Shipbuilding has been dominating the news lately–especially in Solano County—with talks of a potential Collinsville port, federal actions, and supposed promises of new jobs and opportunities. Solano Together put together the following FAQ to sift through the noise and provide a fact-based resource to answer your most pressing questions. Information on this topic is rapidly developing so make sure to subscribe to Solano Together emails and follow on social media to get the most up-to-date information.

Driven by international competition with China, there is a national conversation going on about U.S. shipbuilding. Over the last two decades, China has become the number one shipbuilder in the world today, followed by South Korea and Japan. Shipbuilding is a capital-intensive, low-profit business, often dependent on ongoing government subsidies and low-wage labor. This is true in China, South Korea, and Japan. Meanwhile, U.S. shipbuilding is largely limited to Navy vessels, with only a handful of commercial ships built annually. This has led to a decline in American shipbuilding capabilities. Lack of shipbuilding capacity could become a national security issue for America, particularly if current international tensions lead to international conflict. This has led to the current moment of national focus on expanding domestic shipbuilding capabilities, even if that effort would come at enormous cost and diversion of resources from other government expenditures.

As of yet, there has been no federal action that has enacted policy or appropriated money to promote domestic shipbuilding efforts. The federal government is considering several initiatives to stimulate U.S. shipbuilding, both at very early stages with no secured funding: A bipartisan shipbuilding stimulus bill–the SHIPS Act–has been introduced in both the last and current session of Congress. Local Congressman John Garamendi is a cosponsor. President Trump has issued an Executive Order, “Restoring America’s Maritime Dominance,” directing that an action plan be developed to address the issue. Given the high capital requirement of any meaningful shipbuilding effort, any Federal commitment would need to be substantial, unwavering, and long-term. It remains to be seen if anything will come to fruition to support domestic shipbuilding anywhere in the U.S., much less in Solano County. The outcome may not be known till 2026 or even later.

Collinsville is a tiny community with just a handful of residents located about 20 miles southeast of Suisun City on the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. About 2 miles east of Collinsville is a vacant, 1,210 acre, waterfront property that has been zoned for “Water Dependent Industrial” (WDI) since at least 1989, when it was owned by Dow Chemical. For decades, there has been talks of development in this sleepy town, but ultimately, nothing has ever come to fruition.The nearby ecological assets, remote location, predominance of swamp lands, and lack of existing infrastructure are some of the biggest barriers.There is just one two-lane road serving the area and no nearby services or amenities to support development (SF Chronicle). However, in recent months this remote Solano County enclave has become the center of attention as conversations have swirled about the potential for Collinsville to be the new home for America’s shipbuilding revival. Much of this buzz has been generated by the property owners of the lands in question—California Forever—who bought up this land, along with over 60,000 acres of Solano County unincorporated lands. With the heightened attention being given to shipbuilding, California Forever’s sales pitch has now shifted to promoting their Collinsville property as the site for a new shipyard. The property is indicated by purple-shading in this County zoning map.

The scale of investment needed and the timeline required to develop the vacant Collinsville property into a shipyard makes any significant development at this remote site highly unlikely. The following key points refer specifically to the challenges that Collinsville faces, although, the lack of commitment at the federal level and the highly competitive process that would commence if funding was available pose even greater challenges. Lack of Infrastructure: A feasibility study commissioned by Solano County in 1989 found that the property is “almost entirely unserved by major infrastructure.” The remote location and lack of industrial-scale road, rail, water, and sewage service remains a significant barrier to development. Inadequate Site Conditions: Any dredging of the Sacramento River would pose major challenges to drinking water quality, farming (salt water intrusion) and the environment, plus incur substantial initial and ongoing maintenance costs. The 1989 study found that “unless the [Sacramento River] channel serving Collinsville is also deepened, it will suffer a competitive disadvantage.…”, indicating that significant dredging activities would be required to allow for any industrial activity. Approval Hurdles: Multiple state agencies have regulatory authority to maintain the Delta as a reliable water supply and resilient ecosystem through land use and resources management plans, restoration, and preservation activities. Agency approval for dredging and other environmentally-harmful activities associated with shipyard construction and ongoing activities would face significant hurdles and legal challenges. Cost: Paying for the necessary industrial infrastructure would be just the beginning. Developing the site would mean building an entire shipyard–drydocks, cranes, etc.–from scratch, in addition to development infrastructure to connect this remote site to the rest of the county and provide vital services. Lack of Market: There is no indication that any reputable, financially-viable shipbuilder is interested or in any way committed to the Collinsville site. Rather than starting new yards, major shipbuilding players have been focused on buying existing U.S. commercial shipyards (at a fraction of the cost) for revitalization – e.g., the December 2024 purchase of America’s most productive Philly Shipyard by the South Korean shipbuilder Hanwha for $100 million.

There is no guarantee or earmark in the proposed legislation or the Executive Order for Solano County, let alone Collinsville. As exciting as shipbuilding sounds, Solano County will be competing with other maritime communities nationwide for any federal incentives and private investment that may someday materialize. Given the likely advantage of sites with pre existing infrastructure and maritime access, the County’s best chances may be for Mare Island, scaled to the realities the site allows.

Speculative “shipyards” should have no influence in any of Solano’s annexation or land use discussions. Shipbuilding might happen, but if so, it won’t happen anytime soon. And if it ever does, the likelihood of it being in Collinsville is remote. In short, the concerns around California Forever’s East Solano Plan persist: developing a new city in a remote area of Solano County unconnected by infrastructure or services is a costly and destructive proposal that threatens the County’s water resources and agricultural industry and could result in significant cost to taxpayers, as was shown in the County’s 2024 impact report.