Community Rallies to Rebuild Lahaina
By Pasha Hawaii. Nearly three years after the August 8, 2023 Lahaina wildfire, Maui’s recovery has entered a new phase – one defined not by emergency response, but by steady, determined rebuilding. While the headlines have faded, the work continues every day, led by a community that has remained deeply committed to restoring Lahaina, one […]
Jones Act Waiver Has Proven Why Repeal Is the Wrong Answer
By Jennifer Carpenter, President of the American Maritime Partnership. For years, critics of the Jones Act have made the same promises: repeal the law, allow foreign vessels into domestic trade, and American consumers will see lower prices and stronger supply chains. Now the real-world test case is underway, and it is failing to make a […]
U.S. Great Lakes Shipping at a Standstill
By Lake Carriers’ Association. CLEVELAND, OHIO (March 26, 2026) – A little over a day and half since the Soo Locks opened providing access to Lake Superior and critical raw materials like iron ore, and the U.S.-flagged Great Lakes commercial fleet is at a standstill in the St. Marys River and Whitefish Bay, the critical […]
Jones Act Carriers Fuel Oregon During Energy Shortage
This article was originally published in December 2025 by the American Maritime Officers. It’s become a common sight to see fleets of Jones Act tankers coming to deliver life-saving aid after natural disasters hit America’s coastal areas. But those same American-owned, American-built, American-crewed vessels also respond to other distress calls around the nation. In November, […]
America’s Inland Waterways Drive American Agricultural Dominance
By VOICES Staff. America’s barges quietly sustain farmers’ ability to compete, and dominate, in global markets — a reality underscored by a new 2026 federal study on the economic importance of inland waterways to U.S. agriculture. The report, prepared for the U.S. Department of Agriculture by the Department of Transportation’s Volpe Center, finds that the […]
Hackathon Delivers Next-Gen Ice Forecasting for the U.S. Coast Guard
By VOICES Staff. Winter on the Great Lakes is not simply a seasonal challenge. It is an operational test for one of the most economically vital corridors in the United States. Each year, ice cover threatens the flow of commerce across a multibillion-dollar shipping system that moves roughly 130 million tons of cargo — including […]
Around the World, Nations Are Adopting Their Own Jones Acts
By VOICES Staff. A new study by Seafarers’ Rights International (SRI), commissioned by the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF), finds that 105 nations now have cabotage laws — up from 91 in 2018 — covering 85 percent of the world’s coastlines. These are laws that reserve a nation’s domestic shipping routes for its own vessels, […]
The Tugboat, Towboat and Barge Industry’s Importance to National and Homeland Security
By American Waterways Operators. The American Waterways Operators, the trade association of the American tugboat, towboat and barge industry, has released a new video on the industry’s contributions to U.S. national and homeland security. The two-minute video, The Tugboat, Towboat and Barge Industry: Supplying America, Securing America, notes that while the mariners who transport cargo […]
Jennifer Carpenter: America First Requires the Jones Act
By Jennifer Carpenter, President of the American Maritime Partnership. It comes as no surprise that President Donald Trump is building a legacy as a consequential maritime president. After all, there are few areas of our economy that are more America First than the U.S. maritime industry. We have been a maritime nation since our founding, […]
VOGEL: Want More Ships? Fix How Washington Builds Them
By Jeff Vogel, TOTE Services. President Donald Trump’s call for new investment in U.S. shipbuilding comes at a pivotal moment. From icebreakers to training ships, America faces rising demand for vessels even as foreign competitors pour billions into their own yards. But there has been significant concern about how America can keep up. Government shipbuilding programs have fallen behind due […]