When we were at thischristening there, I met a bunch
of the cadets there too, fromAmerican, and I thought about
(19:49):
how excited they were to havethis new training equipment
coming to their school soon.
And then I thought about howmany other young people will see
this and think, wow, I want togo to a school where I can train
on a vessel like that.
Or maybe they won't realizeit's a vessel.
They'll still say I want to gobeyond that, I want to be a part
(20:10):
of that, and I think that'sanother incredible thing that
the NSMB program is bringing tous.
It's not just the training,it's not just the emergency
readiness or response, but it'salso a great recruitment tool.
And when we talk about againpeople, ships, cargo and ports,
you can build all the ships youwant.
You don't have the cargo for it.
You're not going to have ademand for the ships.
(20:32):
But let's say you do have theships and the cargo.
You still need the manpower toman these ships and right now,
the way that we have ourtrajectory going for our hopes
and dreams and ambitions, wewill not have enough mariners.
We need to get to the work oftraining more and frankly, even
right now you see a lot ofcompanies where people are
(20:53):
working a lot more than theywant to because they just don't
have enough mariners to rotatein and out.
That's not good.
That's not a good thing for ourworkforce.
It's another reason why I worka lot and discuss a lot with
labor, because I mean, they'repartners here and that's kind of
my overall thing too is I justwant to make sure that the
industry and those out therethey know that Marriott's going
(21:16):
to be a partner.
Now.
We're not here to bear down onthem.
By law, we're literallymandated to help foster, develop
and promote the maritimeindustry of the United States
and that's what we're here forand we're going to partner with
everybody we can.
Speaker 2 (21:30):
That's right and that's so important to hear too.
And you know, you were a youngcadet at one point too.
You've been in their shoes, aKing's Pointer, and for our
listeners, the US MerchantMarine Academy run by AmerEd is
commonly known as just thatKing's Point, right the town
(21:51):
where it's located.
Through that experience youactually went to sea enough to
get your third May UnlimitedTonnage Merchant Marine License,
which is fantastic to see anactually licensed mariner in
this role.
And you're also a NavyReservist, so you understand
better than most, I'd say, theintersection of both defense and
commercial interests.
And that's the part that is soimportant to me and I think in
many others in the industry tosee somebody who understands the
commercial shipping side inyour role and not just the
military defense shippinginterest.
It's an important balancebecause MARAD finds itself in
(22:12):
the same position, simply by thejurisdictional authority,
balancing commercial interestswith military readiness, like
the ready reserve fleets.
So in recognizing that, you'vekind of lived that balance.
Talk to me a little bit moreabout your time at sea, both as
a cadet and perhaps in your Navyexperience taking you out to
sea, if it did.
Speaker 1 (22:28):
Sure Well, first of all, I mean there's no doubt
that our merchant marine andtheir national security are
inextricably linked.
I mean, anybody who readsanything about history will
understand that.
But I do like to differentiate,for a lot of policymakers too,
that there's a big differencebetween commercial shipbuilding
and Navy shipbuilding.
Sometimes that conversation, orsometimes those ideas get lost
(22:52):
in the conversation.
I think many times people thinkwell, we're building great
ships, we're building all theseNavy ships, and they don't think
about the container ships, theydon't think about the tankers,
they don't think about the rowrows, they don't think about the
breakball ships or even thespecialty ships or barges.
Right, and so part of my job, Ifeel, as though, to go and help
educate and inform not just thepublic but policymakers in
(23:16):
Washington what thosedifferences are.
And these are very pivotal andkey differences.
And as someone who was alicensed mariner and also a Navy
reservist, I understand theintersection between both.
And in fact you know, my veryfirst job, or I guess my
internship, was at the MaritimeAdministration when I was a
midshipman at Kings.
Speaker 2 (23:36):
Point Cool.
Speaker 1 (23:38):
I always thought I wanted to go to law school.
So I asked them if I could doan internship at a law firm and
they said no, no, you're goingto have to go to a shipping
company or something like thator some maritime industry.
And I found about well, I knewabout MARAD since I was an
18-year-old because it's beenpart of my life in one way or
another, and I asked if I couldgo there and be an intern in the
(23:58):
office of the chief counsel.
