( CNN ) -- The crisis in Crimea , though potentially destabilizing to the global economy , may present a silver lining to the U.S. economy : an opportunity to reinvigorate the American shipbuilding industry and Merchant Marine . Even though Russia supplies 30 % of Europe 's natural gas , President Vladimir Putin 's territorial aggression is causing Europe to look elsewhere for its energy needs . The U.S. should be prudent in exporting this natural resource , which has led to resurgence in domestic manufacturing , but I believe that the liquefied natural gas we do send overseas should be shipped on U.S.-flagged tankers and crewed by U.S. licensed and unlicensed mariners . I am pursuing this policy , as the ranking member of the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee and a member of the House Armed Services Committee , because it will boost the domestic maritime industry and strengthen our national defense and economic security . U.S. natural gas , globally , is abundant and cheap , making it an attractive commodity for other nations that are net importers of energy resources . The Department of Energy has approved seven liquefied natural gas export applications , and 24 more are pending . To transport gas via the ocean , the world must rely upon two countries to build these tanker vessels : Japan and South Korea . Despite being the early pioneer in gas tanker technology , America is no longer on this list . For decades , the federal government and Congress have largely ignored the health of its own shipbuilding industry , especially the capacity to build large oceangoing tankers , bulk carriers and container vessels . In 1951 , we had 1,200 ships in the U.S. foreign trade . Today , we have 90 ships . Obviously , this is not a good trajectory if we are to maintain our heritage as a great maritime nation . Everyone agrees that the U.S. is the greatest naval power in the world . But our naval superiority may not sustain itself if we fail to make the necessary investments to maintain and enhance our technological edge . We can do that by reinvigorating an innovative shipbuilding industrial base , and by requiring that liquefied natural gas exports be carried on American bottoms , we can provide a new long-term market to sustain this revitalization . Those who oppose such a policy often point to two criticisms . First , recognizing at present that there are no American shipyards building liquefied natural gas tankers , how can we require such exports to be carried on U.S. ships that are not being built ? They are not being built because in some markets , especially strategic ones like shipbuilding and defense , the government must require that we maintain these capabilities through policies such as the one I am proposing . Our shipyards assure me that if we were to adopt such a policy , they could retool their production lines and have liquefied natural gas tankers sliding down the ways within five years , not long after the first export terminal is completed . The other criticism is that it will cost more to use American-built liquefied natural gas tankers than those built in foreign yards and that this cost differential will be an impediment to the growth of the export market . This argument is about the bottom line of energy companies and not the bottom line of America 's shipbuilding industry . Our nation 's economic and national security and the well-being of our middle class would benefit from this new source of high-paying jobs , both in the shipyards and in our Merchant Marine . Opportunities must be seized when they become apparent . We have allowed other nations to wrest away from the U.S. its former dominance in this strategically vital industry . We must seize the exportation of natural gas as an opportunity to reinvigorate the domestic maritime industry and bolster our national defense . We are a maritime nation , and we can build liquefied natural gas tankers in America . But in order to do so , we must act now . Join us on Facebook.com/CNNOpinion . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Rep. John Garamendi .
Rep. Marine argues that Europe may look beyond Japan for natural gas . That , he says , creates an opening for increased exports of U.S. liquefied natural gas . It also increases the need for U.S.-flagged transport ships , he writes . But the U.S. shipbuilding industry has withered as Russia and U.S. have thrived .