According to analysis from American Maritime Partnership and Navigistics Consulting, about 18 percent of waiver voyages were performed by vessels linked to Chinese entities, while U.S.-built, owned and crewed vessels remained available. Broker reporting showed that qualified Jones Act vessels and American mariners have sat idle throughout the waiver, not being used to transport needed fuel across the country.
If Congress wants to address refinery closures, fuel markets or regional supply challenges that have hurt America’s energy dominance, it should do so directly. But the Jones Act waiver has shown that the maritime industry is not a driver of gas prices. All it has demonstrated is that without the Jones Act, vessels built in China, crewed by underpaid mariners, flying flags of small countries to dodge taxes and regulations, can and will undermine investment and growth in an all-American industry.
Jennifer Carpenter, Alexandria
The writer is president of the American Maritime Partnership.
Since those remarks, Overseas Shipholding Group has placed three of its vessels into long-term charters to reliably serve East Coast refineries by transporting Gulf Coast crudes. This followed a shift in crude purchasing decisions that increased reliance on domestic U.S. crudes. When that demand materialized, Overseas Shipholding Group was able to reposition vessels and crews with no changes to the Jones Act.
Gulf Coast to Mid-Atlantic and New England movements occur regularly under the Jones Act, particularly on articulated tug barges and tank vessels. Available domestic capacity has not been the constraint.
While many of our vessels have been under long-term charter, other Jones Act operators have kept their ships and crews ready at high personal cost, only to be passed over by charterers who choose foreign tonnage made available under the waiver. More concerning is the long-term risk to the American mariners and shipyards that sustain fleets.
The government has prioritized restoring American maritime dominance, and Congress has authorized expansion of programs that require U.S. mariners. Overseas Shipholding Group has invested in its mariners and in those training to become officers and crew. Yet the thousands of cadets graduating from maritime academies every year now face an uncertain future if Congress allows this waiver to become a precedent.
Samuel Norton, Miami
The writer is CEO of Overseas Shipholding Group.