So that was my very firstinternship and it's pretty
incredible that, you know,almost a quarter century later
I'm back here.
But I've also, as a Navyreservist, been PACAD certified.
So I've been on a turboactivation on one of our ready
reserve fleet ships and takingone out as the PACAD advisor
(24:22):
officer and got to see up closea lot of the issues at hand.
We have a pretty aging fleet, aseveryone is pretty well aware.
That recapitalization of thefleet I think is imperative.
But the whole model of how wedo the NDRF is also something
that we need to put closescrutiny on.
We want ships to be active, wewant them to be effective and
(24:42):
purposeful for the taxpayer, andwhen we say that we want these
ships to be ready.
We want them to be effectiveand purposeful for the taxpayer.
And when we say that we wantthese ships to be ready for the
Navy when they need them, someof these ships, I mean we're
talking 50, 60-year-old vessels.
They're well past theirlifespan and the engineers and
the skeleton crews who are onthere operating and maintaining
(25:03):
them, they do a great job.
But there's only so much youcan do with a vessel.
That's that age sometimes.
So that has to be a broaderconversation.
That is something that istalked about in Washington, but
we need to make sure we get thatright Because, again,
everything with maritime youknow, you asked about my time as
a cadet, one of the things Ialways remember.
(25:24):
I was on the bridge as a deckcadet and I remember we were
going in and out of a pilot'sarea and the way that the pilot
was commanding the ship.
I thought this is so slow.
You know, when my very firstship I remember being on the
bridge I'm like everything movesso slow on the ship.
But the funny thing is is likeit's actually not moving that
(25:45):
slow and if you don't make thosemovements and maneuvers
correctly right now, you'repretty much it's fait accompli
for you in a bad way.
So one thing I kind of alwaysremember about that experience
was in the maritime worldespecially probably true for
life.
You make your decisions now andyou suffer the consequences,
(26:06):
good or bad, later.
This industry I think we're atthis pivotal moment.
If we don't take advantage ofit right now, we will suffer
even harder later.
We already are suffering.
These are things of impactsfrom not just one person, but
policy decisions, geopoliticalreasons, economic reasons, all
(26:29):
these factors.
All of these things happeneddecades and decades ago and,
frankly, when I think back to mytime as a midshipman and now, a
quarter century later, some ofthese conversations, they're not
unfamiliar to me because I'veheard them since I was 18.
The same people are talkingabout the same things with the
same solutions.
(26:49):
We're getting the same results.
So I think that's what's soamazing about what President
Trump has done with hisexecutive order.
I think that's what's so amazingabout this vigor that Secretary
Duffy has brought to themaritime industry.
We are changing things, we'regoing to be innovative, we're
going to do things differentlyhere, and that's part of my goal
(27:09):
too, as my time here at theMaritime Administration is talk
to different people, find outsome different ideas.
Let's go thinking outside thebox here too.
I know the maritime industry issteeped in tradition and
culture and we want to berespectful of that.
As a fellow mariner, I get it.
At the same rate, we need tomove into the future.
(27:31):
We're losing.
We're losing to China, we'relosing to other countries.
We don't want to do that.
That's a terrible way to go.
If we don't fix that now, if wedon't course-correct right now,
you know my children, mygrandchildren, they're going to
suffer the consequences and wedon't want that.
Speaker 2 (27:47):
That's right, and I think you're so, so right in
saying that these are some ofthe same conversations that have
been happening for decades now,and that's why the maritime
industry I think we all felt itthis spring, when there was so
much inertia, so much momentum,so much excitement for what
comes next.
I think that that's a fantasticview of we should respect the
(28:08):
traditions but also let's moveit all forward.
And I think everybody continuesto be on board and I think that
that christening symbolizedkind of all right, we're getting
to work, we're moving.
Let's start celebrating andlet's start moving the ball
forward.
You know, so you've talkedabout the four pillars people,
ships, cargo and ports being howwe're going to lead and how
(28:29):
we're going to win, andcertainly the people and the
ships pillars are gainingmomentum, especially with this
NSMV vessel and workforcetraining that it brings.
