U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announces Port Tampa Bay investment

TAMPA, Fla. - Federal officials are targeting continued growth at Port Tampa Bay with a $1 million grant to revitalize the shipping industry.

Port Tampa Bay upgrades

What we know:

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy visited Tampa on Monday morning to announce a $1 million Small Shipyard Grant for Gulf Marine Repair at Port Tampa Bay.

The federal funding, distributed through the Maritime Administration, will support a welder training program, upgrade infrastructure and equipment, and aim to bring more workers and jobs to the port.

Officials said the grant is part of a broader, $35 million national investment to expand commercial ship building and cargo shipping capabilities around the country.

What they're saying:

"Great nations have to build great ships," Duffy said. "And not just military ships, we have to build commercial vessels as well."

Federal leaders say Port Tampa Bay is a critical port, adding that it has strong potential to serve as a shipping hub for the Caribbean and Asia, provided the port completes planned extension and dredging projects.

"You already have three shipyards, two of which have extremely great docks for docking the biggest ships," Maritime Administrator Steve Carmel said. "A lot of history here in building ships and so it doesn't take much to expand that capacity as well. So, the bones are here."

During his visit, Duffy also stated that federal officials plan to announce $16.5 million in funding for the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority. That funding will help build a new 249-passenger ferry to operate between Tampa and St. Petersburg.

Future shipyard expansion

What we don't know:

Officials have not yet provided a specific timeline for when construction on the new ferry will begin or when the equipment upgrades at Gulf Marine Repair will be completed.

Fox 13 reached out to the PSTA, and they released the following statement: 

"Today, Federal Transit Administration's (FTA) U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy gave a "sneak peek" of exciting news to be officially released later this week—Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) is being awarded $16.5 million for the 2026 Passenger Ferry Grant. PSTA applied for this grant in order to fund the manufacturing of a brand-new, 249-passenger ferry vessel to support the agency's upcoming ferry service connecting St. Petersburg with Tampa. This new vessel will be in addition to the two used vessels PSTA has already acquired, Bay Breeze and Bay Clipper. It will take several years for the design and build of the brand-new vessel—this will be an investment in the longevity of the service."

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