Maritime Nominee Stephen Carmel Pledges Strong Supply Chain
Commerce Committee to Review White House Maritime Plan
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WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s nominee to the lead the Maritime Administration told a Senate panel Oct. 22 he intends to promote safety and supply chain connectivity.
Testifying before the Commerce Committee, Stephen Carmel pledged to enhance efficiency along freight corridors at a time when the administration is pursuing economic opportunities domestically and internationally.
“A strong maritime sector is not nostalgia — it’s strategy. It means resilient supply chains we control; credible logistics for our joint forces; good jobs across our coasts, rivers and Great Lakes; and the freedom to move what America needs, when and where America needs it — under our own flag,” Carmel told senators during his nomination hearing.
“We have done hard things before. With this committee’s guidance, and in partnership with labor and industry, we can do them again. We will not be the generation that stood on the sidelines and passively watched our noble industry die. We will be the generation that rebuilt it — stronger, smarter, faster and ready,” he added.
The nominee’s experience includes serving as president of U.S. Marine Management, a Virginia-based maritime solutions firm. He is a graduate of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy and worked on U.S. vessels prior to joining Maersk Line Limited.
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Responding to a questionnaire from the committee, the nominee emphasized, “The industry is in desperate need of revitalization, now is the greatest potential for that to happen in generations and the opportunity may never come again. Those factors combined motivate me to want to serve in the capacity of Maritime Administrator, if confirmed, and make a positive contribution to our industry.”
Committee Chairman Ted Cruz (R-Texas) endorsed the nominee. “Stephen Carmel will draw on decades of experience to advise the secretary of transportation on federal maritime policy as administrator of the Maritime Administration,” Cruz said. “He is well versed in maritime operations and security,” the chairman added.
Also being considered by the committee are Laura DiBella and Robert Harvey, to join the Federal Maritime Commission.
“If confirmed, I will continue the important work of the [Federal Maritime Commission] at this critical time for the United States ocean transportation system and supply chain,” Harvey told senators. “I look forward to ensuring that FMC maintains a competitive and reliable international ocean transportation system and protects U.S. consumers, exporters and importers from unlawful, unfair and deceptive ocean transportation practices.”
The panel has yet to announce a vote to determine the nominees’ consideration on the floor of the Senate. On Oct. 28, Cruz intends to convene a hearing specific to the Trump administration’s maritime industrial policies. Earlier this year, the White House directed the creation of a meant to revitalize U.S. maritime industries.
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Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) is chairman of the Coast Guard, Maritime and Fisheries Subcommittee: “Our nation faces a critical strategic challenge as foreign competitors, especially China, lead global shipbuilding while our domestic capacity remains very limited.”
“This hearing,” Sullivan explained, “will be an important step toward understanding the obstacles and identifying policy solutions to rebuild a robust, competitive U.S. shipbuilding industry — one that supports good-paying American jobs, strengthens our maritime workforce, and ensures our national security in key regions like the Arctic.”
