Charles R. Goulding and Preeti Sulibhavi explore how the SHIPS Act and 3D printing are steering America’s maritime strategy toward national security and global competitiveness.
For years, the semiconductor industry held the spotlight as the frontline of global technological competition. But a new sector is taking center stage in geopolitical and economic strategy: ships. Recent legislation, including the U.S. “SHIPS Act” (Supporting the Health of Infrastructure and the Physical Strength of America’s Shipbuilding), has signaled a significant pivot. The act positions shipbuilding as a critical national interest, echoing the urgency once reserved for microchips. The implications stretch across national security, international trade, and supply chain resilience.
The SHIPS Act: A Turning Point in Maritime Policy
Passed in late 2024, the SHIPS Act authorizes over US$20 billion in funding over the next decade to revitalize American shipbuilding. It provides direct subsidies to domestic shipyards, invests in workforce development, and mandates a minimum percentage of U.S.-built ships in federal logistics contracts. Modeled in spirit after the CHIPS and Science Act for semiconductors, it reflects growing awareness of maritime vulnerability amid global instability and increasing tensions in the South China Sea.
The SHIPS Act also imposes higher tariffs on foreign-built commercial vessels entering U.S. ports and expands the Jones Act requirements, which stipulate that goods transported between U.S. ports must be carried on American-built, -owned, and -operated vessels.
The US has already embarked on a program to convert U.S. port cranes from Chinese made to U.S.-made cranes. These measures are designed not only to protect the U.S. maritime base but also to force a strategic rethinking among allies and trading partners.
Tariffs and Trade: Global Ripple Effects
The tariffs have already begun reshaping global shipping routes and trade logistics. For example, South Korea’s shipbuilders, like Hyundai Heavy Industries, have seen a decline in orders from U.S. logistics companies due to the new tax structure. In response, companies like Maersk are revising their fleet strategies, weighing whether to retrofit aging U.S.-made ships or invest in domestic partnerships. At the same time, nations like Japan and Germany are lobbying for reciprocal trade agreements to avoid getting sidelined in U.S. ports. The economic shakeup has also spurred a race among NATO members to boost their own naval manufacturing capacity, with the European Union considering its own version of the SHIPS Act.
The 3D Printing Revolution in Shipbuilding
Parallel to this legislative shift is the emergence of 3D printing and additive manufacturing as game-changers in the maritime industry. Shipbuilding has historically been slow, expensive, and labor-intensive. Additive manufacturing offers faster prototyping, reduced material waste, and decentralized production—a perfect match for the complex logistical demands of building and maintaining fleets.
1. Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII): One of the largest military shipbuilders in the U.S., HII has integrated metal 3D printing to fabricate custom parts for its nuclear-powered submarines. By printing titanium valves and pipe connectors in-house, HII has cut lead times from months to days. In 2023, the company announced a partnership with 3D Systems to expand production capacity and qualify more materials for high-stress naval applications.
2. Wilhelmsen and Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems: Based in Norway and Germany respectively, these firms launched a maritime-specific 3D printing venture in 2022. Their pilot program focused on producing replacement parts for onboard systems—like propulsion components and pump housings—that typically require dry-docking to repair. The initiative reduced turnaround time by 85%, and they now offer a digital catalog of over 10,000 printable parts to ship operators worldwide.
3. U.S. Navy Additive Manufacturing Program: The Navy has committed to embedding 3D printers on its next-generation surface combatants. Sailors will be trained to fabricate spare parts during missions, enhancing self-sufficiency in contested environments. In a 2023 trial, the USS Bataan used onboard printers to produce an emergency valve cap and avoided a multi-week return to port.
4. General Dynamics Electric Boat: A few years ago, Electric Boat was awarded the world’s largest shipbuilding contract to build nine Virginia-class attack submarines for US$22 billion. Electric Boat is building new Columbia-class submarines that will replace the current Ohio-class. This is an excellent opportunity to leverage 3D printing technology for advancing the functionality and capabilities of the new class of submarines.
National Security and Strategic Autonomy
Why does this matter? For one, maritime supremacy has always been foundational to national security. The U.S. Navy projects power globally not through airbases, but through carrier strike groups. A robust shipbuilding base ensures that in times of crisis, fleets can be expanded, repaired, or rearmed without foreign dependency. This is increasingly crucial as China ramps up naval expansion and Russia escalates activity in the Arctic.
Moreover, domestic shipbuilding is essential for protecting undersea cables, which carry 95% of the world’s internet traffic. As cyberwarfare intensifies, safeguarding these lines is a frontline concern.
Supply Chain Resilience: Lessons from COVID-19
The pandemic exposed the fragility of global supply chains. Ports backed up. Cargo ships idled for weeks. Without sufficient domestic shipping capacity, nations were paralyzed. The SHIPS Act, along with additive manufacturing, is a direct response to these vulnerabilities. If a key component fails in transit, or a critical trade route is blocked, countries must have the ability to adapt on the fly.
3D printing enables exactly that. A decentralized network of certified printers, located near shipyards or even onboard, creates a level of logistical agility the industry has never seen. This could be the difference between maintaining naval readiness and falling behind in a crisis.
A Blueprint for the Future
The convergence of aggressive maritime legislation and cutting-edge manufacturing is no coincidence. Nations are realizing that oceanic dominance isn’t just about aircraft carriers—it’s about the infrastructure that builds and sustains them.
Additive manufacturing allows for modular shipbuilding, where components can be printed, tested, and assembled in parallel. This slashes time-to-launch and provides the flexibility to customize vessels for specific missions or clients. Imagine a future where a commercial shipping company can order a bulk carrier with digitally optimized fuel systems and have it ready in months, not years.
The Research & Development Tax Credit
The now permanent Research and Development (R&D) Tax Credit is available for companies developing new or improved products, processes and/or software.
3D printing can help boost a company’s R&D Tax Credits. Wages for technical employees creating, testing and revising 3D printed prototypes are typically eligible expenses toward the R&D Tax Credit. Similarly, when used as a method of improving a process, time spent integrating 3D printing hardware and software can also be an eligible R&D expense. Lastly, when used for modeling and preproduction, the costs of filaments consumed during the development process may also be recovered.
Whether it is used for creating and testing prototypes or for final production, 3D printing is a great indicator that R&D Credit-eligible activities are taking place. Companies implementing this technology at any point should consider taking advantage of R&D Tax Credits.
Smooth Sailing…
Ships are the new chips. Just as semiconductors are the brains of the modern digital world, ships are the arteries of global trade and defense. The SHIPS Act is not just a piece of policy—it’s a strategic play to ensure maritime supremacy in an era of volatile geopolitics.
With additive manufacturing as its engine, the shipbuilding sector is poised for a renaissance. Those who control the shipyards will shape the seas. And in the 21st century, that may be the defining factor of power and “smooth sailing.”
