Great Lakes Ports and Shipyards Formalize Partnership on U.S. Shipbuilding

he American Great Lakes Ports Association (AGLPA) and the Great Lakes Alliance of Shipyards (GLAS) have signed a new agreement aimed at strengthening shipbuilding, port infrastructure and maritime commerce across the Great Lakes.

The memorandum of understanding, announced Wednesday, marks the first formal partnership between the region’s U.S. port and shipyard communities. The agreement was signed July 31 during AGLPA’s annual conference in Chicago.

Under the MOU, the two groups will coordinate on domestic shipbuilding, vessel repair and modernization, fleet renewal, cargo growth, workforce development and federal maritime policy.

The partnership comes as Washington pushes to rebuild the U.S.