BUILD with Allies Act of 2026

(a) Establishment. The Secretary of State shall seek to establish a group, to be known as the Maritime Group of Nations, to coordinate regulatory and commerce policies to facilitate a new maritime multimodalism for commercial shipping.

(b) Participation

(1) Inclusion. The Secretary of State should invite to the Maritime Group of Nations appropriate counterparts from the governments of countries that meet each of the following criteria:

(A) The country is of significant importance for the purposes of establishing and advancing the objectives of the Maritime Group of Nations, as determined by the Secretary of State.

(B) The country additionally is among the top 15 countries globally with respect to at least two of the following criteria:

(i) Shipbuilding, as measured by tonnage as a percentage of global total.

(ii) Number of citizens or nationals who are merchant mariners.

(iii) Number of commercially owned ships greater than 1,000 gross weight tonnage.

(2) Exclusion. The Maritime Group of Nations established under subsection (a) may not include a foreign country of concern.

(c) Functions. The Maritime Group of Nations established under subsection (a) should consider the following:

(1) Supporting the establishment of maritime prosperity zones across a diverse geography, including areas outside traditional coast shipbuilding and ship repair centers, to—

(A) incentivize and leverage national private capital and investment by allied countries in the maritime industries and waterfront communities; and

(B) strengthen industrial base capacity and readiness through shipbuilding, workforce development, and expanded manufacturing incentives.

(2) Supporting the development of coordinated actions to counter China’s targeted dominance of the maritime, logistics, and shipbuilding.

(3) Coordinating a collective position with respect to agreements, regulations, standards, and guidelines issued by the International Maritime Organization that protects United States shipbuilding industries.

(4) Implementing and contributing to the exchange visitor program authorized by the amendments made by section 606.