|
|
|
The Cruising America Coalition, the lobbying group behind the most recent efforts to repeal the Passenger Vessel Services Act, in December announced that it will launch another campaign in the next session of Congress to open U.S. domestic passenger shipping markets to foreign interests and foreign vessels. An ambitious American-flag ocean-going cruise fleet expansion plan reached a significant milestone recently when United States Lines began accepting reservations for Hawaiian Islands cruises aboard the 'M/S Patriot'. A U.S. shipbuilding contract announced in December has been praised by Maritime Administrator Clyde Hart and others. The National Industrial Transportation League is expected to enter the Jones Act political fray this year. The NitLeague--the nation's largest trade association of foreign and domestic shippers--has not adopted a formal position in the debate that has focused on the 1920 cabotage law since April 1995, when the Jones Act Reform Coalition surfaced in Washington, DC. U.S. and multinational grain, oil, chemical and mining interests in the JARC want to force roll-back or repeal of the statute, which holds domestic waterborne commerce for vessels owned, built, documented and crewed in the U.S. FastShip Inc., the company planning to build four high-speed cargo ships for trans-Atlantic service, recently solidified a preliminary agreement with French authorities to make the Port of Cherbourg the European port of call for the FastShip vessels. National Steel and Shipbuilding Company Dec. 11 launched the 'USNS Charlton', one of eight new LMSRs to be built for Military Sealift Command and manned by American Maritime Officers in all licensed positions. |
| Front Page |  |
Return To Top |