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Maritime Cabotage Task Force News

28 Feb 2014

Heilmann Takes Over for Retiring Matson Senior VP

Peter Heilmann

Matson, Inc., a U.S. carrier in the Pacific, announced today that Kevin O'Rourke, senior vice president and chief legal officer, is retiring after 21 years with Matson. O'Rourke will be succeeded by Peter Heilmann, who has been promoted to senior vice president and chief legal officer. O'Rourke joined Matson in 1992 as vice president and general counsel. He was promoted to senior vice president in 1995. His career has included over 30 years of experience in domestic and international maritime law. He has a thorough knowledge of the industry's federal regulatory bodies and government agencies.

24 Feb 2011

Maritime Cabotage Task Force is now American Maritime Partnership

American Maritime Partnership (AMP) is the new name for the Maritime Cabotage Task Force, the largest coalition of maritime interests in the United States, which has been in operation since 1995. The new moniker better reflects the coalition’s focus on the domestic maritime industry’s role in promoting national, homeland, and economic security. To increase awareness of itself in the social media world, AMP has launched a new website (www.americanmaritimepartnership.com), and has new social media applications on Facebook and Twitter. “A strong domestic maritime industry is critical to our national security, makes our homeland more secure, and fosters nearly 500,000 American jobs,” said James Henry, President of the Transportation Institute and Chairman of the Board of Directors of AMP.

14 Jan 2011

Nat’l Commission Says: Jones Act No Hinderance to Spill Clean Up

The January 11, 2011 report from the non-partisan National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling confirmed the Jones Act did not prevent foreign vessels from assisting with the clean-up effort during the Deep Water Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico last year. “Deep Water: The Gulf Oil Disaster and the Future of Offshore Drilling” was prepared by the independent entity at the request of President Barack Obama. “While decision makers did decline to purchase some foreign equipment for operational reasons ‒ for example, Dutch vessels that would have taken weeks to outfit and sail to the region, and a Taiwanese super-skimmer that was expensive and highly inefficient in the Gulf ‒ they did not reject foreign ships because of Jones Act restrictions…

23 Nov 2010

Employment Peaking at Great Lakes Shipyards

When the 1,000-ft-long Great Lakes freighter Edwin H. Gott arrived at Bay Shipbuilding Company in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, it marked the beginning of the busiest time of year for Great Lakes shipyards. This project and other annual winter maintenance work on U.S.-flag Great Lakes ships will provide jobs for more than 1,200 men and women at U.S. shipyards around the Great Lakes. The Gott, one of the largest U.S.-flag vessels working the Great Lakes, is having new engines installed this winter that will increase its fuel efficiency and significantly reduce its air emissions. The vessel, built in Sturgeon Bay in 1978, carries iron ore from the Twin Ports of Duluth…

14 Oct 2010

Henry Named Propeller Club Maritime Person of the Year

Henry Named Propeller Club Maritime Person of the Year

The International Propeller Club of the United States named James L. Henry the Maritime Person of the Year at its international convention last week in Tampa, Fla. Henry is Chairman and President of the Transportation Institute, a leading maritime industry association. Henry is also a founding Board Member of the Maritime Cabotage Task Force, the largest coalition ever to promote America’s Jones Act fleet. The award, which the Club awards annually, recognizes the awardee’s contributions to the commercial maritime industry in the United States and internationally.

09 Sep 2010

U.S. Navy Opposes Repeal of Jones Act

The news that the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Navy League support the Jones Act and oppose its repeal was applauded by Maritime Cabotage Task Force (MCTF), the national coalition representing the U.S.-flag fleet engaged in domestic waterborne commerce. Both organizations dedicated to the defense of the United States have reaffirmed their support for the law, which is directly responsible for half a million U.S. jobs and vital to national security. In response to anti-Jones Act legislation introduced earlier this year, the U.S. Navy said, “For decades, U.S. merchant mariners have provided essential support for the U.S. Navy during times of war and national crisis. The statement comes within days of comments from Daniel B. The Jones Act establishes a U.S.

14 Jul 2010

MCTF: False Jones Act Criticism Distracts from Clean-up

The Maritime Cabotage Task Force (MCTF) said that recent Jones Act criticism is false and is only distracting from the job of cleaning up the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Responding to these misleading and inaccurate claims, those leading and coordinating the response as well as independent news organizations have said that the Jones Act is not preventing or delaying foreign vessels’ ability to assist with cleaning the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The Jones Act mandates the use of American vessels and American workers in U.S. domestic maritime trade. However, it does not impede foreign oil skimmers, which are already being used in the clean-up effort. Retired U.S.

28 Jun 2010

Task Force Opposes Repeal of Jones Act

The Maritime Cabotage Task Force stated that it opposes legislation to repeal the Jones Act, saying that all the McCain bill would do is put more Americans out of work. “The McCain bill proposes to eliminate the very American industry that is helping to clean up the spill - an industry that supports 500,000 U.S. jobs - and outsource that work to foreign workers and foreign companies registered in nations like Liberia and the Marshall Islands that operate outside of American law. Using a spill caused by foreign companies as a pretext to bring in more foreign companies is a backward approach. It makes as much sense as replacing the American workers currently cleaning up the Gulf beaches with foreign companies and foreign workers.

