Great Lakes Ports and Shipyards Formalize Partnership

The American Great Lakes Ports Association has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Great Lakes Alliance of Shipyards to advance shared priorities in domestic shipbuilding and commerce.

The MoU marks the first formal partnership between the U.S. Great Lakes port and shipyard communities. By connecting public port authorities with leading American shipyards, the organizations will work more closely to expand the region’s industrial capacity, pursue new cargo and export opportunities, develop the next generation of skilled maritime workers, and advance national priorities to restore American shipbuilding and strengthen the maritime industrial base.

The partnership also recognizes the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System’s critical role in connecting American industry to domestic and global markets.

Under the MoU, the organizations will coordinate on priorities that include shipbuilding, vessel repair and modernization; fleet renewal and the construction of American-built vessels; cargo growth, export opportunities and trade development; port and shipyard infrastructure; workforce recruitment and training; and federal policies and investments affecting the Great Lakes maritime economy and broader national maritime priorities.

Although voluntary and non-binding, the agreement creates a standing mechanism for ports and shipyards to coordinate on shared priorities. The founding organizations envision an expanding coalition capable of advancing U.S.