The Maritime Administration (MarAd,) with the Export-Import Bank, has developed a program to provide added incentives for the commercial public to ship their United States export cargo on U.S.-flag vessels.
Under this program, the Ex-Im Bank provides guaranteed working capital loans for transportation-related cost associated with the export move that is carried on a U.S.-flag vessel. Such transportation costs could include ocean freight, marine insurance, export packing, trucking, railroad or other costs related to the logistics involved in the export of commercial cargo. These loans offer an incentive to use U.S.-flag vessels while concurrently improving cash flow for exporters, the freight forwarding industry and U.S.-flag carriers.