But a lot of my listeners areshippers and so some of the most
immediate touch points for themare the cargo and the ports.
So how does Marriott keep thosepillars moving forward as well?
Speaker 1 (28:47):
Absolutely.
I think that's such a pivotalpart.
We keep talking about buildingships.
If there's no demand for them,what are we building them for?
So I think, again, shippershave not been traditionally as
incorporated into thisconversation as it should be,
and that's something that Ireally want to change.
I think the shippers and thecustomers they are the demand.
(29:08):
There's a lot of differentpolicy ideas out there,
including incentivizing shippersto use US flag.
I think that's wonderful.
I mean it's not an innovativeapproach.
It's just we haven't reallydone it.
We deal with government cargo.
We have some here and there,but there's a lot of carrots
that we can use and not juststicks, and I'm hoping to see a
(29:28):
lot of that.
But in my conversation so farwith some shippers, I think
there's a willing appetite to bepart of the solution here.
I actually this is incrediblebecause you think that this has
to do a lot with dollars andcents because they're businesses
, but there's also a lot ofpatriotism involved here, and to
appeal to their patriotismabout why this industry is so
(29:50):
important and why our intermodaltransportation system is part
of our not just economicstrength but national security
and people understanding thatthese shippers I think that's a
fabulous thing.
I think that's incredible toharness and use that to move
forward.
Think that's incredible toharness and use that to move
forward.
That's definitely on the cargoend Right now.
(30:12):
I know Hanwha Valley announcedthat they were going to build 10
MR tankers, jones Act tankers.
With that Some people say, well, where's the cargo?
We need to figure that out,because I love the fact that
there's this initiative to buildships and there's excitement to
build ships and this excitement, but if we don't have the same
level of enthusiasm forunderstanding how to provide the
cargo and create that demand,we're cruising for a prison.
(30:35):
So, but that and to me alsothat's the same part.
You mentioned the four, my fourpillars, I guess the ports right
now, you know our ports,they're, they're aging some of
these ports, whether it's justinfrastructure or whether it's
ability to expand the ports.
Right now, you know our ports,they're aging Some of these
ports, whether it's justinfrastructure or whether it's
ability to expand theircapabilities.
They need more investments andI think they've been left behind
(30:56):
.
And part of this is adiscussion point.
You know, in the United Statesnobody really knows what the
merchant marine is and I thoughtthis was fascinating.
On my second day on the job, Iwas meeting with the new
director general of the DanishMaritime Authority and I thought
, man, everybody knows whatmaritime is in Denmark, right,
(31:18):
because it's a global brand.
Everybody knows that name, right?
And incredibly, he startedtelling me that one of his
biggest issues in this countryis workforce development and
mariner retention andrecruitment.
I said how is that possible?
So you know the young people,they just don't know what the,
what the merchant marine is orwhat the maritime industry does.
(31:41):
This is a major problem,seriously, thank God for
President Trump and his EO,because without that EO, this
conversation wouldn't have beensparked.
So I take it as myresponsibility to keep the foot
on the gas pedal to make surethat that excitement doesn't
wane and we keep talking aboutit and the rest of the country
(32:03):
understands what the value of astrong and robust maritime
industry is and what themerchant marine country
understands what the value of astrong and robust maritime
industry is and what themerchant marine and what the
merchant mariners do, how theyget their sneakers on their kids
feet, how they how they gettheir you know, groceries,
grocery stores, nice and full,like all of this, but that's,
that's something that, uh, I Itake as a severe and solemn
(32:25):
responsibility that that's a jobof mine here to make sure the
public is aware as much aspossible.
Speaker 2 (32:31):
That's wonderful and I think that that's so important
that I mean of course you do,but that you get it right like
that.
You get it that you understandbecause you've been a part of it
and you've shared the similarfrustrations of the maritime
industry not quite moving asforward as we all have wanted it
to, and so I think that you'reexactly right with the
(32:51):
excitement is palatable.
Everybody's ready to keepmoving forward and I love that
you are not afraid to put yourfoot on the pedal and to move it
forward and to be the leaderthat the maritime industry has
been looking for.
