How Many U.S. Jobs Does a Cargo Ship Retrofit Create?

Voltic's retrofit model could support U.S. shipyard and seafaring work by upgrading existing cargo ships rather than waiting for entirely new vessels. The exact job count depends on vessel condition, retrofit scope, yard productivity, project schedule, domestic-content requirements, and whether a ship enters coastwise service. The proposed benchmark assigns approximately 250 to 350 U.S. shipyard jobs over 24 months to the retrofit of a 1,000-TEU vessel. It also assigns roughly 22 U.S. seafarer jobs to each operating ship under Jones Act crewing standards. Those figures would cover different kinds of employment. Shipyard work is project-based and concentrated during engineering and installation, while seafarer positions support continuing vessel operations. No MARAD publication located during source review supports either specific number. MARAD materials confirm that Jones Act-eligible vessels must be U.S.-built, U.S.-owned, and crewed by U.S. mariners, but they do not establish a universal crew of 22 or a 250-to-350-job retrofit benchmark. The figures should therefore be presented as planning assumptions only, not general MARAD benchmarks, a Voltic fleet count, or a hiring commitment. A defensible project estimate would require a yard labor plan, expected labor hours, crew certificate, and vessel-specific operating schedule.