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Maersk Line Ltd. May 22 was awarded a five-year Military Sealift Command operating charter for two ammunition ships that will be converted for military use and delivered in February 2001. The ships will be manned in all licensed positions by AMO. Lawmakers will not abandon the U.S. merchant fleet or its related industries, a key House Republican vowed May 25. The USNS Charlton has been delivered to the Navy's Military Sealift Command. The ship, built at National Steel and Shipbuilding Co. in San Diego, was completed five months ahead of schedule and below projected cost. The new Columbia Queen, which recently underwent extensive improvements at a U.S. shipyards, is now providing domestic cruise service under the U.S.-flag in the Passenger Vessel Services Act trades. AMO May 30 was recognized as the exclusive bargaining agent for all personnel employed on Hvide Marine Inc. tugs out of Port Canaveral, Fla. Conversion of the 1st Lt. Harry L. Martin was recently completed. The ship, which is manned in all licensed positions by AMO and operated by Osprey Ship Management, will preposition U.S. Marine and Navy supplies. The Martin is named for the Congressional Medal of Honor recipient Marine 1st Lt. Harry L. Martin, who gallantly gave his life in service to his country on Iwo Jima during World War II. Domestic cargo and cruise markets are thriving under cabotage laws, Rep. James Oberstar noted April 30. A new report from the U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO) points to the possibility that U.S. dependence on foreign oil producers and foreign tank ships will increase in the near future if American shipowners choose not to replace their single-hulled tankers with qualified double-hulled vessels. The House Armed Services Committee May 10 approved a bill authorizing $50 million for the Title XI ship construction loan and mortgage guarantee program in fiscal 2001. |
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