So that's wonderful.
I also like that you've beenhaving an eye toward the
innovation side I've oftentalked about.
You know there's kind of twodifferent types of shipbuilding.
(33:13):
We have the F-150, that's thisreliable, general, typical model
, the historical version, butthen we also have, I think,
something new and bold anddifferent and it looks like
you're leaning into that alittle bit by really tapping
into the innovation side.
I've often said it's kind ofF-150 versus the Cybertruck.
Last month you were atFedSupernova, which is not your
(33:35):
typical maritime conference, butit was a stage full of defense
tech startups and entrepreneurs,and so for my listeners who
might not know.
Can you explain a little bitwhat FedSupernova was and then
tell us why was it important forMered to be there?
Speaker 1 (33:47):
Sure, they reached out to me asking me if I would
speak on a panel and the panel'stitle was called Ship Happens
and I thought that was kind ofquirky.
But as I looked more into thisevent, it was really a gathering
of just tons of young startupsand most of them in the tech
(34:07):
industry, and I thought has thisrelevant to what I'm trying to
do here?
And as I was reading throughsome of the potential attendees
and speakers and pitches thatthey were making, I thought this
is exactly it.
This is exactly what we weretalking about about trying to
not be complying to the samediscussion points and the same
(34:30):
people over and over again.
So one of the things that Irealized was, when I went there,
these innovators they might nothave so much of a maritime
background and some ideas wereincredible, some ideas were just
wild and some ideas wereprobably bad and of course I say
that and then that one's theone that's going to turn into a
billion-dollar company, right.
(34:50):
But I was thinking, how do weharness this enthusiasm, how do
we harness this creativity intoour maritime industry?
So I was so glad to be thereand make this contact with so
many of these entrepreneurs.
Then we exchanged ideas of howthings could work in the
maritime industry and theystarted using their ingenuity to
(35:12):
immediately on the spot.
Some of them were saying, well,I think we can do that, I think
we can figure this out, even ifit was like barge building.
I mean, there was someincredible stuff going on there
and it reminds me, like, like Ihave two young children, and
sometimes when you talk to youngchildren, even though they may
not know about a lot of things,they have some of the best
(35:35):
imagination possible on earth.
I think that imaginationdwindles as we get older and you
know, sometimes I pose problemsto my children and they they
come up with the wildest ideasand I thought I would have never
thought of that.
And that's some ways like theseyoung entrepreneurs who are not
a part of the maritime industry.
Because they're not part of themaritime industry, they think
(35:56):
so much out of the box.
Our minds are more confined to.
No, that's not how that works,because this industry does this.
That's an important knowledgeand wisdom to have at times, but
doesn't always breed the mostcreativity.
And so my theory is we canmerge that expertise and
industry wisdom with thisnewfound imaginative and
(36:16):
creative environment.
We might have something reallybeautiful here and that could be
the way of the future.
So I want to include everyoneas much into this conversation
as possible.
Speaker 2 (36:27):
That's right and I think that's so important.
When you remove the shoulds andyou allow people the
opportunity to take risks and topotentially fail but then also
potentially soar, that's thedifference, right.
The kids don't have thoseshoulds in their mind, they're
just able to think creativelyand find solutions.
This has been such a wonderfulconversation.
Thank you so much for your timetoday and sharing your
(36:49):
perspective and your personaljourney with us.
It's been a real honor hearingabout the successes and the
accompanying momentum of thestate of Maine, christening the
vision for the US shipbuildingand your focus on people, ships,
cargo and ports.
We'll all be watching closelyas MARAD continues to push
forward, and I know that mylisteners appreciated getting to
know you a little bit bettertoo today.
So thank you very much.
(37:09):
Acting Administrator Yee.
Speaker 1 (37:11):
Well, thank you so much, Lauren.
I appreciate what you do andappreciate all those involved in
this conversation.
This is a conversation that isnot just long overdue but
imperative to our survival, andI take this responsibility
extremely seriously because,like I said, without a robust
merchant marine one day, withouta maritime industry that we can
(37:34):
be proud of, we are going topay horrible consequences.
