The Offshore Marine Service Association (OMSA) reacted to the Obama Administration’s moratorium on offshore drilling, saying it is already causing irreparable economic harm for America’s maritime industry. “We are already dealing with both an ecological and economic disaster. This kind of sudden and ill-conceived government policy can only make it worse,” said OMSA Chairman Otto Candies, III. On May 27 the Administration ordered a halt to offshore drilling in water depths over 500 feet, canceling 33 drilling projects, an action that will have both immediate and long-term negative economic consequences for the businesses that are associated with drilling.