The U.S. Senate has confirmed Stephen Carmel as the Administrator of the U.S. Department of Transportation's Maritime Administration (MARAD).

GCaptain reports that Carmel was confirmed to the role on December 18 by a 53-43 vote, putting him in charge of the agency responsible for regulating and promoting the U.S. maritime sector, including oversight of commercial shipping, ports, shipbuilding and the U.S. Merchant Marine. Carmel had previously served as president of U.S. Marine Management, and as a senior executive at Maersk's U.S. shipping division.

During his confirmation hearings, Carmel stressed the importance of revitalizing the U.S. shipbuilding sector, and its role in building resilient domestic maritime supply chains that aren't reliant on vessels built overseas.

"For more than 150 years, we have searched for a maritime policy that works, even as our industrial capacity has steadily declined – both in our ability to carry our own commerce and to build the ships that do it," he said in his remarks to the Senate. "We have outsourced those capabilities and, with that, much of our independence."

American Maritime Officers — the union representing U.S. merchant marine officers — praised the appointment of Carmel in a December 19 news release, calling him "the right choice" to lead MARAD."

"He brings extensive experience and knowledge as a business leader to the job, and a career as a maritime officer," said AMO national president Willie Barrere. "He knows what it takes to help the U.S. maritime industry grow and succeed."