14 Jun 2010

Maritime Cabotage Task Force Statement, Oil Spill

The American maritime industry supports immediate action to address the unfolding environmental disaster in the Gulf. Federal law called the Jones Act requires that American vessels be used for domestic transportation activities in the U.S., and countless American vessels are already responding in the Gulf. In addition, we know that many other American vessels are standing by ready to help. There are well-established federal procedures for waiving the Jones Act to bring in foreign vessels in those situations were American vessels are not available. The American maritime industry has not and will not stand in the way of the use of these well-established waiver procedures to address this crisis.

31 Jul 2009

Grill Retires, Maritime Cabotage Task Force

The Maritime Cabotage Task Force (MCTF) is thanking its retiring Chairman, Philip M. Grill, for his 14 years of leadership of the labor/management coalition that promotes the Jones Act and other U.S. maritime cabotage laws in Washington. Grill, who is retiring as Vice President – Government Relations for Matson Navigation Company, Inc., on July 31, has chaired MCTF since its founding in September 1995. Under his leadership, three Administrations and eight Congresses have consistently supported the Jones Act and a strong U.S.-flag merchant marine. “The Jones Act and other U.S.

20 Apr 2009

Obama Supports the Jones Act

A campaign pledge of support for the Jones Act has earned President Barack Obama the cover spot on the 2008 Annual Report of the Maritime Cabotage Task Force, a Washington, D.C.-based coalition promoting the domestic U.S.- Flag fleet. Maritime Cabotage Task Force (MCTF) also drove the development and passage of a new statutory requirement that the Maritime Administration (MarAd) be consulted before any decision to waive the Jones Act. MarAd now must make an affirmative determination that U.S.-flag vessels are not available to address the situation prior to the issuance of a waiver. No Jones Act waivers were issued after Hurricanes Gustav or Ike. During 2008, MCTF was also active in addressing a U.S.

13 Feb 2008

Maritime Cabotage Task Force Responds to Withdrawn U.S. Flag Cruise Ship

The Passenger Vessel Services Act has been eviscerated by foreign cruise lines who have been evading the law on Hawaii cruises with sham foreign port calls in Mexico, sometimes for as little as one-hour, in the middle of the night, and with no passengers going ashore. These sham port calls allow these foreign cruise lines to avoid being subjected to U.S. laws and regulations, including Federal tax, labor, and employment laws, thereby enabling them to operate at a fraction of the cost of American-flagged ships. The maritime cabotage laws were enacted to create a level competitive playing field in U.S. domestic trades by ensuring that everyone operating in those trades was subject to the same U.S. laws and regulations as their competition.

23 Apr 2001

Bush Administration Deems Jones Act ‘Essential’

In its first public statement on the Jones Act, the Bush Administration has declared the law must be maintained as “an essential element of U.S. maritime policy that provides important economic and national security benefits to the nation, such as support of the U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta made the statement in response to a written question following his confirmation hearing before the Senate Commerce Committee. The Jones Act requires that cargo moving between U.S. ports be carried in vessels that are U.S.-owned, -built and -crewed. Similar U.S. cabotage laws reserve the movement of passengers and the performance of marine services such as dredging, towing and salvage to U.S.-owned, -built and -crewed vessels.

10 Oct 2001

FGH Announces Two New Contracts

Halter Marine, Inc. the vessel segment of Friede Goldman Halter, Inc. announced that it has signed a contract with an undisclosed customer to build a 332' x 74' x 25', double-skin, clean oil tank barge with an estimated 80,000 BBL capacity. This vessel meets the requirements of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA 90). This barge is similar in design to one currently under construction at the Halter Gulfport, Miss. facility. Construction will begin at Halter's Gulfport, Miss. facility and take approximately 12 months. Although no new jobs will be created, the project is expected to sustain the facility's current workforce. In recent years, Halter has built 88 similar barges, and currently holds contracts and options for an additional 8 vessels.

13 Nov 2001

U.S. Facing Tank Vessel Shortage

The U.S could face a severe U.S.-flag tank vessel shortage unless the pace of double-hulled vessel construction increases drastically, according to an analysis released recently by the Shipbuilders Council of America. At issue is the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA 90), which requires single-hulled tank vessels to be phased out of service or converted to double-hulled vessels to reduce the risk of oil spills. Under OPA 90, the U.S. will lose as much as 28 percent of its total existing tank vessel capacity, including 45 percent of all large, ocean-going tank barges, by the end of 2004. The analysis, which takes into account existing construction and orders…

05 Aug 2004

65th Anniversary: The Tugboat, Towboat and Barge Industry

This year, The American Waterways Operators (AWO), the national trade association for the tugboat, towboat and barge industry, celebrates its 60th anniversary. AWO members, representing the inland, coastal and harbor sectors of the industry, recently marked this milestone at its Spring Convention, recalling the reasons for the association's founding and recognizing the remarkable evolution of the industry over the past six decades. AWO was formed in 1944 in the midst of emerging regulations, priorities and demands for transportation during World War II. Today, AWO members account for 80 percent of the towing industry's active fleet.

