Marine Link
Friday, March 29, 2024
SUBSCRIBE

Passenger Vessel Services News

12 Mar 2020

NOAA-Viking Public Private Partnership, a Win-win for Research

RENDERING OF NEW VIKING SHIP: This rendering shows what the new Viking expedition ships will look like, including the hangar for launching small vessels. Credit: Viking

There was important cruise news in January: Viking – a premier European ocean and river cruise company - will offer two new “destination-focused travel experiences,” starting in 2022. One set of cruises becomes Viking’s first foray in the inland North American market, in this case the Great Lakes. Another set of cruises will head to the Arctic and Antarctica. Viking is building two new vessels: the Viking Octantis and the Viking Polaris, under construction now in Norway, by Fincantieri’s VARD.In a press release Viking writes that it has created “the thinking person’s expedition.”  Indeed…

21 Feb 2018

What Does the Jones Act Mean for Offshore Wind?

For the lifetime of the Block Island project, Atlantic Wind Transfers, using the Jones Act compliant and Blount-built Atlantic Pioneer, will provide crew and equipment transfer services to meet these key logistical requirements. (Photo: Blount Boats)

Offshore wind power continues to gain momentum in the United States. How will the Jones Act affect the development, operation and maintenance of offshore wind farms? After years of planning and some unsuccessful attempts, offshore wind power developers finally have their first success in the United States. The Block Island Wind Farm, a 30-megawatt wind farm located just off the coast of Rhode Island, began operations in December 2016, fulfilling the goal of the project’s developer, Deepwater Wind LLC, to build America’s first offshore wind farm.

23 Jul 2011

Passenger Vessel Association Opposes Bill Allowing Foreign-Flagged Ships to Compete with U.S. Passenger Vessels

Alexandria, VA:The Board of Directors of the Passenger Vessel Association (PVA) yesterday unanimously voted to oppose enactment of a bill in the U.S. House of Representatives that would allow foreign-flagged passenger vessels to directly compete with their American-flagged counterparts. The PVA Board action reaffirmed support of the Passenger Vessel Services Act (PVSA) which reserves the commercial carriage of passengers between U.S. ports for vessels that are U.S.-flagged, U.S.-owned, U.S.-built, and U.S.-crewed. The legislation (H.R. 2460) was introduced by Congressman Blake Farenthold of Texas on July 7, 2011. The proposed Farenthold…

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.

11 Jun 2008

Pugh Named Director Marine Highways

MarAd has named James D. Pugh to head its Office of Marine Highways and Passenger Services in   Jim will focus on expanding the use of ’s coastal, intracoastal and inland waterways to reduce landside congestion, reduce energy consumption and increase opportunities for American mariners, shipbuilding and the overall economy. He will also oversee the office of Passenger Vessel Services, which was established to support the passenger and cruise industry and its multi-billion dollar contribution to the economy as well as the congestion relief that passenger ferries offer nationwide. Prior to this assignment, Jim was the Deputy Division Chief in the U.S. Coast Guard’s Domestic Ports Division.

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.

22 Mar 2002

American Shipbuilding Association Unveils 2002 Legislative Priorities

Increase the Naval Shipbuilding Rate to Maintain a Navy: The Bush Administration’s 5-year shipbuilding plan will drop the force to 244 ships. The first installment in the process of restoring the Navy’s fleet to the bare bones minimum, defined in the 2001 QDR, is to add one DDG-51 destroyer, one LPD-17 amphibious transport dock ship, complete the purchase of the LHD-8 amphibious assault ship, and add advanced procurement dollars for an economic order quantity production of the Virginia Class Submarine in FY 2003. “Tax on Delivery” of Naval Ships: H.R. 2189/S.666 will correct an inequity in the Tax code that severely penalizes naval shipbuilders by strengthening the shipbuilding industry’s cash flow to allow for greater investment in facilities…

07 Jun 2002

U.S. Shipbuilding: Prospects Abound, but Where’s the Money?

While the U.S. commercial shipbuilding industry outperformed the U.S. economy between 1992 and 2001, this period witnessed the construction of barely a dozen large ocean going vessels for our U.S. domestic trades with an aggregate cost of not much more than $500 million. In contrast, U. S. national transportation needs for the current decade will require the construction of four to five dozen such commercial vessels which, taken together with the building of smaller vessels to meet our other domestic needs, will involve shipbuilding contracts in excess of $6 to $7 billion. The majority of this work is federally mandated by the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, or involves the replacement of vessels in our U.S. non-contiguous trades that have reached the end of their useful lives.

07 Apr 2000

Shipbuilders Discuss Gameplan

Shipbuilding leaders convened in Washington D.C. last week to discuss the means and methods to propel the U.S. Shipbuilding market at the dawn of the new millennium. By Regina P. Under the auspices of the seeking a candid and creative discussion regarding the country's shipbuilding future, the U.S. Maritime Administration sponsored a seminar dubbed Marketing Issues and Challenges Facing the U.S. Shipbuilding Industry last week. Attended by industry executives from most of the country's premiere facilities, the conference was held on Wednesday, April 5, at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Pentagon City, Va. Stressing the pressures of competition form the lucrative Asian shipbuilding powerhouses of Japan, China and Korea, many conference speakers mulled and brainstormed ways that the U.S.

