Recently, a new American shipbuilding company has begun operations on the Columbia River, restarting part of the historic Kaiser Shipyards site. Rebuilding U.S. shipbuilding capacity is now a priority for the Trump administration.

New Pacific Industrial has begun construction of two 122-foot tugboats for American Marine Corporation at its waterfront facility in Vancouver, Washington.

The project marks New Pacific's first newbuildings and the first new tugboats built in American Marine Corporation's 50-year history.

The shipyard's opening comes as Washington is pushing in tandem to rebuild the U.S. maritime industrial base. That base has shrunk to less than 1% of global commercial shipbuilding output.

U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order in April 2025 aimed at restoring U.S. maritime dominance, followed this year by a Maritime Action Plan focused on expanding domestic shipyards, attracting investment and rebuilding the maritime workforce. Last month, another presidential memorandum called for boosting the overall capacity and competitiveness of the U.S. shipbuilding industry.

New Pacific's 180,000-square-foot facility is located on the waterfront once used by Kaiser Shipyards. The shipyard was a center of American wartime shipbuilding during World War II.

The first vessels are CT-120 ocean-going line-haul tugboats designed by Glosten, equipped with two 3,017-horsepower Wabtec engines and more than 85 tonnes of bollard pull. The first vessel is scheduled for delivery in the third quarter of 2028.

New Pacific was founded by Joe Corvelli, Chris Palmer and Peter Roney, who together have more than 90 years of maritime and industrial experience.

Chief Operating Officer Chris Palmer said: "We are building on a site with a long industrial history. The goal is not to recreate the past, but to expand the capacity the Pacific region needs today."