08 Jun 2000

Congressional Maritime Legislative Initiatives In 2000

The year 2000 has enjoyed special significance as a transition year bridging two centuries. Similarly it has significance with U.S. lawmakers for the Second Session of the 106th Congress. As the last year of the currently elected Congress, this year anticipates action on a series of pending legislative measures and yet to be introduced proposals affecting the maritime industry. Specifically tax-related legislation and maritime policy-related legislation could be addressed. There are several tax-related provisions that could be considered. One of the main bills emphasizing maritime tax issues has been introduced in the House by Rep. Jim McCrery (R-LA) as H.R. 3225 and in the Senate by Sen. John Breaux (D-La.) as S. 1858. These bills include such measures as:A.

26 Aug 2002

Coast Guard Issues Revised Lease Financing Proposal

The Coast Guard has issued a supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking (SNPRM) that makes technical changes to its proposed requirements for lease financing of vessels in the domestic coastwise trade. While the proposal makes clear that the Coast Guard recognizes its obligation to implement the 1996 statute that eased lease financing requirements for Jones Act vessels in a way consistent with congressional intent, the SNPRM does not appear to completely close loopholes that have become apparent since the statute was first enacted. In enacting the lease financing requirements, Congress made clear that its objective was to broaden the sources of investment capital available to domestic vessel operators, and not to undermine the basic principle of U.S.

29 Jul 2003

MCTF Opposed to Jones Act Repeal Efforts

the Jones Act. According to MCTF, bills introduced by Rep. for (1) all non-contiguous U.S. alone; and (3) Hawaii agriculture and livestock. addition of new, state-of-the-art containerships and auto carriers. The Jones Act and related cabotage laws form the cornerstone of U.S. maritime policy. military and economic soundness. percent of the nation's freight bill. provided support for U.S. troops engaged in the conflict. companies in other modes of domestic transportation.

07 Jan 2003

LCA's Ryan Retires

George J. Ryan will end his 20-plus year career as President of Lake Carriers' Association on January 15. Ryan will retire as one of the longest serving President's in the Association's 123-year history. James H. I. Weakley will succeed him. "George's contributions to the U.S.-Flag Great Lakes fleet are immeasurable," said James R. Barker, Chairman of The Interlake Steamship Company, one of the largest U.S.-Flag operators on the Lakes. "He safely navigated the industry through the economic tribulations of the mid-1980s when America's steel industry, Great Lakes shipping's largest customer, teetered on the brink of extinction. When it appeared the Jones Act would be sacrificed in a U.S./Canada trade agreement, it was George who awakened a slumbering U.S.

28 Feb 2003

Vessel’s Support Illustrates Importance

The military value of a strong and diverse fleet of U.S.-flag commercial vessels was dramatically illustrated this month when the Military Sealift Command requested that the Jones Act trailership S.S. NORTHERN LIGHTS load military hardware in San Diego for delivery to Southwest Asia in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. The vessel’s owner, Totem Ocean Trailer Express, Inc., immediately made the NORTHERN LIGHTS available to the military and within days, the ship was being loaded with cargo needed by troops stationed overseas. The vessel is expected to remain in the service of Military Sealift Command for approximately 90 days. “The willingness of American vessel operators and their dedicated crews to sail into harm’s way is one of many benefits of the Jones Act and other U.S.

23 Aug 1999

Jones Act Amendment Headed Off

Earlier this year, Senator Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) reintroduced a Jones Act reform bill. The legislation was essentially the same as the bill Sen. Brownback introduced in the last Congress. Billed as a change only in the U.S.-build requirement of the Jones Act, an analysis by the Maritime Cabotage Task Force showed the legislation would also alter the U.S. ownership requirements of the Jones Act. Prior to a Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee markup of authorization legislation for the Maritime Administration, Sen. Brownback signaled his intention to offer a Jones Act amendment. Opposition to the amendment among members of the committee became apparent.

01 Sep 1999

Consolidated Grain and Barge Under Investigation

At least 15 vessels that are "impermissibly controlled" by Consolidated Grain and Barge Co. (CGB) could lose their right to trade in U.S. waters within a month, said the USCG. After an "exhaustive investigation," the USCG has concluded Japanese-owned CGB illegally maintains control over 15 towboats and workboats through two companies: Paragon Marine Services, Inc., of St. Louis, and M/V One, L.L.C., of Covington, La. Under the federal Jones Act, vessels operating in U.S. domestic commerce must be controlled by Americans. Control by the CGB, then, is a violation of the Jones Act, said the USCG. Such USCG enforcement actions are highly unusual. An action involving 15 vessels is believed to be one of the largest of its kind, according to the Maritime Cabotage Task Force.