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.

15 Jun 2000

Shipbuilders Discuss Gameplan

Shipbuilding leaders convened in Washington, D.C. recently to discuss the means and methods to propel the U.S. shipbuilding market at the dawn of the new millennium. Under the auspices of seeking a candid and creative discussion regarding the country's shipbuilding future, the U.S. Maritime Administration sponsored a seminar on April 5, dubbed, "Marketing Issues and Challenges Facing the U.S. Attended by industry executives from most of the country's premier facilities, the conference was held on Wednesday, April 5, at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Pentagon City, Va. Stressing the pressures of competition form the lucrative Asian shipbuilding powerhouses of Japan, China and Korea, many conference speakers mulled and brainstormed ways that the U.S. shipbuilders could recapture market share.

07 Aug 2002

MarAd’s Schubert: Building a Better U.S. Business

In part one of a two-part series, William G. Schubert, the new U.S. Maritime Administrator (MarAd) speaks with H. Clayton Cook, Jr. about the current standing and future direction of maritime activities in the United States. Mr. Administrator, this interview is being conducted for a piece that will be published in the August 2002 issue of Maritime Reporter and Engineering News, the largest magazine of general circulation in the maritime community. So, we have a good many readers who are interested in what you are doing. Your interview will be headlined on the magazine cover. And, we are very pleased that you have agreed to speak with us today. Cook: Would you tell our readers about yourself and life in Washington as the Maritime Administrator?

04 Jun 2003

U.S. Shipbuilding 2003: A Congested Attempt to Fund

Meeting national transportation needs during the current decade should involve a surfeit of new contracts for our domestic shipbuilders. The Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA 90) mandates double hulls for all vessels engaged in U.S. petroleum carriage. In our non-contiguous trades, renewal programs are needed for the replacement aging container and RoRo fleets. Moving freight containers and trailers on RoRo barges and vessels, and moving people on passenger and passenger-vehicle high speed ferries, provide the obvious solutions to traffic congestion in the population corridors served by at least two of our Interstate highways. Some of these vessel needs are now immediate because of private sector decisions to postpone projects.

07 Sep 1999

Administrative Process For Jones Act Waivers

The U.S. coastwise laws (primarily the Jones Act and the Passenger Vessel Services Act) require to carry cargo or passengers between U.S. ports, a vessel must be U.S.-flagged, U.S.-crewed, U.S.-built, and U.S.-owned. Traditionally, the only way for a non-qualified vessel to obtain the right to engage in domestic service has been for Congress to enact special legislation granting the privilege to the vessel by name. Public Law 105-383, enacted in November 1998, establishes a new option for obtaining a waiver of the coastwise laws for certain small passenger vessels. Title V of P.L. 105-383 (the USCG Authorization Act of 1998) creates an administrative process through the Secretary of Transportation for a limited class of passenger vessels. This process will be subject to a four-year trial.

06 Aug 1999

McCain Bill Promotes Cruise Ship Tourism Between U.S. Ports

Senator John McCain (R-AZ), Chairman of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, introduced the U.S. Cruise Ship Tourism Development Act of 1999. Senators Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Frank Murkowski (R-AK) are original co-sponsors. "Allowing cruise ships to travel between U.S. ports will be a huge victory for port cities, the cruise ship industry, and create great traveling options for the public," McCain said. "The status quo is not serving anyone's interest. The bill, which also permits, under specific and limited circumstances, non-U.S. flag cruise vessels to temporarily operate in the U.S., would allow the Secretary of Transportation to issue permits to cruise ships already operating in other markets, to operate in the U.

27 Aug 1999

Donald Bollinger, chairman and CEO, Bollinger Shipyards

Earlier this year, two major shipbuilding associations merged, the National Shipyard Association (NSA), of which Donald "Boysie" Bollinger was chairman; and the Shipbuilders Council of America (SCA), chaired by Daniel L. Gulling, president of Marinette Marine Corp. NSA had 42 shipyard members and 20 allied/affiliate members before the merger. SCA had nine shipyard and eight allied/affiliate members before the merger. One shipyard held a dual membership. The new association, which retains the name of Shipbuilders Council of America, now 49 shipyard companies and 30 allied/affiliate members, which own and operate more than 100 shipyards in 20 states. The shipyard members employ approximately 35,000 shipyard workers. Marine News: What was the impetus for the merger?

14 Jan 2000

Austal to Establish U.S. Presence

Australian shipbuilder Austal, the world's largest builder of high-speed ferries, has signed a joint venture agreement with Bender Shipbuilding & Repair Co., Inc. (Bender) to establish a U.S. shipbuilding operation: Austal USA. Austal's Chairman, John Rothwell made the announcement that Bender, located in Alabama, would partner Austal in the U.S. The majority equity will be held by Austal. Currently the coastwise trade laws in the U.S. (primarily the Jones Act and the Passenger Vessel Services Act) generally prohibit foreign-built vessels from operating on domestic routes. More than 3,600 vessels are active in the U.S. passenger vessel industry and they carry nearly 200 million passengers each year.