US Merchant Marine

United States Merchant Marine

United States Merchant Marine emblem
Ships:	465 (>1,000 GRT)
Deck Officers:	29,000
Marine Engineers:	12,000
Ratings:	28,000
Source: "Water Transportation Occupations". U.S. DOL, Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Statistics for the shipping industry of United States
Total: 465 ships (1,000 gross register tons (GRT) or over)
Totalling: 10,590,325 GRT/13,273,133 metric tons deadweight (DWT)
Cargo ships
Bulk ships	67
Barge carrier	7
Cargo ship	91
Container ships	76
Roll-on / roll-off ships	27
Vehicle carrier	20
Tankers
Chemical tanker ships	20
Specialized tanker ships	1
Petroleum tanker ships	76
Passenger ships
General passenger ships	19
Combined passenger/cargo	58
Foreign ownership and documentation Note: Of these, 51 are foreign-owned: Australia 2, Canada 4, Denmark 24, Germany 2, Greece 1, Malaysia 4, Netherlands 4, Norway 2, Singapore 2, Sweden 5, Taiwan 1. 700 United States ships are registered in other countries: Antigua and Barbuda 7, Australia 3, Bahamas 121, Belize 5, Bermuda 27, Cambodia 8, Canada 2, Cayman Islands 41, Comoros 2, Cyprus 7, Greece 1, Honduras 1, Hong Kong 21, Ireland 2, Isle of Man 3, Italy 15, North Korea 3, South Korea 7, Liberia 93, Luxembourg 3, Malta 3, Marshall Islands 143, Netherlands 13, Netherlands Antilles 1, Norway 13, Panama 94, Peru 1, Philippines 8, Portugal 1, Puerto Rico 3, Qatar 1, Russia 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 21, Sierra Leone 1, Singapore 7, Spain 7, Sweden 1, Trinidad and Tobago 1, United Kingdom 6, Vanuatu 1, Wallis and Futuna 1. 2006 estimates.
Source: This article contains material from the CIA World Factbook which, as a US government publication, is in the public domain.

The United States Merchant Marine refers to either United States civilian mariners, or to U.S. civilian and federally owned merchant vessels. Both the civilian mariners, and the merchant vessels, are managed by a combination of the government and private sectors, and engage in commerce or transportation of goods and services in and out of the navigable waters of the United States. The Merchant Marine primarily transports cargo and passengers during peacetime; in times of war, the Merchant Marine can be an auxiliary to the United States Navy, and can be called upon to deliver military personnel and materiel for the military. Merchant Marine officers may also be commissioned as military officers by the Department of Defense. This is commonly achieved by commissioning unlimited tonnage Merchant Marine officers as Strategic Sealift Officers in the Naval Reserves.

Merchant mariners move cargo and passengers between nations and within the United States, and operate and maintain deep-sea merchant ships, tugboats, towboats, ferries, dredges, excursion vessels, charter boats and other waterborne craft on the oceans, the Great Lakes, rivers, canals, harbors, and other waterways.

As of 31 December 2016, the United States merchant fleet had 175 privately owned, oceangoing, self-propelled vessels of 1,000 gross register tons and above that carry cargo from port to port or more. Nearly 800 American-owned ships are flagged in other nations.

The federal government maintains fleets of merchant ships via organizations such as Military Sealift Command (part of the US Navy) and the National Defense Reserve Fleet, which is managed by the United States Maritime Administration. In 2004, the federal government employed approximately 5% of all American water transportation workers.

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