Alaska Packs Powerful Maritime Economic Punch: New Study
A recent study for the Transportation Institute by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) revealed that Alaska is a major domestic maritime state, ranking third among all American states for domestic maritime industry economic impact.
The American domestic maritime industry includes vessel operators, marine terminals, shipyards, and workers engaged in the movement of cargo exclusively within the U.S. Key findings of the PwC study as they relate to Alaska were as follows:
- Alaska ranks #3 among all U.S. states in per capita jobs related to the American domestic maritime industry. The State is home to an estimated 4,530 American maritime jobs, and related worker income exceeds $344 million annually.
- Total gross economic output related to the State’s domestic maritime industry exceeds $1 billion annually.
- Alaska is an important shipyard state. A recent study of shipbuilding by the U.S. Maritime Administration, covering both commercial and military ship construction, found a $108 million annual economic impact in Alaska with 1,150 associated jobs. More than $63.9 million in worker income is attributable to the shipyard industry in Alaska.
- Alaska’s at-large Congressional District, represented by Cong. Don Young, ranks 13th out of all 435 Congressional Districts in the U.S. for American maritime industry economic impact.
- Domestic maritime cargo originating in Alaska totals more than 38 million tons each year. The following are the top states receiving cargo from Alaska:
- Domestic maritime cargo transported into Alaska totals more than 8.8 million tons each year.
- Each year 34.2 million tons of crude petroleum originating in Alaska is transported by ship to other American states. In addition, Alaska brings in 7.4 million tons of petroleum products from other states.
- Overall, petroleum products are the top commodity category moved by domestic vessels from Alaska to other states. Manufactured goods are the top commodity category received by domestic vessels into the State.
- Alaska’s own navigable waterway network of over 5,400 miles is the largest in the country, and almost twice the amount of the next largest network in Louisiana. On this vast network, Alaska moves commodities across the vast 586,000 square miles of the state.
Sources: The Transportation Institute, PwC