(WASHINGTON) — The American Maritime Partnership (AMP) congratulates the nearly 1,400 graduates from the seven U.S. maritime academies in 2022. AMP applauds the graduates for their dedication and commitment to pursuing a career that supports the United States in times of both peace and war and is proud to welcome a new generation to this vital workforce.
“As a seafaring nation, the United States leans heavily upon licensed mariners to operate and command America’s commercial and military sealift ships,” said Ku’u Park, president of the American Maritime Partnership. “We congratulate the 2022 American maritime academy graduates who represent the next generation of leaders who will continue to deliver vital necessities for our nation’s economy and security.”
The 2022 graduates hail from the seven maritime academies in the United States: the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (Kings Point, N.Y.), State University of New York (SUNY) Maritime College (Fort Schuyler, N.Y.), California Maritime Academy (Vallejo, Calif.), Great Lakes Maritime Academy (Traverse City, Mich.), Maine Maritime Academy (Castine, Maine), Massachusetts Maritime Academy (Buzzards Bay, Mass.), and Texas A&M Maritime Academy (Galveston, Texas).
Following graduation, many will sail on vessels in the domestic fleet, which includes over 40,000 self-propelled vessels, tugboats and barges. These graduates join the nearly 650,000 private U.S. citizens who are employed through the domestic maritime industry stemming from a variety of career paths, including military veterans and those who have “climbed the hawespipe” and advanced through the ranks.
The U.S. domestic fleet moves nearly 1 billion tons of cargo each year between U.S. ports, or roughly a quarter of the nation’s freight. These skilled U.S. citizen merchant mariners ensure national security in times of crisis or war by assisting the military and commercial sealift vessels. Some militarily useful vessels in the domestic fleet can be transitioned directly to military service when needed. In times of crisis, U.S.-flag government and commercial vessels, crewed by U.S. civilian mariners, transport supplies to U.S. troops in relief and war zones.
A significant number of graduates from these seven maritime academies enter the workforce as licensed deck or engineering officers. The new graduates are invited into an industry that is proud to provide a lifelong career path with good-paying jobs, mobility and advancement. Additionally, a number of graduates choose to serve our nation as members of all branches of the military, especially the U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard.
In order to sail as merchant marine officers, graduates are required to pass the extensive Coast Guard exam, which covers three days of testing along with the required encyclopedic knowledge of the career path chosen. For that reason, maritime academy cadets supplement their classroom instruction with significant time either on training ships operated by their schools or aboard commercial vessels.
For more information about the domestic maritime industry and scholarships available for those pursuing a maritime career, click here.
– American Maritime Partnership
