b'6American Journal ofTransportation ajot.com(STRATEGYcontinued fromof trained mariners to crew (military)the United States in the Pacific. Wethe bipartisan U.S. Maritime Admin-page 4) sealift ships. And its hard to makecan no longer afford to ignore theseistration(MARAD)Reauthorization between U.S. ports is harmful: Letsthe case that thats a success either.growing national security threats andAct.Theyarguedthatthe$1.6bil-be clear right now, we already have for- Obviously, the fleets gotten smaller.the Jones Act is one way we protectlion bill would invest in the maritime eign flag vessels on our inland riversIn2017,therewasagovernmentour national security. workforce, strengthen maritime infra-ontheMississippi,asfarnorthreportthatconcludedthatinaFuentesandKaskinsaythatthestructure,andexpandresearchand as Baton Rougeon the Columbiabest-case scenario, were looking atU.S. maritime industry is supported bydevelopmentintonewtechnologies River to Portland on the Delaware upa shortage of 1800 mariners. So, forthe Jones Act as an infrastructural andtoadvancefleetsustainabilityand to past Philadelphia. A few weeks ago,me, its hard to make the case that thenationalsecurityassetthatprovidesinnovation.IsawaforeignflagvesseldockinJones Act is working. the major source of manpower to crewThe legislation established a new Albany, New York.If the objectionAndso,Grabowrecommends:the ships of MARADs Ready ReserveNationalMaritimeStrategytohelp isaboutonenationandnationalExpandingaccesstoskilledandForce and the U.S.-flag fleet during agrow the maritime economy through security then we can limit (transport)properlycredentialedforeignmari- protractedwartimeemergencywhenshipbuilding,maritimetrade,training, to flags or countries that were alliednersparticularlyfromfriendlycommercial and military supply chainsand infrastructure.withIm all for addressing legiti- countrieswouldexpandthelaborwill be contested.It also helps maintainThisbillmakescriticalinvest-matesecurityconcerns.Ijustdontpool,reducecosts,andimprovetheashipbuildingindustrialbaseneededmentsinAmericasmaritimework-like national security concerns beingoperating efficiency of U.S. vessels. to support wartime shipping. Jones Actforce, shipyards and port infrastructure dressed upbeing a fig leaf for justopponents ignore this and argue insteadthatarekeytokeepingoursupply plain old protectionism. p ushback oncaTo p rEMisE thatprofitandcostchainsmoving,said Grabow has also written that withFuentesandKaskinworrythatshouldtakeprece- Sen.Cantwell.It foreignflagvesselssailinginandthe Jones Act is under attack in Con- dence over the nationalwillcreateanew out of all major U.S. ports allowinggress,backedbyinfluentialconser- interest,Fuentesandinnovationcenterto theseinternationalcarrierstomovevativethink-tankssuchastheCatoKaskin argue. explore cleaner fuels imports and exports by water betweenInstitute and the Heritage Foundation.Somewhatironi- andnewtechnolo-U.S. ports could reduce transportationTheysaytheseorganizationsignorecallyGrabowsaysgiestoboostresil-costs and relieve highway congestion:theeconomicandnationalsecurityoftheCatoInstitute:ience of our maritime One way of spurring such trans- benefits of the Jones Act and advocateCatoisphilo- fleetandensurethe shipment, and thus relieving conges- outsourcing maritime work to foreignsophically committedU.S. maritime industry tiononthecountryshighwaysandflag operators. The result is that Catotofreemarketsandremainscompetitive rails, would be permitting the trans- and Heritage represent an anti-feder- limitedgovernmentwell into the future.port of containers on efficient interna- alistmovementthatisundermining but I do believe Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) AstrongMari-tionally-flagged ships. the maritime security of the US. nationalsecurityisalegitimatepur- time Administration is essential for our Is the Jones Act the cause for USKaskin says the effect of attackspose of our federal government. Its,national and economic security. I am merchant ship decline? Cato thinks so. on the Jones Act is to undermine mar- its one of the things we have the fed- glad to support this bill, which would Grabowdoesnotbelievetheitimesecurityatatimeofgrowingeral government for. I have no problemimprove our marine highway system, Jones Act is helping the United Statestensions with China: Cato and Heri- with voting the appropriate resourceshelp protect against sexual assault and build up its merchant fleet: Back intage ignore the economic and nationaltomeetlegitimatenationalsecurityharassment within our merchant fleet 1980, we had 257 Jones Act ships bysecurity benefits to the United Statesneeds.HowtheU.S.flagmerchantand at the Merchant Marine Academy, 2000, I believe it was down to 120 whentheyseektounderminetheshipping fits into this aspect of CATOssupport maritime education, and reau-and according to MARADs latest sta- Jones Actatatimeofthegrowingphilosophy is clearly, unclear. thorize the port infrastructure devel-tistic, were down to 93. maritimethreatfromChina.Focus- opment program, Sen. Wicker said.The Jones Act is also not doinging only on economic costs withoutn aTionalM ariTiMEs TraTEgy MARAD is the principal federal much about crew shortages on ves- acknowledging the public benefit ofIn2022,U.S.SenatorsMariaagency responsible for supporting the sels, so Cato believes the answer istheJones ActisdisingenuouswhenCantwell (D-Wash.), Chair of the Com- American maritime industry through tooperatevesselswithcrewsfromthere is such an overwhelming threatmitteeonCommerce,Science,andfinancing,shipbuilding,workforce foreign countries: The Jones Act istonationalsecurityandagrowingTransportation, and Ranking Memberdevelopmentandportinfrastructure supposed to provide us with a poolnaval and economic security threat toRogerWicker(R-Miss.)introducedgrant programs.'