And so I'm sounding the alarm.
People have sounded the alarm.
We have to respond now.
Speaker 2 (37:44):
Well, thank you very much for your time.
Speaker 1 (37:46):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (37:50):
I hope you enjoyed that conversation as much as I
enjoyed having it At the end oflast season, I want to remind
you.
So you know, when we weretalking at the end of season
four, I said that it kind offelt like the maritime momentum
was starting to wane.
I was a little bit concerned.
The maritime momentum wasstarting to wane, I was a little
bit concerned.
I was starting to feel a littlebit of messaging from the
community that maybe I don'tknow, just look, I think we're
(38:15):
back.
I think we're back.
I was hopeful that maybe it wasjust a summertime slowdown,
maybe it was, maybe it wasn't.
Look, I'm refreshed, I'mfeeling it.
I'm feeling that we arerefreshed in the fall, ready to
get back to work.
Look, between Sang's excitementand action-oriented approach,
he's actually getting out there,going to atypical conferences,
going to innovative conferences,not just your traditional
(38:36):
maritime.
We also recently had theannouncement of two new Federal
Maritime Commission nominees,lori DiBella and Robert Harvey,
which, once they're confirmed bythe Senate, that'll bring us
back to a full slate of fivecommissioners.
Look, we have vessels beingbuilt, this state of Maine NSMV
vessel rolling out Investmentcommitments, like the day of the
(38:58):
christening, a $5 billionpledge from Hanwha, philly
Shipyard, to expand the shipyardand boost US shipbuilding.
This is real movement.
This is exciting.
Maybe the summertime slowdownwasn't that, it was the
summertime buildup and I thinkwe're going to keep seeing it.
I'm excited.
I think that we're going tohave an active September and
October.
And look, we also have theMaritime Action Plan deadline on
(39:21):
the horizon, november 5th.
That's the capstone from theExecutive Order on maritime
dominance.
It ties the threads together.
I'm really excited for ajam-packed fall and I walked
away from this conversation withacting administrator Yi hopeful
right.
I really was inspired by hisperspective, especially his
focus on infrastructure,shipbuilding and the role of the
(39:42):
US maritime talent.
He's personable, he's pragmaticand he's thoughtful.
Innovation steeped in tradition, keeping new ideas and our rich
history both in view thatbalance is exactly what's needed
in the US maritime right now.
It also reminded me why Istarted the maritime professor
in the first place.
Like I said, to make maritimepolicy approachable and
(40:03):
available to all, not just thosewho have been in the industry
forever.
Don't worry, it's for us too,it's for both.
Getting good ideas to the tablestarts with everybody being on
the same page.
And speaking of approachable,our first Just-in-Time Learning
mini course is coming up A quickcompare and contrast of the FMC
versus MARAD, something weoften talk about here on the
podcast, but now in a shortfocus session jam-packed with
(40:27):
information you can actually use.
I'd love to know what othermini courses would you like to
see in this Just-In-TimeLearning Series.
I've already had a few requestscome in since announcing it on
LinkedIn.
Keep them coming, send me amessage or drop me a comment, so
these short sessions hitexactly what you need to hear.
And a quick reminder we're nowtaking sponsorships and
partnerships.
(40:47):
If you or your organization wantto connect with this audience,
reach out at info atthemaritimeprofessorcom.
So if you liked this episode,be sure to follow, subscribe and
leave a review.
Want to go deeper on thesetopics or bring this kind of
insight to your team?
Visit themaritimeprofessorcomto explore corporate trainings,
tailored briefings and on-demandwebinars, all designed to make
complex maritime regulationspractical and easy to understand
(41:10):
.
If your organization needs helpnavigating the legal or
strategic side of ocean shipping, head over to Squall Strategies
.
That's where I provideconsulting services, regulatory
guidance and policy support forclients working directly with
the FMC and across the globalsupply chain.
As always, this podcast is foreducational purposes only and
not legal advice.
If you need an attorney,contact an attorney.
(41:30):
So until next time, I'm LaurenBegan, the Maritime Professor,
and you've just listened to, byLand and by Sea.
See you next time you.
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