U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta, U.S. Treasury Secretary John Snow and U.S. Maritime Administrator Captain William Schubert emphatically stated the administration’s support for the U.S. Merchant Marine during last month’s Maritime Trades Department executive board meeting in Hollywood, Fla.
Mineta announced plans to move forward on a proposal he has long advocated. “I have called for a comprehensive marine transportation system/maritime industry initiative — a full-scale review of current policies with recommendations that will seek to increase the competitive standing of our domestic shipping industry,” he said on March 4. “The maritime initiative we envision, known as SEA-21, will complement other transportation efforts.”
He explained that the SEA-21 initiative “will emphasize leadership and coordination within the Department of Transportation and across the federal government. It will focus on leveraging funds from federal, state, and local governments, as well as the private sector, to address the capital needs of the maritime transportation system.
“While infrastructure is important, the heart and soul of our maritime system is its merchant mariners — the men and women who make this system work day in and day out,” Mineta continued. “I recognize that America’s merchant marine competes against foreign-flagged vessels whose owners and crews pay minimal taxes. For this reason, I am advocating that the Bush Administration should carefully examine the tax burdens on our maritime industry and to our mariners, with the goal of improving our fleets’ and their workers’ ability to compete internationally.”
The secretary described the U.S. maritime industry as essential to America’s economic strength and productivity, as well as to the creation of American jobs. “Nor can we afford to take for granted the crucial relationship between our maritime industry and national security,” he added. “I would like to personally thank all of you who have been there on the front lines of democracy and freedom.”
Mineta cited the recent extension of the Maritime Security Program (MSP) as reflecting the administration’s “great respect for the role of the merchant marine and tremendous confidence in its future…. The Maritime Security Program, the Jones Act, and cargo preference laws are essential elements of America’s national maritime policy. This administration supports these laws and programs.”
Snow, who once served as chairman and CEO of CSX Transportation (parent company of the U.S.-flag CSX Lines), said that passage of the new Maritime Security Program late last year was a good move for the country.
“It is hard to overstate the importance of this program to the vital interests of the U.S.,” he declared. “Because of it the U.S. government has continual access to the global logistics system made possible by the modern and sophisticated container shipping industry, which ties the ports of the world together with an intermodal transportation system linking the rail and trucking industries with the ocean container ships. These extraordinary logistic capabilities are continuously at the ready in case of any need.
“MSP is a vital element of our military’s strategic sealift and global response capability, so it was high time we got a bill through expanding it—because this country needs you more than ever before.”
Snow said that the legislative process itself also proved beneficial, as “people got a chance to examine the realities of what the Merchant Marine does and how the program actually works.
MSP is another example of questionable theory taking a back seat to observable facts and realities. This is a program that serves America well. It is a program that must be and will be preserved.”
Turning his attention to the war on terrorism and the continuing mission in Iraq, Snow sated, “This country needs you to protect it, and help us win the war on terror and face the threats to our security wherever they arise. You are part of the legions of working men and women who have responded to the terrorists with guts and determination. Your patriotism and skills have made our response to September 11 as strong as it has been, and I want to thank you for that.
You’re showing the enemy that we won’t be beaten or deterred. When we needed to defeat the Taliban in Afghanistan, you were there. And when we needed to remove Saddam Hussein from power, you were there.”
He added a word of praise for the Seafarers-affiliated Paul Hall Center for Maritime Training and Education and for other vocational schools operated by MTD affiliates. “Through these schools you are giving people the opportunity to learn the skills they need to have good jobs, and that’s exactly what our country needs right now.”
Lastly, Snow said he appreciates the cooperative, industry-wide efforts in tackling the enormous task of shipboard and port security. “I know that you and your membership really understand that we are living in a different world since September 11,” he said. “That’s why it’s so good to work with merchant mariners on the huge task of protecting our vessels and ports.”
Schubert credited the MTD unions that mobilized for Operation Iraqi Freedom. “Over a year ago, when we first learned that U.S. armed forces would again be relying on American sealift to bring freedom to the Middle East, we called on you,” he recalled. “We knew there was the potential for danger, but we also knew that the U.S. Merchant Marine would ensure that equipment and supplies would get to where they needed to be and on time. Together, we planned for many contingencies and we coordinated for months before the Army landed in Iraq. We met the challenge — over 7,000 mariners and over 130 U.S.-flag ships brought the military their tanks, Humvees and other critical equipment that led to the freedom of the Iraqi people and the capture of Saddam Hussein. The work continues, and the men and women of the merchant marine remain actively engaged in replenishing equipment and supplies as our troops rotate into and out of Iraq.”
Schubert said that the Iraq missions have “once again shown how invaluable the U.S.-flag Merchant Marine is to our national security. We have an opportunity to reinforce support for the merchant marine by demonstrating the economic value of a strong and vibrant U.S.-based maritime industry.”
Stephen Van Dyck, chairman of the board for SIU-contracted Maritrans, Inc., also discussed the industry’s importance and future. He noted the vital importance of political action and also singled out SIU President Michael Sacco along with other union officials for their efforts to help maintain a viable U.S.-flag fleet.
“My hat goes off to you,” Van Dyck said. “This is not a platitude — this is a fact of life. You guys have dealt with the reality of a very difficult situation in a realistic way. And the kind of working experience that our people have on our equipment today — where they get good pay, they work hard and they are true professionals — is due in no small part to the responsible attitude that you all have taken over the years.”
Complete coverage of the MTD meetings is available in the PDF and newsprint versions of the LOG.
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