Great Promise for Maritime’s Future
These are genuinely exciting and promising times for the American maritime industry, due in large part to the impending re-introduction of the SHIPS for America Act, along with a recently issued executive order aimed at boosting domestic shipbuilding while addressing shipboard manpower concerns.
We got word right around press time that the bipartisan SHIPS Act is expected to drop in late April. At worst, I think we can expect it to happen no later than National Maritime Day (May 22), based on everything we’ve been told.
We’ve reported on the SHIPS Act fairly extensively, going back to when it first was introduced in the last Congress. It is both comprehensive and ambitious, and the SIU fully supports it.
The White House’s pro-maritime executive order, issued last month, has some overlap with components of the SHIPS Act, which can be helpful in moving things along. Anyone who’s spent time working in the nation’s capital undoubtedly knows that advancing new legislation and directives often feels glacial in pace, but I’m hopeful that this will be an exception. There’s no fully accurate way to gauge it, but maritime truly may be the most bipartisan issue right now on Capitol Hill. Collectively, our industry has gotten the attention and support we’ll need to grow the manpower pool, revitalize our shipbuilding, and strengthen existing pro-maritime laws while adding sensible new ones.
With that said, even if things move along relatively quickly, it’ll take time. No undertaking of such a massive scope happens overnight. The SIU will remain fully engaged in promoting your interests, and we’ll keep you posted via our usual channels, including our website, the LOG, and the monthly membership meetings.
I’m very optimistic about the future of the SIU and that of the U.S. Merchant Marine as a whole.
Not all of the news from D.C. has been uplifting, though. As you probably know, a separate executive order has taken away collective bargaining rights from hundreds of thousands of federal-sector workers. The extent to which this will affect members of the SIU Government Services Division is still being evaluated, and in the meantime, we are working with allies in the labor movement and the military and in Congress to maintain our members’ rights. That’s in addition to supporting new, bipartisan legislation that would overturn the order.
Finally, and also at press time, an important update was expected from the U.S. Trade Representative concerning recommendations that follow a U.S. investigation of China’s maritime practices. We will post and publish updates.
More Kudos
I recently read the following quote from the captain of the SIU-crewed Stena Immaculate, and wanted to share it with anyone who hadn’t seen it. Speaking about the heroic firefighting efforts and successful abandon-ship operation, Capt. Thomas M. Leaf (a member of the Seafarers-affiliated American Maritime Officers) stated, “I have never sailed with a more dedicated, professional crew in my career. In the 35 years that I have been sailing, I cannot praise a crew with more drive, competence, ability and unity. Every person, to a man and woman, made sure that everything and everyone was safely accounted for and attended to.”
I’m guessing pretty much everyone reading this column is already aware of the Stena Immaculate incident, but if you’re not familiar with the saga, check out last month’s LOG or go to our website. You’ll be inspired.
Be Safe Out There
While I fully realize that SIU members keep their documents and related paperwork in order, I wanted to offer some extra encouragement to all of our members in the deep-sea sector to triple check your portfolio before shipping out. Given the tensions between our country and some others, we want to take every precaution in the event of, say, a port-state control inspection.
That’s definitely not to say we expect harassment or other problems, but things feel a bit unsettled these days. Better to have your ducks in a row and to minimize the chances of any misunderstandings overseas.
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