All yearly counts are from January of that year.
The figures for 1996 through 2020 are taken from previous editions of the same publication. According to the source, the information excludes non-merchant type and/or U.S. Navy-owned vessels currently in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, as well as ships operating exclusively on the Great Lakes and inland waterways and special types such as: channel ships, icebreakers, cable ships, and merchant ships owned by military forces.
The values reflect oceangoing, self-propelled, cargo carrying vessels of 1,000 gross tons and above.
Citation formats
Oceangoing self-propelled ships under U.S.-flag 1996-2022
As of January 2022, there were some *** merchant ships flying the U.S.-flag. Since 2017, the number of merchant vessels flying the U.S.-flag has been relatively stable, oscillating between *** and *** units.
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U.S. Maritime Administration. (January 16, 2022). Number of ships in the U.S.-flag merchant fleet from 1996 to 2022 (in units) [Graph]. In ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ. Retrieved July 15, 2026, from /statistics/652126/us-flag-oceangoing-merchant-fleet/
U.S. Maritime Administration. "Number of ships in the U.S.-flag merchant fleet from 1996 to 2022 (in units)." Chart. January 16, 2022. ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ. Accessed July 15, 2026. /statistics/652126/us-flag-oceangoing-merchant-fleet/
U.S. Maritime Administration. (2022). Number of ships in the U.S.-flag merchant fleet from 1996 to 2022 (in units). ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ. ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ Inc.. Accessed: July 15, 2026. /statistics/652126/us-flag-oceangoing-merchant-fleet/
U.S. Maritime Administration. "Number of Ships in The U.S.-flag Merchant Fleet from 1996 to 2022 (in Units)." ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ, ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ Inc., 16 Jan 2022, /statistics/652126/us-flag-oceangoing-merchant-fleet/
U.S. Maritime Administration, Number of ships in the U.S.-flag merchant fleet from 1996 to 2022 (in units) ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ, /statistics/652126/us-flag-oceangoing-merchant-fleet/ (last visited July 15, 2026)
Number of ships in the U.S.-flag merchant fleet from 1996 to 2022 (in units) [Graph], U.S. Maritime Administration, January 16, 2022. [Online]. Available: /statistics/652126/us-flag-oceangoing-merchant-fleet/
