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Us Maritime Transportation System News

02 May 2022

Suggestions for Making America’s Marine Highway Program More Effective

© Ed Metz / Adobe Stock

The America’s Marine Highways Program is one of several grant programs administered by the U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) to promote more effective use of the nation’s navigable waterways. This particular program was established by Congress in 2007 to provide grants for projects that would promote water-borne alternatives to available landside transportation services, especially for freight carried by trucks.Consistent with this specific goal, the program’s statutory authority…

09 Nov 2020

Working Out the Election’s Impact on the US Workboat Industry

© Matthew / Adobe Stock

By the time this article is published, voting will have concluded in the 2020 United States presidential election. Based on the possibility of legal challenges to the election, however, it may be some time before we know who will be occupying 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue on January 20, 2021. Additional uncertainty may linger with regard to control of the Senate. However, beyond the general spectacle of American politics, an important question remains: What does this election mean for the U.S.

08 Sep 2020

Congress Eyes Maritime Economic Relief

© Ruslan / Adobe Stock

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act enacted in March 2020, provided relief to numerous industries impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Air carriers, for example, benefitted from the creation of a $25 billion Treasury direct loan program, in addition to a $25 billion worker support program that provides a mix of grants and loans to cover employee wages, salaries and benefits. In addition, Congress waived the small business affiliation rules for businesses…

30 Jul 2020

Congress Responds to COVID19 and Other Challenges for the Maritime Industry

© Sono Creative/AdobeStock

In response to the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, the Congressional Research Service released a report that stated global economic growth has declined by 3% to 6% in 2020 with a partial recovery predicted for 2021. Also, the GDP of the U.S. has fallen by 5% in the first quarter 2020. According to the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the maritime industry, and seafarers themselves, have not been able to escape the significant effects of this crisis.All sectors of the maritime industry have been adversely affected by the global pandemic.

22 Jul 2020

Congress Lines Up COVID-19 Relief for the Maritime Industry

© Christopher Boswell / Adobe Stock

New legislation passed through Congress aims to provide relief to the U.S. maritime industry during national emergencies such as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic or natural disasters.Introduced July 9 by the Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) and Chair of the House Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Sean Patrick Maloney (D-N.Y.), The Maritime Transportation System Emergency Relief Act (MTSERA) would establish…

01 May 2014

US Discussions Target Navigation Tech

The U.S. Coast Guard, along with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, will hold nationwide public discussions on navigational aid technology and how it will affect the future of America's waterways. The Future of Navigation-21st Century Waterways public listening sessions will be held in several locations across the country and will provide venues for open communications between various federal agencies and U.S. Maritime Transportation System stakeholders to discuss the joint federal agency initiative to use modern technology to support a safer, more efficient, more secure and environmentally-sound Marine Transportation System.

05 Apr 2004

U.S. International Port Security Service Fee Proposed

Senator Hollings (D-SC) introduced a bill (S. 2279) to amend title 46, United States Code, with respect to maritime transportation security, and for other purposes. The measure, if enacted, would, among other things, impose an international port security service fee on commercial maritime transportation entities that utilize the U.S. maritime transportation system and benefit from the security of the system. While the official text of the bill has not been released, it is clear that Senator Hollings is attempting to craft a user fee proposal that will survive a challenge that it is actually a tax. Only time will tell if this effort succeeds. One should not be surprised if the Senate Commerce Committee fast-tracks this bill. (HK Law).

08 Jun 2004

Balancing Security, Safety and Commerce

By Thomas H. Collins, Admiral, U.S. By any measure, 2003 was a turning point in the 213-year history of the U.S. Coast Guard. Beginning with the introduction of a new Maritime Strategy for Homeland Security early in the new year and continuing with its realignment under the Department of Homeland Security in March as part of the largest reorganization of the federal government since the post-World War II era, the scope and scale of the Coast Guard's maritime, multi-mission, and military operations during the past year were nothing short of extraordinary. Coast Guard men and women rose to the challenge, bolstered by the largest mobilization of reservists in our history. Collectively, they fought the Global War on Terrorism at home as well as overseas.

05 Aug 2004

65th Anniversary: A U.S. Coast Guard Mission Since 1917

The horrific attacks on 9-11, and the subsequent increase in maritime security required to protect against asymmetric maritime attacks, has dramatically changed the U. S. Coast Guard. They have changed the service's emphasis on port security as well as its ethos in the eyes of the nation it serves. Previously, the Coast Guard received national media attention mostly when it was involved in a dramatic at-sea rescue leaving a public perception of the service as lifesavers. Since 9-11, because of its port security efforts and its overall role in Homeland Security, the Coast Guard has received more national level public, political and media attention than at any other time in its long history and its public image is rapidly shifting from lifesaver to protector. Consider the following examples.

10 Jun 2005

America's Western River: A Unique Security Challenge

Since 9-11 all facets of the media have combined to focus national policy makers, in and out of government, along with the general public on the asymmetric terrorist threat facing the United States and its global trading partners. Lengthy newspaper articles or Op-ed pieces, documentaries on television such as The Learning Channel and the Discovery Channel, along with talk radio banter have spotlighted multiple areas of concern. These have included airplanes, tanker trucks, critical infrastructure and the country's bustling seaports such as New York and Los Angles. The maritime nexus in particular has received a lot of attention as over 90 percent of the nation's commerce travels by water.